AFK Journey Dev Discusses the Canvas Art Style, Party Compositions, and More

AFK Journey beautifully re-imagines the magical realm of Esperia in a fantasy RPG companion to the mobile game AFK Arena. While both games occur in the same universe, AFK Journey offers plenty of differences especially when it comes to the storybook-like art style. Although the art in AFK Arena has its own appeal, the world of Esperia and its characters in AFK Journey take on a new lease of life in a fresh, illustrative style that the developers describe as Canvas Art. AFK Journey also re-invigorates AFK Arena‘s turn-based combat with tile-based mechanics that open the doorway for players to experiment with various combat strategies, making considerations like party composition and placement all the more critical in winning the game’s various battle types.

In a recent interview, Game Rant sat down with Silver, lead art designer on AFK Journey, to learn more about the influences behind the game’s striking Canvas Art style. Silver also offered up some words of wisdom for players who might be struggling with their party composition in AFK Journey, discussed favorite characters, and much more. The following transcript has been edited for clarity and brevity.

One AFK Journey Developer’s Favorite Heroes

Q: Could you please introduce yourself and share your favorite hero from AFK Journey?

A: My name is Silver, I’m the lead art designer on AFK Journey. My favorite heroes are Cassadee, Odie, Temesia, and Hammie. Cassadee was our first hero to be rendered in 3D, and we put a lot of effort into perfecting her. Watching her evolve step by step was incredibly moving for me. Odie has this really captivating gaze in the Resonating Hall page where he scans you from head to toe. The first time I saw that animation, it felt like he was trying to figure you out, which made it so realistic. As for Temesia, she has an amazing and gigantic set of armor that we’ve always aimed to achieve since AFK Arena. Hammie is just a blast with her design, movements, and storyline. She’s so cute and fun, and her lines always make me laugh. (And low-key, a lot of the boys on our team have Hammie as their desktop wallpaper.)

AFK Journey’s Seasonal Vs. Regular Updates

Q: How will regular updates differ from the game’s seasonal updates, like Song of Strife?

A: As a live service game, AFK Journey needs regular updates that address things like progression, bug fixes, and quality-of-life improvements based on player feedback. Players should expect these types of updates often, sometimes on a weekly basis. We also always want to ensure that players have new content to check out, no matter where they are on their journey, so we regularly update our in-game timed events and refresh our various game modes.

Updates like Song of Strife will come roughly once a quarter, or once every four months or so, and will introduce huge new experiences that are woven into the core of AFK Journey‘s story and gameplay. We envision a 10-year lifecycle for AFK Journey, which may be ambitious, but we truly believe in the game!

Song Of Strife And AFK Journey Update Priorities

Q: What is the single most important change to AFK Journey in Song of Strife?

A: There are too many new additions to choose from! I think the new map areas, starting with the Ashen Wastes, really add a sense of wonder because they’re so much different than what you’ll find in the story thus far. I also really like the new characters, Alsa and Soren. I’m proud of the way the team has woven the story of the Mauler tribes into the story of Merlin, and I think players will enjoy going through these new storylines.

Q: How do Farlight and Lilith Games prioritize content in new updates? Do they focus on developing the main story quests, end game experience, or temporary play modes?

A: This project carries many goals that we have not achieved before: first, to solve the problem of long-term lifecycle; second, to become a product that is not easy to replicate and has a higher design threshold; third, to meet the diversified needs of players. We take all these things into consideration when we start to plan new content!

We have a pretty sizeable team working on AFK Journey, so we’re fortunate in that we can have multiple teams working in parallel on various pillars of the game. For example, we start with a basic outline of the story, and then we mark the big moments we want players to have over the course of a season. Then we go to the gameplay systems team, and work with them in tandem to integrate new gameplay elements into the story and weave them both together. We also work closely with the live service team to ensure that all the new content thematically links together and the rewards all make sense based on a typical user experience. It’s a lot to juggle, but I’ve found that working closely together across teams helps us ensure that we have a strong offering for players.

