Fallen Tear: The Ascension 1.0 Is on Steam Now, and Consoles Wait Until Q2 2027
The dates are straightforward. The game first launched in Early Access for PC via Steam on March 17, followed by a full release on September 23, according to Gematsu. The developer's launch-time notice set the Steam release for 1:00 PM UTC that day, which was 9:00 AM EDT and 2:00 PM BST. MonsterVine reported an earlier plan to launch its 1.0 version on Steam on September 16, so the release slipped by a week before it shipped.
The console news reached far more outlets than the PC launch did. Gematsu, Noisy Pixel, VGChartz, Worthplaying, Dork and MonsterVine all reported that Maximum Entertainment, in cooperation with publisher CMD Studios and developer Winter Crew, will release the game on consoles in 2027. The developer's own Steam announcement is more specific: "We are currently targeting Q2 2027 for the console release." That means April to June 2027, and it is a target, not a commitment. The studio says the exact release date and further console details will be shared in a separate announcement when everything is ready.
Outlets don't all list the same platforms. Gematsu and VGChartz name PS5, Xbox Series and Switch. The developer's own announcement lists Nintendo Switch 2 separately, and MonsterVine agrees that Maximum Entertainment will publish the PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, Nintendo Switch, and Nintendo Switch 2 versions in 2027. The Xbox Series X|S version is confirmed by every source. The studio adds that physical editions are planned, but it hasn't said which platforms get them or what they'll cost.
What the Jump From Early Access to 1.0 Adds
The Early Access build covered roughly the first third of the game. The Steam listing described it as the opening act, with about ten interconnected regions, six main bosses and three optional bosses. The developer estimated 15–20 hours of play. Worthplaying puts it this way: the 1.0 launch roughly doubles the content available during Early Access.
Here is the developer's list of what 1.0 adds on top of the Early Access content:
| Content | Added in 1.0 |
|---|---|
| Major regions | 10 additional |
| Main bosses | 5 additional |
| Optional side bosses | 16 |
| Fated Bonds (recruitable allies) | 11 additional |
| Ascensions | 3 additional |
| Hunter Skills | 6 additional |
| Elemental Imbuements | 4 |
| Mastery Skills | 16 additional (Tiers III and IV) |
The studio estimates about 35–40 hours for the main story and more than 80 hours for completionists. Those numbers come from the developer. Nobody has measured them independently.
One count doesn't quite add up. The launch materials describe 10 Fated Bonds in Early Access plus 11 more in 1.0, which makes 21. The console announcement and the Steam store page both say 22 companions, and Noisy Pixel likewise reports that players can recruit 22 potential companions. The published materials don't explain the extra one. It could be a companion outside the Fated Bonds system or a difference in how allies are counted. Treat 22 as the marketing figure.
How Fated Bonds Tie Combat to Exploration
The allies drive more than side content. In most Metroidvanias, new areas open as a single character collects movement abilities. Here, some of that job moves to companions. Noisy Pixel reports that each ally has unique combat and exploration abilities, and different companions unlock different routes and traversal options. In practice, your party choices affect where you can go as well as how fights play out.
The combat itself is standard for the genre. Combat allows Hira to slash, parry, and dodge while fighting Raoah's guardians. Players can customize their loadouts through skill trees and change tactics during encounters. Between outings, players return to the Temple of Oras, a customizable home base. Recruited allies populate the temple, while minigames provide additional upgrades. The Steam page also tags the game as Souls-like and says it has full professional voice acting.
The mix of JRPG-style party building and Metroidvania exploration seems to be landing with players. When this was written, Steam showed a "Very Positive" rating, with 81% of 228 user reviews positive. That total includes reviews written during Early Access.
Early Access Saves Carry Over, but CMD Studios Says to Start Fresh
Anyone who played during Early Access has a decision to make. The 1.0 launch announcement says Early Access saves can be carried over and used in the full game. It also says the studio can't guarantee that old saves will be free of progression or compatibility problems.
The explanation is structural. The full game changes progression, balancing, quests, features and how the early game is laid out. Some Early Access systems and content no longer fit 1.0 properly, so an old save may break something much later in the game. CMD Studios recommends deleting all Early Access saves and starting a new file "for the best and most stable experience."
