If there’s one thing XCOM and Darkest Dungeon have in common, it’s forcing you to make incredibly tough decisions. Whether you’re choosing who lives, dies, or leads your team, both games push your tactical RPG limits to new heights. This is something the Prelude Dark Pain understands well, as it gives you plenty of opportunities to win, but will always find a way to punish your mistakes. Ahead of an imminent Kickstarter launch, I got to try the strategy game for myself, and it’s one to keep an eye on.
If you’ve played Tactics Ogre, XCOM, or even Vandal Hearts, you’ll be instantly familiar with turn-based strategy game through and through.
You take on the role of a blacksmith called Soren, who has found themselves coming up against the considerably powerful Order of the Ash Crusade. It’s a fight to the death, where the ravaged lands and gothic architecture provide a gloomy backdrop for every battle. If you’re as big a fan of dark fantasy and occult magic as I am, you’ll find a lot of joy here.
After playing Prelude Dark Pain for myself, though, there’s one feature that elevates the whole experience: positioning. If you can manage to flank an enemy and hit them in the side or back, you do extra damage. It’s a simple mechanic that provides a lot of depth; no matter your approach, positioning can make short work of an encounter – for better or worse. Enemies can flank you, too, and suddenly, you’re not only trying to get the best spot on the grid to win, but to stop your favorite soldier from being skewered in the ribs.
You’ve got a lot of variety to make sure your squad stays protected, though. Prelude Dark Pain has eight different classes to choose from, more than 20 different heroes, and plenty of abilities to craft the perfect builds. You can only take five characters into battle at once, however, so it’s all about finding the right balance. You’ll meet most of these characters throughout the game’s narrative, but there are also world missions that can help you recruit even more squates, and trust me when I say you won’t want to miss them.
While I only played Prelude Dark Pain’s battles, Quickfire Games has a lot more going on outside of combat. You have a settlement where you can craft weapons, upgrade gear, and even plunder more resources. Just like with flanking, though, sending out heroes on extra missions comes with its own risks. If a character is out on a job, you can’t bring them along on your battles and use them, so if you find yourself consistently bringing a tank into fights to help soak up the damage, maybe don’t send them off on a separate job.
From what I played of Prelude Dark Pain, it’s already shaping up to be one of the best tactical experiences around. The breadth of abilities and mechanics on display is mighty impressive, making even the most basic decisions engaging in a way few games in the genre can manage.
Quickfire Games is hoping to launch Prelude Dark Pain in Steam Early Access sometime in 2026. You can wishlist it on Steam now. The team also has a Kickstarter going live on Tuesday April 29, which you can find here.
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