Song Of Strife’s Knockback Mechanics And Party Composition In AFK Journey

Q: How does Song of Strife’s emphasis on Knockback mechanics mix up AFK Journey’s combat?

A: While knockback is a staple of certain existing characters, Soren takes this to a new level. Both of his skills as well as his ult have the ability to create space between enemies and himself/his allies, and as a rogue, he is nimble and quick on the battlefield. His skills complement our other new character, Alsa, really nicely. She can create barriers around herself as well as her enemies, trapping them or blocking melee enemies from attacking. She can also quickly evade enemies after taking too much damage, making her really versatile in combat. If Alsa creates a rock barrier, Soren can knock enemies into the barrier using his skills, stunning the enemy. I really like how they’re able to play off of each other.

Q: What advice do you have for new players or free-to-play players who are struggling with party compositions?

A: I would recommend that new players take time to study each hero’s moveset, and visualizing how a certain hero could complement their current line-up. For instance, I really like having Cecia in my party because she can summon Mr. Carlyle, who is essentially a sixth hero in battle. At the same time, I usually make sure Rowan is nearby so he can use his ult to provide a ton of energy, which ensures that Cecia can keep Mr. Carlyle healthy and on the battlefield. There are countless combinations like this that I’ve seen players use, and it’s fun to experiment to see what works best with your roster. In general terms, making sure your tanks and warriors are in front, while your mages, supports, and other long-range heroes are toward the back will set you up for success.

Gacha And Pulling Mechanics In AFK Journey

Q: Games with gacha and pulling mechanics are becoming increasingly prolific and popular among gamers. How does AFK Journey stand apart from the crowd?

A: It’s definitely heartening to see more players, especially in the West, embrace these mechanics. In Asia, these mechanics are prevalent in nearly every popular game, and each one has their own spin on basic gacha mechanics. I feel that we stand out because we’re constantly rewarding players through a variety of experience streams, and there’s so much more to do outside of simply pulling for new heroes. For example, you can of course use diamonds you accumulate through rewards or playing through the story to buy invitation letters, but you can also earn them through our unique AFK mechanics, which enables you to earn rewards when you’re away from the game.

Engaging in the AFK system in fact makes it possible to earn a great deal of rewards when you’re away, so every time you come back to play you have a treasure trove of rewards to use toward leveling, purchasing crafting items, guild rewards, etc. We also want to give players the flexibility to play what they want to play – if they want to skip some of the story elements or the various other modes and just concentrate on leveling up on AFK, they’re free to do so. We want to ensure all our modes reward the player while simultaneously working in harmony.

I will say though, the story is particularly robust compared to AFK Arena – the early version of the story text alone was over 200,000 words!

AFK Journey’s Fake Merlin And Storybook Visual Aesthetics

Q: What can you tell us about the Fake Merlin teased in Song of Strife?

A: I hesitate to say too much about the story! I will say that there is more to the Fake Merlin’s story than meets the eye.

Q: One of AFK Journey’s most striking features is its storybook aesthetic and graphics. What influences did Farlight and Lilith Games draw upon to create this style?

A: We really wanted to create something timeless, that has a unique aesthetic that sets it apart from other games, especially in the RPG space. We call it the Canvas Art Style, as we want to evoke the feeling of looking at a beautiful painting. We also wanted to balance the environmental art somewhere between realistic and painterly, and I really like where the team landed.

Our lead concept artist describes it this way: “Compared to the realistic AAA style found in EU and NA, AFK Journey‘s art style combines a modern ‘clean’ look with classical art styles, producing a Western fantasy aesthetic with a unique visual flair.”

Of course, the game wouldn’t be what it is without our wonderful character artists, who’ve done a tremendous job bringing our heroes to life. It’s especially rewarding to see players who fell in love with a character from AFK Arena react to a character’s new art style in AFK Journey.

Q: Is there anything else you would like our readers to know?

A: I’m excited to see what players think of some of our new gameplay mechanics, like the Bestial Brawl puzzles, and combat mechanics, like Raging Duel. There is so much content to check out, and we can’t wait to get it into players’ hands.

[END]