There's also a design reason to start over. The opening has been reworked from a more limited, semi-linear path into a more open start with more freedom to explore. If you keep an old save, you skip the redesigned opening, and the old progression state may clash with the new quest structure.
The studio hasn't published a step-by-step way to back up or archive Early Access saves, and the Steam page lists Steam Cloud support. If you want to keep an old save as a keepsake before starting over, be careful about deleting local files while Steam Cloud sync is on, because cloud sync can affect what happens to them. The developer hasn't documented how the two interact, and this article won't guess at a procedure. Starting a new game file is the supported route.
Known Issues in the Windows and Steam Deck Build
CMD Studios was open about what isn't finished. The launch announcement lists these areas as still under review:
- Some areas have occasional frame-rate drops or performance hiccups.
- Some bosses may still get balance changes.
- Hira's Masteries may still get balance changes.
- The in-game economy may be adjusted.
- Some sections are missing voice-over lines.
- Some situations are missing sound effects.
- More vibration options are planned.
- Text size and readability on Steam Deck are due for improvement.
None of these look like reasons to avoid the game. They do mean day-one players on older PCs or on Steam Deck are getting a build the studio still plans to patch. CMD Studios says it will monitor community reports and fix priority issues in post-launch updates. It is also starting work on a free post-launch content update, with no date or scope announced.
On Windows, the hardware bar is low for a 2026 release, with one exception. The minimum spec is 64-bit Windows 10, an Intel Core i5-4460 or AMD Ryzen 3 1200, and an NVIDIA GeForce GTX 950 or AMD Radeon R7 370 on DirectX 11. Recommended is Windows 10 or Windows 11 64-bit, an Intel Core i5-6600K or AMD Ryzen 5 1400, and a GeForce GTX 1060 3 GB or Radeon RX 580 4 GB. The exception is memory: both tiers call for 16 GB of RAM, which is more than many older budget systems have. The game also needs 30 GB of free storage.
Language support is limited for now. The Steam page lists English with full audio and subtitles, plus Simplified Chinese. The developer's localization plan adds Traditional Chinese, German, Brazilian Portuguese, Spanish, Turkish, French, Japanese, Korean, Russian and Italian, and it has promised a separate schedule for each language.
The Launch Price and When the Discount Ends
Worthplaying reports that 1.0 costs $24.99 / €24.99 / £21.99, with a launch discount of 10% for 14 days. The Steam store page lists it as an introductory offer ending October 7, which brings the US price to $22.49. The developer also says it reviewed regional pricing before the full release. Steam has bundles pairing the game with Afterimage, Fatal Claw and Solateria.
For Xbox players, there's no console price, no Xbox Store listing and no word on subscription availability. The only facts are the platform and the quarter.
What this means for you
If you want the full game now, buy it on Steam. If you only play on Xbox, all you can do for now is wait for the console date announcement.
- The complete Fallen Tear: The Ascension 1.0 has been on Steam for Windows since September 23, 2026, and the 10% launch price of $22.49 in the US ends October 7.
- Early Access players should follow the studio's advice and start a new save, because old saves may cause progression problems later and will miss the redesigned, more open opening.
- Check that your PC has 16 GB of RAM before buying. That figure is in both the minimum and recommended specs, while the CPU and GPU requirements are modest.
- Steam Deck players and people on low-end PCs should expect occasional frame-rate dips and small text on Deck until post-launch patches arrive, since the studio lists both as known issues.
- Xbox Series X|S owners are looking at a Q2 2027 target with no confirmed date, price or physical-edition details yet.
- The same console window applies to PS5, Switch and Switch 2, and Maximum Entertainment is handling the console versions with CMD Studios.
Fallen Tear launched on Windows first. The finished game is out, but it still has a published list of fixes to come. PC players now have a complete 35–40-hour game from a debut studio, with patches and a free content update promised. For Xbox Series X|S owners, what matters next is the separate console announcement that CMD Studios and Maximum Entertainment have promised, which should include a date, a price and physical-edition details. Until then, the Q2 2027 window is only a target.