Winter Crew Studios’ JRPG-inspired adventure launches 1.0 with new regions, bosses and an ending to Hira’s story
Manila, Philippines, September 23rd 2026 – Independent developer Winter Crew Studios today announced that Fallen Tear: The Ascension, its hand-drawn, story-driven Metroidvania, is now available in 1.0 on Steam for $24.99 / €24.99 / £21.99, with a launch discount of 10% for 14 days!.
Following its Early Access launch in March 2026, Fallen Tear: The Ascension officially reaches its full release today, bringing the journey of Hira to its conclusion alongside a substantial expansion of the game’s world, combat and progression systems. The game’s Early Access journey has already earned a “Very Positive” rating from players.
Set in the high-fantasy world of Raoah, Fallen Tear: The Ascension follows Hira, a mysterious child fated to stand against ancient gods. At the heart of the adventure is the Fated Bonds system, allowing players to forge relationships with allies who bring distinct combat and traversal abilities that can reshape the way players fight and explore. The game combines traditional hand-drawn animation and full voice acting with fast, skill-based combat and JRPG-inspired storytelling.
The 1.0 launch roughly doubles the content available during Early Access. Players can discover 10 additional major regions with interconnected areas, 5 new main bosses and 16 new optional side bosses, alongside 11 new Fated Bonds, each bringing their own abilities and story moments. Hira’s progression also expands with 3 additional Ascensions, 6 new Hunter Skills, 4 new Elemental Imbuements and 16 new Mastery Skills spanning Tier III and Tier IV. Altogether, the full release offers 35 to 40 hours of story content, with more than 80 hours available for players pursuing full completion.
“Fallen Tear: The Ascension has grown tremendously through the support and feedback of our Early Access community,” said Stephen Manalastas, Creative Director at Winter Crew Studios. “Their input helped us refine the combat, deepen the Fated Bonds and shape the journey we wanted players to experience. With the full story now in place, we’re excited to finally share the world, characters and conclusion we’ve been working toward with players everywhere.”
Key Features:
- Fated Bonds – Forge bonds with allies across Raoah, each granting unique combat and traversal abilities that change how you fight and explore.
- Hand-Drawn World – Explore lush forests, lost cities and forgotten ruins rendered in traditional hand-drawn animation with full voice acting.
- Skill-Based Combat – Slash, parry and dodge through the Ascension and Hunter skill trees and switch tactics mid-fight against bosses that keep you guessing.
- Multiple Endings – Shape Hira’s fate through the bonds you form and the choices you make on the way to one of several possible endings.
- The Temple of Oras – Customize a personal hub high above Raoah and fill it with allies met throughout the journey.
Fallen Tear: The Ascension is now available on Steam, featuring full audio in English and text localization support for English, German, Brazilian Portuguese and Simplified Chinese; with further languages (Spanish, French, Italian, Turkish, Korean, and Japanese) arriving after launch. Wishlist Fallen Tear: The Ascension now on Steam!
About Winter Crew Studios
Winter Crew Studio is the original game development team under CMD Studios, based in the Philippines. Founded in 2020, Winter Crew focuses exclusively on creating original, high-quality video games and is currently developing its debut title, Fallen Tear: The Ascension. While this is Winter Crew’s first original game, the team brings years of experience through CMD Studios, having collaborated with international clients ranging from AAA game developers to world-class animation studios. As storytellers and passionate gamers, we are dedicated to creating memorable experiences that engage, inspire, and leave a lasting impact on players around the world.
