Fallen Tear: The Ascension — CMD Studios’ Bold Leap into Indie Development
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Fallen Tear: The Ascension is an indie Metroidvania platformer that took me by surprise when I saw it in a closed-door ID@Xbox digital session showcasing upcoming indie titles from Southeast Asia. Currently being developed in the Philippines by CMD Studios, I got to talk with the developers of Fallen Tear, and I emerged from the interview not only intrigued by what they are creating but also impressed by the passion the developers infused into the project.
CMD Studios has been in the industry for 10 years, specializing in 2D/3D animation and digital design. While they have supported various game projects over the years, Fallen Tear: The Ascension marks their first venture into developing their own game, which has been in development for three years since its inception in 2019.
This is their first game as an indie studio. Stephen Manalastas, the studio’s founder, reflected on the journey.
“We've been doing this for other clients, but it's different if you're working for your own game”.
“There’s a lot of things we didn’t know”
But their tenacity taught them to embrace the challenges as opportunities. Despite being in the industry for years, developing a game from scratch is completely new for the team. The learning process is continuous.
CMD Studio’s first “baby”
Fallen Tear: The Ascension is a passion project for everyone involved, and the team is eager to see it through to completion. Stephen outlined three guiding principles that influenced the decision-making process behind the game: “Is this something we can do?”, “Is this something we can finish?”, and “Is this something we can finance?”.
The success of titles like Hollow Night and the Ori series inspired the team to pursue the Metroidvania genre, drawing influence from classic JRPGs and platformers such as Mega Man and Contra. Following an internal contest to determine the game’s visual style (the Wakfu-inspired art style emerged victorious), the foundational elements of Fallen Tear: Ascension were established.
Narrative Focus
While gameplay is an important aspect in a game like Fallen Tear, CMD Studios is placing a significant emphasis on narrative. While Metroidvania games are greatly known for its gameplay mechanics and traversal, CMD Studios is investing in the game’s story through their Fated Bonds mechanic. This system allows players to form bonds with certain characters in the game, who join the player's adventure and assist in battle with the press of a button.
“We have 22 Fated Bonds, who you meet in-game and all those 22 Fated bands have their own story” Stephen explains. “we wanted to push the narrative side as similar titles are more well known for their combat, boss encounters, and fluid gameplay”
This system is attached to progression as the more people you meet and join the main character’s cause, the stronger you become. Fallen Tear will also feature typical progression-tied skills you mostly see in a Metroidvania title, like double jump or the ability to break walls, opening up new pathways in the game. However, CMD Studios aims to innovate by allowing players to attach certain elements to these skills, providing additional variety in playstyle and traversal.
ID@Xbox Support and International Recognition
CMD Studios is taking a unique approach to marketing Fallen Tear by prioritizing the international market before focusing on local promotion efforts.
“Our strategy is to target the international market first. If they embrace it, then we are confident Filipinos will be proud of this game, as that's how we Filipinos perceive such endeavors.” says Stephen.
And it’s going fairly well for them so far. They recently received an award at GDC San Francisco this year and were chosen to be part of ID@Xbox’s indie showcase that feature indie titles in the Southeast Asia region, where I was first introduced to Fallen Tear.
CMD added that ID@Xbox has been a great support tool during the development process by offering training programs for their studio, giving them opportunities to grow in terms of development and even marketing. Last year, Xbox invited the studio to Xbox Game Maker Summit in Singapore to feature Fallen Tear.
CMD aims to be the beacon of Philippine Game Development
Towards the end of the interview session, it felt like each member of the team present had a second wind when it came to the local community. They lit up to express optimism, hoping their work would contribute to making the Philippines a new haven for potential video game studios finding success in this ever-growing industry.
Gabriel Cruz, an animator for Fallen Tear, hopes the local game development community will indeed grow in the future, and more opportunities open up in the Philippines. “There are a lot of talented creators, artists, and developers. From story, game design, and art, to programming, we have a lot of that covered.”
Nexus Borjal, a U/X and Tech Artist in the team, then jumped in and shared words of inspiration for those pursuing a similar path, emphasizing that you’ll need the “drive to do it”.
“If you encounter a roadblock, don’t ask what you can do. Ask yourself why did I stop? What’s missing here? Never stop learning”.
“Passion can take you a long way”, Daniel, one of the developers working on Fallen Tear, chimed on how infectious passion could be as it encouraged them to aim higher. “ Sir Stephen is a very passionate person spearheading this project [...] we feel that we need to do better, and we’d like to do since you can really feel the passion… ”
Stephen shared the significance of finding the right team members, citing that it is vital for a team’s success when it comes to making games. “It's best to find a good team that will support you and also believe in your vision [...] it will be hard and there are lots of difficulties that will come your way unexpectedly.”
Looking Ahead: Kickstarer, and playable demos
CMD Studios is riding the momentum but is still a couple of years from release. But the optimism and excitement to get this done right was clear during our session. Now, they look to Kickstarter to further fuel this passion project as the campaign is set to launch soon. They also announced multiple playable demos are planned, with one now available on Steam.
Fall Tear: The Ascension is set to release sometime in 2025.
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