Alabaster Dawn is a top-down 2.5D action RPG developed and self-published by Radical Fish Games. The game launched in Steam Early Access on May 7, 2026 for Windows and Linux. Players take the role of Juno, the Outcast Chosen, who awakens in the ruined world of Tiran Sol after the catastrophic Nyx curse has scattered the gods and shattered humanity. The launch build covers the prologue and progresses into mid-Chapter 2 of a planned seven-chapter campaign, combining fast combo combat, two unlockable elements, environmental puzzles, and the new Roguelite Mode.
At a Glance
Field | Detail |
|---|---|
Developer | Radical Fish Games |
Publisher | Radical Fish Games (self-published) |
Release | May 7, 2026 (Steam Early Access) |
Platforms | Windows, Linux (native) |
Genre | Action RPG, Adventure, Top-Down 2.5D |
Price | $24.99 base, with a 15% intro discount through May 14, 2026 |
Modes | Single-player, full controller support, Steam Deck friendly |
Languages | English, Simplified Chinese (interface, full audio, subtitles); German planned within months |
Age rating | DEJUS 10+, USK 12+, IGRS 13+; content descriptor: Violence |
Reception | Overwhelmingly Positive on Steam, around 95% of more than 1,000 reviews |
EA content at launch | Approximately 6 to 10 hours, prologue through mid-Chapter 2 of 7 planned chapters |
Planned full release scope | Approximately 30 to 60 hours across 7 chapters and 7 unique areas (forward-looking target) |
Estimated Early Access duration | At least 2 years from the May 2026 launch (developer estimate) |
Premise
On the world of Tiran Sol, humanity once lived under the protection of the gods. That peace ended with the arrival of Nyx, a curse that descended in a meteor shower and warped the surface into a shadow-blighted wasteland. The Nuemera, monstrous creatures spawned by the curse, infest what remains of the world. With the gods departed, humanity sealed itself underground in shelters and waited for a sign that the curse could be broken.
Juno awakens long after that retreat. As one of the Twelve Chosen, warriors entrusted with divine power, she emerges to clear the curse from the surface, locate the gods' lost weapons, and guide the survivors out of hiding. The story unfolds across seven chapters of the planned campaign; the launch build covers the prologue and progresses into Chapter 2.
Core Systems
Alabaster Dawn pairs an action-combat skeleton with several deep RPG systems.
Combat. Real-time action with combo trees, parries, dodges, a break meter that staggers enemies when filled, and finisher-style Divine Arts. See Combat System.
Divine weapons. Eight planned weapons paired into one melee plus one ranged loadout. The launch build ships with the prologue starter sword and bow plus one further weapon line; future patches will add the rest. See Divine Weapons.
Elements. Four elemental affinities are planned. Physis is the starting element; Aether unlocks at the Trial of Aether inside Chapter 1. The other two elements are planned for later patches. See Elements.
Gem crafting. Gems slot into weapons and Divine Armor for stat boosts and situational effects, crafted and upgraded by Artificer NPCs from Essences dropped by Nuemera. See Gem Crafting.
Cooking. Healing bulbs and temporary buff dishes prepared from gathered ingredients. The Palate Level scales how strong each meal becomes. See Cooking.
Settlement rebuilding. Quests reconstruct ruined towns such as Lyhamn, with the world map physically changing as villages, fields, and trade routes return. The launch build is centered on Koro Valley, the first major region beyond Silver Peak.
Roguelite Mode. A separate dream-world challenge mode unlocks late in the launch content. Runs through it earn Dream Shards and Sleep Tokens that feed back into permanent perks. See Roguelite Mode.
Exploration. Auto-jumping movement, hidden parkour routes, and weapon-gated puzzle paths reward off-path searching. The world map provides fast travel, objective markers, and adjustable hint intensity.
Early Access Status
Alabaster Dawn launched into Steam Early Access on May 7, 2026 at a fifteen percent introductory discount that runs through May 14. Radical Fish has stated the Early Access period is expected to last at least two years and that the price will rise as new chapters and systems land in patches. The launch build is already drawing strong community reception, with overwhelmingly positive Steam reviews in its first week.
Players who buy in early should expect ongoing content over the EA cycle: additional chapters beyond the mid-Chapter 2 cutoff, the remaining Divine Weapons, the two unrevealed Elements and their Trials, German localization within the coming months, and continued balance changes. Save Anytime is supported and Steam Cloud is enabled, with Linux-to-Windows save sync fixed in Hotfix 0.1.0-6.
Post-Launch Patches
Radical Fish shipped a rapid series of hotfixes (0.1.0-2 through 0.1.0-10) across the first two weeks of Early Access. Highlights:
Steam Cloud sync between Linux installs and Windows installs was repaired.
A crash near a teleporter caused by an Evil Frumato enemy was fixed.
Map detail adjustments and a typo pass.
A "Spring Trial" progression blocker was resolved (0.1.0-7).
Quality-of-life additions: boost and buff information was added to the help menu, several skill descriptions were corrected, and exploits were patched (0.1.0-8).
A portrait for Filia was added and the low-HP warning display was adjusted (0.1.0-10).
A pre-launch hotfix on April 29 refined parry timing windows, balanced early mana costs and resource nodes, and improved performance in larger areas.
Roadmap and Upcoming Updates
Radical Fish has committed to eight major content updates before Alabaster Dawn reaches v1.0, alternating between gameplay-focused and story-focused releases. The first content patch after launch is v0.2.0, targeted for August 2026.
Confirmed v0.2.0 additions:
Scala Moor, a new swamp region to the east of Sundalan, with a new dungeon, puzzle elements, swamp-adapted enemies, and a new boss.
Spear (also referenced as Lance), Juno's first melee Pierce weapon. See Divine Weapons for current loadout rules.
A new elemental Aspect to unlock, plus extended weapon skill trees with bonus effects for combo actions.
Map Markers, returning as a player-requested feature.
A new Dojo facility for testing combos with live damage data.
Missing side quests filled in for Sundalan and the Aurum Plains.
Extended Roguelite Mode with additional floors and enemies in Somu's Dream.
A three-way collaboration with two other Radical Fish related titles has been confirmed. The previously teased third partner is SHADE Protocol, a separate game. The content planned to ship inside Alabaster Dawn is a set of themed Divine Arts and a guest playable reskin of Zura, the lead character of the partner game, usable in place of Juno inside the Roguelite Mode (Somu’s Dream). The studio has stated this crossover content is not in the current build and will be a focus in later development, potentially for post-1.0 updates. All roadmap and crossover content is forward-looking and subject to change before it ships.
System Requirements
Tier | OS | CPU | RAM | GPU | Storage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Minimum | Windows 10 or compatible Linux | 2 GHz dual-core | 2 GB | Hardware-accelerated graphics, 2 GB VRAM | 2 GB |
Recommended | Windows 10 or compatible Linux | 2 GHz dual-core | 2 GB | GeForce RTX class or better | 2 GB |
The combination of low minimum specs and a custom WebGL engine makes Alabaster Dawn comfortable on integrated graphics and Linux configurations, including Steam Deck. Adjustable difficulty, camera comfort options, custom volume controls, save anytime, and full subtitle options are all present at launch.
Where to Begin
New players should start with the Getting Started guide, which walks through the prologue, the move into Lyhamn, and basic combat fundamentals. From there the Combat System page covers parries, the break meter, and Divine Art usage, while the Divine Weapons and Elements pages cover loadout choices.