Prelude Dark Pain brings its grim tactical RPG action to Early Access today

If you’re after your next turn-based tactical RPG fix, you’ll be happy to know that Prelude Dark Pain has officially launched into Steam Early Access, giving you your first chance to explore the brutal world of Statera.

The game is developed by Seville-based studio QUICKFIRE GAMES and published by Firesquid, and you can pick it up for $19.99/£16.75/€19.50. A 10% launch discount is also currently available, making it slightly cheaper if you want to dive in now.

The Early Access version contains the game’s complete first act, which offers more than 15 hours of content. You’ll be able to explore the world map, watch the opening collection of cutscenes, and command nine playable heroes: Soren, Tizon, Tammais, Maya, Sade, Gala, Rufio, Urza and Rayder.

Each character comes with their own playstyle, including four active skills, two passive abilities, and unique virtues. Squads can contain up to five heroes, encouraging you to experiment with different classes and combine their abilities to create particularly nasty tactical synergies.

Battles take place across grid-based environments where positioning, as you would expect, is extremely important. Higher ground can improve attacks, while moving environments and mission-specific challenges force you to adapt rather than repeatedly rely on the same strategy.

Its handcrafted visuals take inspiration from the work of Hellboy creator Mike Mignola, while the soundtrack comes from Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles and Minecraft composer Kumi Tanioka. This is a solid combination for any game, and will be a really good selling point for some who really enjoy visuals that match up to the same level of craftsmanship in the music.

In terms of what the full game will offer, there are plans to feature more than 20 playable heroes, over 20 factions and at least 70 enemy types. Side quests, raids, crafting and settlement upgrades will also provide plenty to do away from the main storyline.

So, while this Early Access does come at a cost, it may be worth the money, as the price will rise to match “new content and features.”