Becoming Saint
Becoming Saint
Game
Game2026
Prelude Dark Pain
Developer QUICKFIREGAMES
Prelude Dark Pain is a Tactical RPG set in a dark fantasy world. Assume the role of a local blacksmith named Soren, lead an uprising against the Order of the Ashen Crusade and save a world ravaged by war. From the Steam store page
107 reactions from 2 sources (Steam reviews, Bluesky) · newest Oct 31, 2026 · last updated Nov 4, 2026 · How this works
Audience score
78
LovedLoved
73 positive · 21 negative
95% range 68–85%
| Source | + | − | = |
|---|---|---|---|
| Steam reviews | 73 | 21 | 0 |
| Bluesky * | 5 | 0 | 8 |
* shown, not counted in the score (label accuracy below our 85% bar or not yet audited).
Steam's own rating
Mostly Positive
77 of 97 reviews positive (all languages, per Valve)
What players are saying
78% recommend · 74 yes, 21 no
Counted from the reviewers’ own thumbs up/down on the 95 English Steam reviews we collected, not by the AI. Valve’s all-language rating: Mostly Positive (375 of 475 positive).
Players praise the art style and tactical combat, comparing it to Darkest Dungeon and Final Fantasy Tactics. [1][2][3] Some reviewers note the game is in early access with bugs and missing features, but has strong potential. [4][5][6] Several players criticize the clunky controls and UI, especially on controller. [7][8][9]
Liked
Representative posts
- [15]
Sorry, I tried so hard but the current state is an alpha. There are many things and bugs that ruins the experience. The interface is confusing, there is the menu (escape key) and other different menu with the TAB key. The camera is unstable, movement and controls are awkward. There are a few "Victory conditions", they give you some kind of unexplained rewards. They ask you for unreasonable conditions and when you …
- [7]
So far so its good, looking forward to more. But dear god, do not play this with a controller like the devs recommend, its the most clunky horrible PoS control system on controller i've ever seen. Just use your mouse and save yourself the headache.
- [13]
This game completely exceeded my expectations. From the very beginning, it's clear that this isn't just another tactical RPG, it has a real identity and a vision behind it. The narrative is easily one of its strongest aspects. The world feels rich, the characters are compelling, and the story unfolds at a satisfying pace, constantly making you want to see what comes next. It avoids feeling generic and instead builds …
- [5]
This game has the bones of the Darkest Dungeon 2 sequel most people wanted (instead of the actual Darkest Dungeon 2 we got). However, this is a title that is properly in Early Access. It is not a finished game. Basic gameplay systems are there, basic story stuff is there. But it needs stuff like voice acting, sound FX, a game balancing do-over, and bug fixing. If you want to help the devs and like turn based games, …
- [1]
Great indie tactical rpg game. Very refreshing and here are a few things I love about it: - Artistic direction - Environmental interactions (+++) - The map & the free roaming Can't wait play more to see what the story has to offer but I already love the characters I've met
Summarised from 34 of the 111 public posts collected about this game; every point cites the posts behind it ([n] opens the post) and the split is counted from the posts’ own ratings. Updated Oct 13, 2026. How summaries are made
RottenBot@rottenbot · automated account
78% of the 95 Steam reviewers we collected recommend Prelude Dark Pain. The complaint that keeps coming up: clunky controls and UI, especially on controller. Deal-breaker or nitpick?
Reactions
60 of 107 · most liked firstSo far so its good, looking forward to more. But dear god, do not play this with a controller like the devs recommend, its the most clunky horrible PoS control system on controller i've ever seen. Just use your mouse and save yourself the headache.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →📝 Our team is preparing a list of the Tactic RPGs that have defined PRELUDE DARK PAIN... but we also want to know about the games that you love! 🤔 What's your favorite Tactical RPG? #TurnBasedThursday
neutral · AI labelView post →Sorry, I tried so hard but the current state is an alpha. There are many things and bugs that ruins the experience. The interface is confusing, there is the menu (escape key) and other different menu with the TAB key. The camera is unstable, movement and controls are awkward. There are a few "Victory conditions", they give you some kind of unexplained rewards. They ask you for unreasonable conditions and when you finally complete them all, a few doesn't count. The experience system gives…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Optional objective a.k.a getting stars: Some of them don't make sense to even try (going to get you team wiped 1st / relying on rng because it says 'enemy 'x' must die from friendly fire'. yeah. good luck with that. / kill all enemies <= 4 turns. Then another says all of them must die from status effect like bleeding.) Bugs.. the game isn't lacking these right now. Comment made at like day 1 / 2 launch & 0 patch.
