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Everything about Fallen Tear: The Ascension took me completely by surprise. You know the feeling when you don't expect anything from a game, considering it to be yet another one of those 'wannabe' titles that does nothing more than copy some other, more popular titles?
That was exactly how I felt when I ran Fallen Tear: The Ascension for the first time. As soon as the game loaded, I'd already seen a poor clone of Hollow Knight and other popular Metroidvania games, and I immediately asked myself, 'Why do I need to play yet another one of those games?'
But I must admit, I was sorely mistaken. Fallen Tear: The Ascension immediately proved me wrong, because this game felt different from the very beginning, and while still in early access, it has the potential to be among the greatest in the genre when the full release finally rolls out.
Not just another 2D metroidvania
So what's so special about Fallen Tear: The Ascension that makes it different and more attractive than the other games in the genre? The identity would be the simplest answer. While the other Metroidvania titles do no more than try to be as similar to the greatest games in the genre, Fallen Tear: The Ascension tries to be original and do its own thing, and if this early access build is any indication, it does it spectacularly.
Imagine beautiful JRPG-like styled characters put in a beautiful fantasy world designed like they jumped straight from an anime series. Add a quite challenging companion-based hack-and-slash combat to the pile seasoned with a pinch of Souls-like elements, and the final product might just impress you, or begin to impress you, because after the early access hits its limits, you'll desperately want more.
The story of Fallen Tear: The Ascension is quite catchy, and in the short span I played the early access (about seven hours or so), it caught my attention completely. The best part about Fallen Tear: The Ascension's story is its direct mystery. One moment, you're doing some hunter stuff with your older brother, trying to become a member of the hunting society, and the next, all hell breaks loose, and without any recollections of what happened, you'll be ostracised from your town.
Everything is made to look very interesting and gripping with the story, so apart from excellent gameplay that will keep you very entertained, discovering what is about to happen in the story will be equally, if not more, interesting.
Mentioning the gameplay, Fallen Tear: The Ascension is a real Metroidvania game with all its characteristics, and for me, it felt like all the significant games from the genre but with a bit easier gameplay that renders the entire experience much more 'user-friendly', meaning you won't have to break the controller just because some 'impossible' boss stands in the way of your progress or you're failing to make a surgically precise double jump combined with a dash and dodge.
Challenging but fair
Fallen Tear: The Ascension is more like a Souls and Metroidvania lite than, like, if you catch my meaning. There are still all the mechanics, like platforming with the abilities that can be unlocked, like climbing the walls, which is inaccessible early in the game but can be unlocked later, making revisiting areas worthwhile.
Or the combat with significant options, like light and heavy attacks, dodge and parry, but, for example, healing is much more accessible and easier to perform; many mechanics are really adjusted for the easier and more relaxing gameplay.
But don't think that you're waltzing through Fallen Tear: The Ascension. This game can still be very challenging and will require you to learn enemy attack patterns and everything, because if you're not careful, and that can especially be true for the bosses, you'll find yourself respawning in the camp more than you can count.
Speaking of bosses, in the early access version, you'll encounter only six of them, with the addition of three optional ones, provided you explore more than the next guy out there. Exploring, too, is quite rewarding, and the world is designed for you to turn as many stones as possible. If you prefer to play the game this way, you'll find many secrets and unlock many shortcuts because the levels are very well interconnected.
Party people in the house tonight
One more feature that makes Fallen Tear: The Ascension stand out among similar games is companion abilities embedded into the combat system, a feature that has probably never been seen in any Metroidvania game. Through your journey, you'll meet many enemies and friends alike, and unlike the other similar games, where everything tends to harm you, here, you'll meet many people ready to help you.
Once you do something for them, they will join your party, and you'll be able to use their special abilities in combat. Of course, there are usual skills and abilities unlocked by accumulating XP, but this is something very common in such games, and I won't talk too much about it here.
Mesmerising art style, but no ultrawide for my ultrawide
The art style in Fallen Tear: The Ascension is just mind-blowing, making this game one of the better-looking in the genre. I've already mentioned the anime-styled characters, which, by the way, look perfectly amazing, but apart from them, the levels in general, including indoors and outdoors, look like they jump out of a fairy tale.
The way the game plays with colours is very impressive. In one scene, you're shown a beautiful cherry tree in full blossom, with the visuals very bright and very colourful, and the next scene showcases the town in ruins, destroyed by the demons, where everything is fire and ashes and all that. Even though Fallen Tear: The Ascension is a small 2D game with probably a limited budget, what the developers did with the visual presentation is really something special.
The only downside of the graphic presentation in this build (maybe it will be changed in the original) is the lack of ultrawide resolution support. I really hate playing games with two massive black bars on my monitor, and since ultrawide is already a very common standard, not including support for those monitors is a bit disappointing.
AltChar's verdict
They say the morning shows how the day will be, and if that's any indicator, Fallen Tear: The Ascension is poised to become one of the better Metroidvania games out there if everything goes according to the plan. Once the full game with all its features is released, this one will be legitimate to stay on the line of the titles that defined this genre many years ago.
With its unique mechanics, gorgeous visuals and the special blend of anime and Metroidvania with lite Souls-like elements, Fallen Tear: The Ascension is poised for greatness, and I sincerely cannot wait to continue this very unique journey.
The Good
Unique identity within the Metroidvania genre- Beautiful anime-inspired art style
- Engaging and mysterious story
- Companion-based combat system
The Bad
Lack of ultrawide resolution support- Limited content in early access
