After a long development journey and several delays, SacriFire, the promising pixel-art JRPG from Pixelated Milk, is preparing to welcome players back with a major Steam playtest scheduled for October 2026. The upcoming build promises more than three hours of content and substantial changes to some of the game’s most important systems.
Inspired by classic Japanese RPGs of the 1990s, SacriFire follows Ezekiel Ridan, a young priest caught in a conflict involving gods and demons.
Its world mixes fantasy and science fiction, taking players between the underground city of Antioch and the spiritual realm of Erebus. Visually, the game uses detailed 2D pixel-art characters alongside 3D environments, accompanied by music from legendary composer Motoi Sakuraba.
A Much Bigger Playtest With Reworked Combat
According to Pixelated Milk, what initially began as an improved version of an earlier test gradually expanded into something considerably more ambitious.
The upcoming build will include the complete opening section of the adventure, featuring over three hours of gameplay. More importantly, it will introduce several improvements to the combat system, including Xenogears-inspired combo effects, launchers, stagger mechanics, companion attacks, and active defense options.
SacriFire has an unusual approach to combat, mixing real-time movement with tactical, turn-based decision-making.
Time effectively stops when the protagonist stands still, allowing players to assess their surroundings before committing to an action. The expanded combo system adds another layer of strategy, encouraging experimentation with different weapon forms and attack sequences.
Character development has also received considerable attention. The playtest introduces a larger skill tree, ability gems, a Mastery system, and crafting mechanics, giving players more opportunities to customize Ezekiel’s abilities.
Beyond combat, the updated version includes new difficulty options, additional minigames, expanded worldbuilding features, redesigned interfaces, improved audio, and new compositions by Motoi Sakuraba.
Another interesting detail is that participants will receive rewards for playing and completing the test, which they can later redeem in the full game.
How to Join the SacriFire Playtest
Registration is already available through the official Steam page. Interested players simply need to find the Join the SacriFire Playtest section and select Request Access. According to the developers, everyone who registers will receive access once the test begins.
The playtest is scheduled for October 2026, although a specific starting day has not yet been confirmed in the previously published details.
For anyone interested in JRPGs with experimental combat mechanics, this will be an opportunity to see how SacriFire has evolved over the past year, particularly its unusual approach to time management, combos, and character progression.
The full game remains in development, with its Steam page currently listing a planned 2026 release but no confirmed launch date.