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →🎉 Prelude Dark Pain is FULLY FUNDED in 12 hours! A huge thank you from everyone at the Quickfire Games team. ⚔️ This is just the beginning! We have several stretch goals to add even more polish and content to the game, including new modes. Every contribution helps!
neutral · AI labelView post →Some people are going to hate how the game dictates the way they want you to play. Example: These battle objectives are annoying and if you don't do it, you lose some type of reward... makes it even more annoying to enjoy the game the way I would. The game is early access so is very empty shelled, you just go right into everything without knowing is the game saved yet. The system itself, you need to figure out like in most game pressing esc will make a save or load game even quit game but…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →We're excited to support QUICKFIREGAMES and officially welcome them and Prelude Dark Pain @preludethegame.bsky.social in the Firesquid family! 🦑 🕯️ A turn-based tactical RPG in a dark fantasy world Wishlist the game on Steam: store.steampowered.com/app/2479090?...
neutral · AI labelView post →i really dig the story, the art, the tactical possibilities. it scratches a FF itch for me. is it perfect yet? no really. there are bugs (don't understand negative reviews because of that, it is EA after all...) and some suboptimal design choices (like exp distribution, some UI issues, balancing in general), but those devs watch closely and are fast to correct, so i'm very positive this will become a gem when released.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →The Art style is great but other than that it seems to be a very flawed and badly designed game, the controls feel clunky, even for controller which it was clearly designed for. You can go back to old school games from the PS1 era like final fantasy tactics or front mission series and those controls will feel superior. Example being elevated areas can only be reached by following a path to it, even to simply check if you can aim a ranged character at the elevated target. The map is way too…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Great indie tactical rpg game. Very refreshing and here are a few things I love about it: - Artistic direction - Environmental interactions (+++) - The map & the free roaming Can't wait play more to see what the story has to offer but I already love the characters I've met
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →The developers of Prelude Dark Pain not only let me try out a demo, but also let me interview their legendary composer Kumi Tanioka, of Final Fantasy CC fame! This is a dark, gritty Final Fantasy Tactics inspired SRPG that's shaping up to be huge! Come check out the preview! youtu.be/-t0zMnn9jMA
positive · AI labelView post →Great little game. Dark fantasy tactical turn based combat. A tribute to old favorite games like Vandal Hearts. I love the artwork, it's evocative and clear. The different characters have style and are really diverse. I wish the developers the best the of luck.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →So far, the game is really good! The gameplay mechanics are intuitive and very easy to learn, making it quick to jump into. Visually, the art style gives off strong Darkest Dungeon vibes, which looks absolutely fantastic. The only thing missing right now is an achievement system. If the developers could add achievements in a future update, it would be perfect!
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Wrote about the tactics game PRELUDE DARK PAIN. Which I though was mostly really neat...
