Mobile action RPG · Android & iOS · In development
Afarward
How high does it go? No one knows yet.
Afarward is a mobile action RPG for Android and iOS. You create one character and climb a mysterious world Floor by Floor: clear short runs, forge your own gear and uncover what it takes to face each Floor's Guardian.
Be the first to know when the beta opens.
Ascent 01The World
The world of Afarward
“So… you actually came.”
You step through an anomaly into a world built in layers, one Floor above another. You remember your name, and very little else. Nobody says who made this place, or why, or how far up it goes.
A voice, almost amused, gives you a single rule.
Find the Guardian.Defeat it.Climb.
Ascent 02The Climb
Floor after Floor, run after run
Every Floor is its own world, with its own landscapes, creatures and materials. The first Floors arrive at launch, and new ones open up through updates.
Floors
A new biome, new enemies and new loot on every Floor. Some enemies drop the rare materials only that Floor can give you.
Areas
Each Floor hides several battle Areas. An Area stays a mystery until you clear it for the first time.
Rooms
A run means three rooms to clear. It takes a few minutes, it fits any break, and it's always worth one more.
- Rooms per run
- 3
- Climbers per party
- 4
- Weapon classes
- 5
- Max enhancement
- +9
Ascent 03Floor Guardians
Every Floor is sealed by a Guardian
Defeating a Floor's Guardian is the only way to open the path to the next one.
- The way in is hidden.On the first Floors it's simple. Higher up, clearing every Area won't be enough: you will have to discover hidden objectives before the Guardian appears.
- The world finds it together.The World Frontline shows the highest Floor any Climber has reached. If nobody gets past a Floor for long enough, hints start to surface.
- Guardians come back.Once you know the way, you can fight them again for their rewards.
Ascent 04Combat
Read the ground. Answer the blow.
Fast, readable fights on 2D side-scrolling stages with layered parallax backdrops, built for touch with no virtual stick. Powerful enemies paint their next attack on the ground before it lands. Guard it, parry it, or get out of the way.
The shape on the ground shows where it lands. How to answer it is up to you.
- GuardableHold to guard
- ParryableTime a parry
- UnguardableGet out
Guardable. Hold your guard to absorb the hit. Every blocked blow builds pressure, and too much breaks your guard.
Parryable. Flick up from your guard at the very end of the wind-up to deflect it and open a punish window.
Unguardable. No guard can stop it. Dodge or jump clear of the marked zone before it lands.
Move
Drag to move freely across the stage: left, right, up and down.
Strike
Tap an enemy to focus it, tap again to attack.
Jump
Flick up to leap over danger.
Dodge
Flick sideways or down to quick-step out of a strike.
Guard
Hold to block, but pressure builds until your guard breaks.
Parry
Time it right to deflect the blow and open a punish window.
Ascent 05The Forge
Wield anything you can forge
There are no classes to pick and no gear locked away from you. Turn the materials you collect into weapons, armor and pants. Some recipes only exist on certain Floors. Switch weapons and your skills switch with them.
Sword
A balanced combo for Climbers who want to answer anything.
Greatsword
Slower, heavier swings that land with real weight.
Dual Daggers
A fast multi-hit rhythm that never lets up.
Bow
Deliberate spacing and the longest reach on the field.
Pistol
Quick one-handed shots at closer range than the Bow.
Enhance from +0 to +9
Upgrade individual items at the Forge and carry them in a slotted inventory. +6 is a permanent checkpoint, and +9 is for the determined.
- +0
- +1
- +2
- +3
- +4
- +5
- +6
- +7
- +8
- +9
Ascent 06Your Climber
One character. Entirely yours.
No roster to collect and no characters to pull at random. You create your Climber when you arrive, and that Climber is who you play every single run.
One Climber per account. You can always delete it and start over.
“No switching characters during runs: it's just you and your character exploring the world.”
Ascent 07Quests
Some quests won't show up on any list
Main story
The path upward
Follow the thread of the world, and of what came before you.
Side quests
Floor by Floor
Tasks and challenges that reward the Climbers who explore everything.
Secret quests
???
Unlocked by finding hidden objectives or by doing exactly the right thing in the right place.
Ascent 08Solo & Party
Climb alone, or bring up to three friends
Solo
Every Area and every Guardian can be cleared on your own. Solo is what is being polished right now.
Playable in the betaParty of up to 4
Team up through private rooms or public matchmaking and take on the same Areas together. It is tested in a closed beta before launch.
Closed beta
Ascent 09Road to Launch
Where the climb stands
Subscribers get an email when the beta opens, when Afarward launches and whenever there is major news or an event worth joining.
Now
Solo in the forge
Combat, Floors, the Forge and progression are being built and polished for solo play.
Next
Beta
Once the solo experience is complete, the first Climbers get in to test it.
You'll get an email
Then
Closed party beta
Parties of up to four, through private rooms and matchmaking, are tested in a closed beta before launch.
Launch
The official climb
Beta progress is wiped, and every Climber starts fresh from Floor 1 on the same day.
You'll get an email
Ascent 10Questions
Questions Climbers ask
Straight answers about the game, its platforms and when you can play it.
What is Afarward?
Afarward is a mobile action RPG for Android and iOS, made by Manuel Raso, a solo indie developer. You create one character and climb a mysterious world Floor by Floor, clearing short runs of 3 rooms, forging your own gear and defeating each Floor's Guardian to open the way to the next. It is currently in development.
When does Afarward come out?
There is no release date yet. Solo play is being built and polished now. A beta opens once the solo experience is complete, Party play is then tested in a closed beta, and the official launch follows when multiplayer is ready. Sign up on this page to get an email when the beta opens, at launch and for major news.
Which platforms and languages will Afarward support?
Afarward is coming to Android and iOS. The game will be playable in English, Italian and Spanish, and it starts in your device language when it is one of those.
Can I play Afarward solo or with friends?
Both. Every Area and every Guardian can be cleared alone, or in a party of up to 4 players through private rooms or public matchmaking. Party play arrives during the beta, before the official launch.
How does combat work in Afarward?
Fights are real-time on 2D side-scrolling stages and built for touch, with no virtual stick: drag to move, tap to strike, flick to jump or dodge, hold to guard, and time a parry to open a punish window. Powerful enemies paint the area of their next attack on the ground before it lands.
What weapons are in Afarward?
There are 5 weapon classes: Sword, Greatsword, Dual Daggers, Bow and Pistol. There are no fixed classes, so you can wield any weapon you can craft, and your skills change with it. Weapons, armor and pants are forged from Floor materials and can be enhanced from +0 to +9.
Is there a gacha or a character roster?
No. There is no roster of characters to collect or pull at random. You create one character per account, choosing body type, hairstyle, hair color, face, eyes, expression and a unique name, and you play every run as that character. You can delete it and start over at any time.
How many Floors does Afarward have?
Nobody knows how high the climb goes, and that is part of the mystery. The first Floors arrive at launch and new ones open through updates. Every Floor has its own biome, creatures, materials and Guardian, and deeper Floors hide the way to their Guardian behind objectives you have to discover.
Will my beta progress carry over to the full game?
No. When Afarward officially launches, beta progress is wiped so that every Climber starts fresh from Floor 1 on the same day.
Who is making Afarward, and how can I contact the developer?
Afarward is made by me, Manuel Raso, as a solo indie developer. You can reach me directly on Discord, where my username is raso94.
Last updated
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Afarward is made by Manuel Raso, a solo indie developer. Want to talk? Find me on Discord: