Get a deep dive into the setting, art style, characters and their combat styles, gameplay, and various locations of AFK Journey, an upcoming free-to-play fantasy RPG coming to PC and mobile platforms. In AFK Journey, you will experience a blend of AFK gameplay with new strategic layers and storytelling set in the world of Esperia. AFK Journey will be released in 2024, with a limited-time Beta Voyage which runs from February 1-7. The Beta Voyage test link can be found on Discord here: / discord
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GamingTranscript
00:00 [MUSIC]
00:05 Hello everyone, I'm Kaz,
00:07 your community guide through the enchanting world of AFK.
00:11 AFK Journey is a beautifully crafted fantasy RPG
00:16 coming soon to PC and mobile platforms.
00:19 Every four months, we plan to roll out
00:21 new expansions that further the narrative of this world.
00:25 Set in an age long forgotten,
00:28 the mortals of Vesperia once looked skyward,
00:31 seeking guidance and salvation from their gods.
00:35 It's said that in times of great peril,
00:38 the gods would bestow defiant swords upon chosen heroes,
00:43 symbol of might and hope.
00:46 In AFK Journey, you step into
00:49 the role of a powerful magician called Merlin.
00:52 Once the chief mage of Vesperia,
00:55 you lost your powers and memory in a fierce battle.
00:58 To save this world, now plunged into chaos yet again,
01:02 you embark on adventurous journeys
01:05 across various corners of Vesperia.
01:08 From the buzzling town of Holy Stone,
01:11 to the mysterious Shimmerwood,
01:14 the beautiful and lore-rich desert,
01:17 and these ancient forgotten temples.
01:22 Prepare to witness miracles,
01:25 solve age-old mysteries,
01:27 and face unknown dangers and challenges.
01:30 As you can see so far,
01:32 we're brimming with endless imagination
01:35 for the world of Vesperia.
01:37 To better capture our imagination,
01:40 we've created a new unique art style,
01:43 and we call it Life Canvas.
01:45 Life Canvas is like living art.
01:48 The drawings and animations
01:50 are immersed in the magic of the world.
01:53 For example, as the mist thickens,
01:56 the scene becomes increasingly enchanting.
01:59 To achieve this effect,
02:01 we used a mix of wet-on-wet and wet-on-dry techniques,
02:05 perfectly replicating the traditional style
02:08 in a modern fashion.
02:10 You'll find that from day to night,
02:13 various weather conditions,
02:15 clouds in the sky,
02:17 and your position on the map
02:19 all interact with the world of Vesperia.
02:23 Everything is alive.
02:25 Along the way, you'll meet a group of trustworthy companions
02:29 from six different factions,
02:31 each with their own stories and secrets.
02:34 These characters will play crucial roles in your adventure,
02:38 helping you regain your strength and memory,
02:41 guiding you towards your ultimate destiny.
02:47 Let's meet one of the intriguing characters,
02:50 Vala, from the Empire of the Light Varus.
02:54 By day, she's a noble lady of distinguished heritage,
02:57 gracefully mingling among the elite as a philanthropist.
03:02 But as night falls,
03:03 Vala transforms into a skilled vigilant,
03:06 striking at the dark secrets of the elite.
03:09 Vala has two combat forms,
03:12 switching between them with her ultimate skill,
03:15 Swift Shift.
03:16 When cast on an empty tile,
03:19 she jumps to that tile,
03:20 switching to her Sky Blaster form and damaging enemies.
03:25 When cast directly on an enemy,
03:27 she switches to her Sword form,
03:29 delivering piercing physical attacks.
03:31 Vala's unique Notice mechanism
03:34 enables her to target the farthest or nearest enemy
03:37 for precise and swift elimination.
03:41 Beyond the Empire of the Light Varus,
03:43 there are other renowned realms in Vesperia's history,
03:46 such as the Bontus Empire.
03:49 We now see the Imperial Sovereign, Thorin.
03:54 When alive, Thorin was lauded as a wise ruler,
03:58 bringing his empire to glory
04:00 until the Rebellion ended his life.
04:03 Now he returns as an undead,
04:05 eager to unleash his fury and hatred upon the world.
04:10 Thorin's ultimate skill, Soul Retaliation,
04:13 allows him to charge up and then deal high damage
04:16 to nearby enemies.
04:18 He's immune to control effects while casting the skill
04:21 and gains additional life drain effects.
04:24 As you can see, each hero has their unique abilities.
04:28 But how deep do these skills go strategically?
04:32 Next, we'll introduce the game's strategic aspects
04:35 with examples and showcase more heroes
04:38 and gameplay for you.
04:40 [MUSIC PLAYING]
04:43 To elevate the tactics in AFK Journey,
04:50 we've implemented a bullet timing approach.