positive · AI labelView post →Daily video at 5pm (PT) | 8pm (ET) | 2:00 (CEST) | 10am (AEST) www.youtube.com/@SteamDemosD... Cozy Game Restoration revives old cartridges. PRELUDE Dark Pain brings tactical fantasy rebellion. #indiegame #gamedev #pcgaming
neutral · AI labelView post →I really tried to enjoy the game. The artwork is great, and the world and story seemed interesting, but the UI is terrible. At some point I caught myself realizing that I was spending 70% of my time fighting the clunky UI and only 30% actually planning the fight and executing my decisions. The UI is clearly designed for controllers, but it's just as bad with a keyboard and mouse. The only thing worse than the combat UI is the inventory management. Comparing and changing equipment is a…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Setting and graphics are good, but buggy gameplay and subpar UI cancels it out. I'd tell any people considering buying to wait for updates or full release to see if bugs get fixed and/or UI gets improved. Saving also could be improved, seems like you only get one save per campaign and atm checkpoint saving/loading doesn't work. What brought me to the tipping point and made me refund is that some missions and battle goals(side tasks during battles) are completely bugged/uncompletable as of…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →the controls are just too frustrating for me to keep playing. Especially the camera control is slow and often difficult. But also getting the details of the skills and the the effects of these skills is clumsy. Playing with KB and mouse.
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →The Good: Fun art, interesting character progression, unique setting, good price, and more content to come. The Bad: Dialogue is flat and sometimes unnatural, almost like it was run through google translate or something. Sometimes the bonus fight goals are vague or just factually wrong. Early boss fight is too easy. It is clear that the Devs did not intend you to beat it, as when you kill the boss the fight abruptly ends and suddenly the boss is suddenly alive again, and you are being rescued.…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →I'm enjoying this game, I want to continue playing but for some reason in battle, performance goes to hell. It’s fine outside of combat. I opened up afterburner and its micro stutter city. I can't believe a 2D game like this has performance issues. There's no graphical options outside of resolution, vsync and window options. I've tried even capping framerate to 60fps and its still feels choppy and honestly, hurts my eyes to play. I'll re-review in the future hopefully they figure the…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →This game completely exceeded my expectations. From the very beginning, it's clear that this isn't just another tactical RPG, it has a real identity and a vision behind it. The narrative is easily one of its strongest aspects. The world feels rich, the characters are compelling, and the story unfolds at a satisfying pace, constantly making you want to see what comes next. It avoids feeling generic and instead builds an atmosphere that is both dark and captivating. The art direction deserves…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →The game currently has too little content to be sold as a game. You can clear the entirety of the content in under 10 hours even without rushing. The artwork is great the designs are good. The combat is decent but the criteria for good achievements are abit exagerated without strategy taken into play. There are quite some unhandled exceptions type bug. Ex. when doing Sade's side quest there is some placement bug that can cause the enemy not to spawn which leaves you in an infinite battle…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →This game is pretty f#%king cool! Disable Steam input for PS icons, runs smooth on my Steam deck, works with dualsense
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Very good game, the future should hold well if they keep working on it. Art style very reminiscent of Darkest Dungeon, Don't Starve Together and a few other steam games. But is still very unique. Gameplay is similar to FF Tactics, but looks way better and more modern. If you like turned based tactics you'll like this game
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →I hope the developers see this review because I have a suggestions to make. So far I love the game and can't wait for a full release (my favorite character is Sade) but If I would add anything I would add in a way to change your characters skill tree/points while in the battle prep phase of fights because sometimes I will be in a fight and then decide that I want a different ability or play style for my character but I can't change my characters ability's because I'm in the combat prep phase. I…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →I've completed the early access content that is available for now. It's a good game with great potential. A little disapointed at what little content is available at the moment but what is there is very good and polished.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →One hour into the game and it's hard to spot why this is an Early Access game, because it already looks and feels way more solid than most releases. Even for someone like me that is not really a fan of this genre, the game introduces gradually and comfortably one and each of the game mechanics and I didn't even notice that was almost 2 hours into the game already. Judging from what I've seen so far, this is going to be a great experience, and it plays like a charm with a controller! Looking…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →This is a great idea with phenomenal art and animations. It's almost there. The combat skills and character variety are excellent, but the battles are getting in the way of themselves. I have area damage that is useless because I always decimate my own troops. I have healing skills that are useless because they heal the enemy troops. I almost never have enough "reach" and I'm continually stuck in little corridor levels where my characters can't move far enough fast enough and can't get past…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →To me to call something a tactic based game, tactics need to be something that have to be used to progress, this game is not one of those, in the nearly hour of playtime i have, 80-90% of it is just dialogue which sucks, it was just too much and ruined most of the excitement i had for this game, then the battles which were just not difficult and honestly felt like a waste of time as the second battle has 3 segments which all repeat themselves. the ui isnt great either, when i first booted it up…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →This game has the bones of the Darkest Dungeon 2 sequel most people wanted (instead of the actual Darkest Dungeon 2 we got). However, this is a title that is properly in Early Access. It is not a finished game. Basic gameplay systems are there, basic story stuff is there. But it needs stuff like voice acting, sound FX, a game balancing do-over, and bug fixing. If you want to help the devs and like turn based games, buy it. If not, wait a while.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →So far it's really good! The art is special and the battle system is quite enjoyable. Will keep playing.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Really nice game with plenty of content, an unique artstyle and already a good level of polish for an early access release Of course not everything is perfect but I'm already seeing the premise of a tactical rpg where you can be attached to the characters with some strategical depth.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Great turn based game at a very attractive release price. Still didn't play enough to judge the story, but everything else hits the spot - great skills, tactial options, graphics, etc.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →An interesting take on a turn-based RPG. Great artwork and interesting story so far. Fans of tactical RPGs should give it a try as they will probably like it.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →This is actually a decent game, it has Darkest Dungeon Vibes but tactics, But review bombing might be happening again from other players as when I put this, it has only 61% rating and this game will not get as many sale as they could preventing them from making any progress for this game. I hope it wont be, or it will be tragic
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →So many game breaking bugs! Immortal boss lose an attack turn and manymore
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →I was very excited that the game was out on EA. However didnt managed to pass the tutorial. The game kept crashing... Wait until they fix it. Playing on Linux cachyos
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →There's the start of something that may indeed end up being decent. Time will tell if future additions add some much needed depth and purpose to the game. In its current state, there's less than 10 hour of gameplay here. And those 10 hours are pretty shallow. None of it is truly awful, but it's also not anything that hasn't been done better elsewhere. I only ran into one bug that was really noticeable. I only had to restart a single (boss) fight - the rest were beatable on the first…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →I was a fan of Disgaea series and also the Darkest Dungeon artwork that merged in this game. Finished in 3 days and excited for more content!
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Simple turn-base game and need more content I end content in 13hr.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →good, but too many characters can be used at short time and shop not rly good, you can not compare items that you wanna create with those that already used by character (
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →The game runs smooth/stable with Proton 11.0 at kernel 7.0.0-28-generic and Nvidia drivers 595.84. With PS5 controller.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →it dose not matter what you change the settings to, save save save all you want....it never remembers your settings!! even though you save the game before you log out , it NEVER REMEMBERS YOUR SETTINGS! its right back to factory install settings every time you load your game!!! WTF???? FIX THIS PLEEEEEZ!!!
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →[[[STEAMDECK review]]] This game is a soon to be gem! Delivering on the artisan level art that they promised since the Kickstarter. And listening to the community feedback from the demo and test runs. (I myself complained about a confusing highlight in the UI that I'm happy to see fixed now in the early access) Granted that there are still rough edges to work on, but from that pressure you get a polished diamond As of Day 3 of early access: To improve: - In battle navigation is clunky, the…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →In my past i prefered RTS especialky from Mimimi games( Desperados, Shadow tactics, Shadow gambit) but the older I get I prefer more and more turnbased ones, in the best Case with the vibe of the games mentioned above. And this one exactly Ticks the boxes. - great Art Style - tactical combat - interessting abilities - environmental damages - fighting Not on a plain field - Location variety already at the beginning (Stage Coach fight) I Play only on the Steam Deck, the Controller Layout works…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →I know is early access but so far so good, the UI needs to get better, I'll defenitely love to get it fully voiced to get more immerssion, also the pacing need to be better, feels like a lot of grinding and not actually able to enhance equipment or raise character stats.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →I'm a console gamer, but after seeing a friend play it, I bought it on Steam so I could play it right away. So far, it's a fantastic game, and considering it's still in early access, imagine how great it will be when it's fully released. The art style is stunning, and the world map blew me away. Great job! I hope you keep working to make it even better.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Prelude Dark Pain combine the artstyle of the Darkest Dungeon and put in a Tactical RPG, which is on my favor consider the mess with DD2. So far the early access only cover ACT 1, and the rest is coming up really soon. This game put in a semi Open world for you to explore for side/main quests while you can pick and choose where you can tackle first, where is hero story, fight mobs in the open world to gain exp or gather material to build your gear. Its kinda short for ACT consider its a turn…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Just finished the @quickfiregames.bsky.social demo of Prelude Dark Pain and it's genuinely the first Darkest Dungeon inspired game that I've actually enjoyed in...ever? Congrats on making an actually compelling world with a fun blend of mechanics and style, Looking forward to release!
