Steam’s New Steampunk Obsession: ‘Path of Exile’ Co-Founder Launches ‘Crystalfall’ Into Early Access

• The Pedigree: Featuring Erik Olofsson, co-founder and former Creative Director of Path of Exile.
• The Hype: A Steam Next Fest Top 50 title with over 120,000 wishlists and 72,000 demo downloads.
• The Hook: A hardcore Hack-and-Slash ARPG where skills themselves are loot with procedural growth trees.
• The Price: Free-to-Play (F2P), now available on Steam Early Access as of April 10.

Move over, Diablo and PoE. There is a new titan in the hardcore ARPG arena. CRG Studio, led by a team of genre veterans, has officially launched Crystalfall into Steam Early Access. Combining the gritty machinery of steampunk with the radioactive glow of mystical crystals, it promises a level of build complexity that should satisfy even the most math-heavy theorycrafters.

A Shattered World: Steampunk Dystopia

Crystalfall drops players into a post-apocalyptic wasteland created by a mysterious asteroid collision. You begin as a prisoner, cast into monster-infested dungeons by a dominant global regime.

• The Labyrinth: Every dungeon is procedurally generated, filled with biomechanical mutants and steam-powered automatons.
• The Narrative: Across five initial chapters, players will uncover the secret of the “Crystal Energy” that destroyed the world and the true nature of the organizations ruling the ruins.

Deep Build Complexity: Skills as Loot

The standout feature of Crystalfall is its approach to character progression. In a departure from traditional class-based skill trees:

• Skill Drops: Skills are physical items that drop from enemies. Each skill has its own procedural growth tree, meaning two “Fireball” drops could evolve in completely different ways.
• Alpha & Omega Affixes: Weapons and armor use a radical affix system that fundamentally alters item properties, allowing for “illegal” combinations like dual-wielding steam-staves or combining high-tech pistols with heavy shields.
• Skill Crests: Further customize your abilities by slotting “Crests” into your skills to add elemental effects, chain reactions, or utility buffs.

Quick Specification: Crystalfall

The “Path of Exile” Connection

The involvement of Erik Olofsson has sent ripples through the ARPG community. Having spent over a decade as the Creative Director at Grinding Gear Games, Olofsson is bringing his expertise in “hardcore systems” to a smaller, more experimental environment at CRG Studio. This influence is visible in the game’s complex talent trees and its emphasis on a player-driven economy through trading.

Launch Events & Founder’s Packs

To celebrate the launch, CRG Studio is hosting Weekly Challenges for the first three weeks. Players who clear the Act 5 campaign or reach the top of the end-game leaderboards can win in-game credits and exclusive cosmetics.

For those looking to support development, Founder’s Packs are available in five tiers (Iron to Platinum). These packs offer tiered rewards, including weapon effects, pets, item skins, and unique portal effects that won’t be available after the Early Access period.

Official Steam Page: Crystalfall on Steam