Journey On is a turn-based, symbol encounter, orthodox RPG which seems to have some influence from older classics like Final Fantasy VI. It was published and developed by Black Magic and released for steam on October 6, 2021. It is currently only available in English with possible addition of other languages at a future date.
The History Ashkar…well to a point.
Taken from one of the game’s books:
“1000 years ago, the Ancients summoned the Armies of the Darkness to this world. The Goddess and her Chosen Warriors bravely fought and sealed them behind the Great Seal under the Temple of Elandia. The Beastman are ancient inhabitants of Ashkar. They live in the Mist Forest for over a thousand years. According to research…”
This is where Selena, one of the main characters in the game, gets tired of reading and stops. While not very beneficial to the player, she is not a particular fan of books, unlike her father and sister. Journey On is filled with little moments like this and adds some charm to the game.
The only family they got.
Journey on is about two close sisters. Selena has blonde hair, has attributes of light, and “the younger sister in the family. An energetic teenage girl who wants to be an adventurer like her grandfather.” Shirley is blue-haired, has the attribute of darkness, and “the older sister in the family. A gentle scholar who is knowledgeable in Ancient Language and history.” Several months prior, demons attacked their village and destroyed their lives.
The adventurer’s guild has been in a state of disrepair ever since the demons attacked the village. Nevertheless, the player must obtain a permit in order to start adventuring which involves a tutorial battle of sorts. The man at the desk teaches you about changing your equipment to optimize attacks on the enemy which will the player should utilize for the rest of the game.
Carry on wayward sisters.
Keep a keen eye on your environment.
Journey On has a lot things to interact with when you play. Tangible things like fruit and bread in houses and even rope on the ground can be picked up and used accordingly. The rope allows the player to get to areas previously inaccessible by anchoring while food recovers HP and can be used for cooking. Sometimes even checking something out like gazing out at the ocean can calm the two sisters and give them actual experience points.
Camping is also a major point of focus in Journey On. Since they camp in the wild, one sister must stay up to guard during the night. A monster may even attack, but you get healed before and after for it so don’t stress it too much. If Selena is awake, she may participate in small events at camp which may give experience points. If Shirley sleeps, then that is a whole different matter…
The path of darkness or the fight for the light
Being a dark-affiliated mage, Shirley sometimes is whisked to the Darkness Sanctuary when she is asleep. The swirl above prompts a cursor which asks you to absorb dark power which will give you more max MP but comes with the price of more darkness affinity and possible story alteration. You are also given a choice to leave without doing anything. This is very important in Journey On.
Spiritual clairvoyance
Reading books although not Selena’s forte, is very beneficial to Shirley. Certain books give out information and others usually with a red cover teach her new spells. In this case, it is “Call Spirit.” This is a very useful spell as it has its uses in the field and in battle. If you see a corpse, coffin, or skeleton, using “Call Spirit” in the field calls forth their ghost who you can communicate with.
They can progress the story and sometimes there are miniature quests they ask of you which you get rewarded for. In battle, using “Call Spirit” summons one spirit you spoke to and they participate in the battle. They can not be healed and take a specific amount per turn as well as enemy inflicted damage. They can be summoned again however more than once per battle, so they are great for boss fights.
Leap of faith with an escape plan
This is more or less your first major boss battle