04:54 With this tactic, time slows down
04:57 and you have manual control over timing and targets
05:00 of each hero's ultimate skill.
05:03 Let's take a look at this battle.
05:04 As multiple enemies are about to unleash their ultimates,
05:08 Cessia seizes the moment to summon Mr. Carlyle
05:11 for a timed interruption.
05:13 Then Huen uses her ultimate to cast a healing rain,
05:17 giving the allies a prolonged advantage for victory.
05:22 Aside from the bullet timing mechanic,
05:24 we've also designed the new chessboard tactics.
05:28 In this system, the placement of characters
05:31 greatly influences their attack and defense priorities,
05:35 thus impacting the battle's outcome.
05:38 Take the arena as an example.
05:41 The enemy uses Viperion as the main damage dealer,
05:44 Huen and Rowan for dual support, and Iger to stall for time.
05:50 In contrast, we send Seth and Brian
05:52 for single target burst damage, Adi for his instant kill
05:56 ability, and Rien and Nair for his skill
05:59 to swap hero positions with opposing sides.
06:02 In the first battle, Adi is placed
06:04 in a position that keeps his attack only at enemy Thorin.
06:08 However, Thorin's resurrection mechanic
06:11 prevents Adi from quickly getting our kills.
06:14 This drags the battle on, and we lose Adi
06:17 to enemy Viperion's burst damage.
06:20 This subsequently leads to our defeat.
06:22 Now let's try again.
06:24 In the second battle, we have the same hero lineup,
06:27 but we simply swap Adi's position with Brian.
06:31 This time, Adi's priority becomes the enemy Rowan
06:34 instead of Thorin, and Rowan falls almost instantly
06:38 because of our high burst damage.
06:41 Our strategy of single target burst damage
06:43 works this time, removing enemy heroes one by one,
06:47 and we finally win our victory.
06:50 This gameplay demonstrates how even
06:52 with the exact same lineup, a slight adjustment
06:56 in character positioning can turn defeat into victory.
07:00 Apart from these tactics, the new mechanisms
07:03 of interactive objects also play a significant role
07:07 in our new design.
07:08 Let's take a look at this Tactical Drill level design.
07:12 In this level, only one hero can be assigned,
07:16 and we select Cassidy.
07:18 She looks so fragile in front of the two aggressive Groglans.
07:22 What can she do?
07:24 She casts her ultimate, Running Tide,
07:26 to push the enemies near the flame gusher
07:29 on the top left corner.
07:31 Right after that, she triggers the flame gusher,
07:34 dealing extra damage to both Groglans.
07:37 With that, she manages to clear the level
07:40 with opponents way stronger than herself.
07:43 If Cassidy didn't position her ultimate
07:46 and time the flame gusher right,
07:48 she wouldn't be able to deal the same amount of damage,
07:51 and that wouldn't allow her to get out of the situation.
07:56 Flame gusher is just one of the game's new mechanisms.
07:59 There are so many others, including ice spitters
08:02 that freeze opponents, spiked locks that roll
08:06 across the battlefield, high-pressure mines
08:09 that detonate in conjunction with fire traps,
08:12 and so much more, waiting for your exploration.
08:16 We've designed these strategies to offer you more
08:19 and deeper gameplay mechanics beyond just power values.
08:23 Of course, in addition to these tactics,
08:25 we've also continued the AFK tradition of...
08:30 just going AFK.
08:32 Not only can you keep receiving rewards while AFK,
08:35 but we're also introducing the new Resonance system.
08:40 You only need to focus on building 5 heroes
08:43 in the entire pool, and the rest will automatically
08:46 level up with them.
08:48 Additionally, equipment is shared amongst the same class,
08:51 so you don't need to collect, forge,
08:54 and upgrade gear for each hero individually.
08:58 In this regard, it's even more AFK than ever before.
09:03 AFK Journey's closed beta test begins on February 1st.
09:09 You can find the test link in the description below.
09:12 By participating, you'll receive special rewards
09:15 when the game officially launches,
09:17 so don't miss out.
09:19 You can also pre-register now on the Apple App Store
09:22 and Google Play Store.
09:24 All of you who pre-register will receive at launch
09:28 an exclusive skin set for Merlin,
09:30 10 free pools, get Hero Laika, and many more perks.
09:36 So go ahead and pre-register now.
09:38 AFK Journey is a brand new addition to the AFK series.
09:44 Here we aim to create a game that embodies the spirit of AFK,
09:49 while bringing you more strategies,
09:52 more effortless hero progression,
09:54 more intriguing stories, and a more beautiful world.
09:59 If you like the game, please follow us on social
10:02 for the latest official news.
10:05 Thank you for watching this introduction.
10:08 We'll see you all soon in the game this year.
10:11 (upbeat music)
10:13 (upbeat music)