positive · AI labelView post →My top demos from Steam Next Fest: June 2026! • About Fishing • PRELUDE Dark Pain • The Devil's Due • Shroom and Gloom • Xeno Feels • Screenbound
neutral · AI labelView post →Very good graphics and fun tactics game, but would not recommend. Entirely too many bugs. To the point of unplayable. Every stage after awhile was buggy, couldn't use certain skills or the game freezes, couldn't save properly or find my correct saves, couldn't complete my objectives even though Ive completed them. Its just far too buggy, dont waste your time with this game. I suffered enough for everyone. Got this from humble bundle and am highly disapointed.
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Ooof... I love this game but there are so many game breaking bugs! The mission with Sade can't be completed - I kill all of the enemies and it just freezes and, when it unfreezes, it won't progress. You can't finish the ritual because you are stuck in the arena with nothing left to fight. Disappointing because I was really liking this game. The UI also needs work as there is no way to exit the game when this happens mid-fight other than task manager. Sigh... I guess I'll keep an eye on it…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →so far this is just what i'd hoped it would be, a great turn based battle system, some of the characters have very interesting abilities also great art and level design, looking forward to any updates to this already addictive game.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →The game is amazing. I have been waiting for a game like Vandal Hearts since the PS1. Each character feels very unique. The fact that you can change your talent specs at will is great, especially because I would often need to tweak character to beat certain bonus objectives. Bugs: I noticed that one of Sade's active abilities higher in the talent tree didn't show a cost to activate. Not sure if that's intended. Please show completed bonus objectives while in the battle. There is a screen…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →So far so good. I haven't gotten super deep into it, but I've already played about 10 distinct classes, each of which feels different than the others. The user interface and controls need a little polish but I have every confidence the developer will get them fixed by the time the game is released. If you like turn-based RPGs, this is worth your time.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Probably one of the best Tactical RPGs ever made. Please fix the atrocious control system and the Steam Deck compatibility. I cannot wait for the remaining acts to be released and the DLCs.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →----------------English---------------- After finishing the Early Access content and playing the August 7th patch, I can say I've really enjoyed the game. It has a lot of potential and offers plenty of hours of gameplay, although I think there are still a few things that could be improved: * Being able to change your characters' equipment/builds during the battle preparation phase. * Mouse controls sometimes don't respond properly, making it easy to accidentally select the wrong tile or…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →The game is pretty cool! I like it but there s work to be done. 1. there are several bugs to be corrected. there s a boss that has 2 buffs but one of them says it s immune to all effects except blind, exposed and provoked.. but the 3 debuffs dont work . another bug is the ritual with Sade.. after destroying the statues and killing the monsters, the mission doesn t end. even though the ritual is completed. 2. my god , some of the battle bonus conditions are trully idiotic . like in the mission…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Fun game, positional strategy involved, recommended. I dunno where the complaints come from "unstable camera" or "janky controllers". It's pretty obvious who you're hitting/attacking, & the camera works just fine, it's a turn based game, not an action game. Pay no attention to that, it's a good game overall.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →The controls are too sloopy I keep on hitting my own men when your in close combat. It should be much more clear who your attacking.
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →
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