Pyrrhic Tales: Prelude to Darkness is a dark, sophisticated fantasy CRPG featuring complex, turn-based tactical combat, 3D graphics, a skill-based character advancement system, and an intricate, involved plot. Prelude thrives on the tradition of true role-playing games, allowing players to craft a diverse team and become a part of a large and intricate world with a rich history, hundreds of non-player characters, and nearly endless paths and subplots.

Prelude takes place in a huge river valley, surrounded on all sides by impassable cliffs. The Children of the Flame have been at peace with the People of the River for a thousand years. But something has changed. Ethnic tensions have suddenly escalated, culminating in bursts of terrorists violence. Murders, once rare crimes of passion, have begun occurring at an alarming rate. A plague has started to attack the crops and devastate the once plentiful harvest. The player must unravel the dark mysteries and resolve the conflict threatening to consume The Valley.