I · Resolve
The Iron Warden
The Unbroken Rampart
“I swore to keep the Gate. And now, I cannot leave.”
DefendsThe last safe gate and the people behind it — he has seen what a shard can destroy.
Imagination. Forged in steel.
The Awakening
Speak to VESPER and she forges a new move mid-fight.
You still have to land it.
Story cinematic · not gameplay
Story cinematic
This is the world of Astraya.
A story cinematic, not gameplay. Written, directed and edited by one developer; the video, music and voices were made with AI tools. In the game, the fighters are real-time 3D and every duel is fought along one line: see it played.
Read the trailer transcript
Music plays throughout. A crowd walks a torchlit road into a city of towers above the clouds.
NarratorThis is the world of Astraya.
A great crystal sword stands at the city’s heart. Gold light and violet light meet in it, and it cracks.
NarratorTwo forces made it: Astra, the power to act… and Maya, the power to imagine. The gods went to war to own its heart…
The sword bursts, and violet shards scatter across the sky.
Narrator…and shattered it into the Astral Shards.
An armoured fist closes on a violet shard, and its light turns to fire. A horned knight swings a blade in a burning forge.
NarratorThe mighty bound shards into their flesh, silencing the voice within. They became the Shard-Bound.
A knight with sword and shield stands beside a resting stranger in a ruined, candlelit city.
NarratorBut one knight chose to protect… not possess. And a shard answered.
A serpent of violet light rises beside the knight.
NarratorVesper. She does not fight. She forges.
VesperI hear you.
Title card: Iron Warden. A knight with a blue plume and a tall shield guards a fortress gate at night.
The Iron WardenNo one passes the Gate. Go back, forge-child.
Title card: Crimson Blade. A knight in dark armour and a torn red cloak, eyes glowing red, under a red moon.
The Crimson BladeI’ll cut you before you blink.
Title card: Ember-Forged. A horned knight, his armour cracked with firelight, holds a glowing sword beside a furnace.
Ember-ForgedI was forged in this fire… and you will burn in it.
The three Shard-Bound, one after another.
NarratorThey traded the power to imagine… for the power to conquer. You cannot match their might.
The knight fights in the ruined city, the violet serpent coiled behind.
KnightVesper… forge me a new move.
VesperImagine it… and it’s yours.
An empty throne in a dark hall.
NarratorThe gods broke Astraya. Now make them answer.
The knight and the serpent look across the ruins to a gate full of light. The end card: “Imagination. Forged in steel.” Astraya, The Awakening. “The Bearer & the Companion. Your steel. Her imagination. Observe · Ask · Forge · Adapt.”
VesperGo ahead. I’m listening.
How a duel turns
She does not fight. She forges.
You hold the sword. VESPER holds the forge. Neither wins alone.
Observe
Watch your rival. A Shard-Bound has mastered a fixed set of moves and cannot learn a new one mid-fight. Find the gap.
Imagine
Tell VESPER what you need, out loud and in your own words: “something that reaches them when they back away.” No microphone? Press F for a move or R for a power.
Forge
She builds it from the game’s own pieces — swings, powers and armour that already exist — and the game’s rules check every result before it reaches your hands. Then it is yours to land.
A new answer creates an opportunity. It never guarantees a win.
Gameplay
Make the next move yours.
The game itself, not a story film: ask out loud, take what VESPER forges, then land it.
Recorded from the game in development, at normal speed, against the solo opponent, and edited for length. The requests and VESPER’s replies are rewritten examples matched to real forges, and the wait for each forge is shortened. Every voice — narrator, player and VESPER — is a synthetic stand-in; in the game, the voice asking is yours. The shots at 0:05–0:12 and the closing backdrop are story cinematic, not gameplay, and the music is the trailer’s AI-made score.
Read the gameplay film transcript
Gameplay, with music throughout. A golden shield ring blooms around the player’s knight, a cyan crescent slash flies, and a long golden whip lashes across the arena. Then shield rings flare, and the solo opponent vaults over the knight and lands. On screen: “Your next move.” “Your idea.”
NarratorWhat if your next move… was your idea?
Story cinematic, not gameplay. The knight draws a violet blade beside VESPER, a serpent of violet light. On screen: “Your voice. Your next move.” Astraya, “A voice-forged fighting game.” Then the knight and VESPER in the rain: “You + your AI companion. You fight. VESPER forges.”
NarratorA fighting game. Forged by your voice.
NarratorYou fight. VESPER forges.
Gameplay from here on. The game’s loadout screen. On screen: “01 / Get ready. Choose your loadout.”
NarratorChoose your loadout.
A duel begins. On screen: “02 / Read the fight. Block. Dodge. Strike.” Then the default keyboard: A and D move, S blocks, the arrow keys strike.
NarratorRead your opponent. Block, dodge, and strike.
A forged move’s preview card appears mid-duel; the move is equipped and used. On screen: “03 / Forge your next move. Describe it to VESPER. V to talk, tap again to send.” “Hold E to preview.” “Release E to equip.”
NarratorDescribe a move. Preview it. Release E to equip.
The duel goes on while the forge works. A heavy hammer arrives; the knight throws it, and lightning strikes the opponent. On screen: Player, voice request, “Make me a heavy hammer.” VESPER, your AI companion, “Your hammer is ready.” “Skybreaker Hammer. Make every hit count.”
PlayerMake me a heavy hammer.
VESPERYour hammer is ready.
The opponent is held in a teal shell, then a golden whip arcs across the arena. On screen: Player, voice request, “Make my blade a whip.” VESPER, your AI companion, “Your long blade is ready.”
PlayerMake my blade a whip.
VESPERYour long blade is ready.
The preview of an ice power; then the opponent is locked in frost while the knight strikes with an ice blade. On screen: Player, voice request, “Give me ice power.” VESPER, your AI companion, “Your ice power is ready.”
PlayerGive me ice power.
VESPERYour ice power is ready.
A three-hit combo under the knight’s shield dome. On screen: “New moves. New powers.”
NarratorNew moves. New powers. Your way to fight.
Music only: powers in the duel, one after another: a shield, a flaming uppercut, a binding cage, an electrified weapon; then a launch into the air. Then a fireball while VESPER’s strip reads “Listening”, the golden whip again, and a hammer exchange.
The opponent is floored, the game offers a new power (“R Forge new power”), and the final strikes land. On screen: “Duel won.” “Victory.” “The forge answered — the duel is yours.” “Enter Rematch · Esc Main menu.”
NarratorMake the next move yours.
Story cinematic, not gameplay: the end card over a darkened still of the knight and VESPER. Astraya, “Make the next move yours.” “Join the playtest.” “Step into the arena.” As the music fades, the narrator says the game’s name.
NarratorBring your imagination. Join the playtest.
NarratorAstraya.
The world
Protect, not possess.
Two forces made Astraya: Astra, the power to act, and Maya, the power to imagine. The gods went to war to own its heart, and shattered it into the Astral Shards.
The mighty bound shards into their flesh, silencing the voice within. They became the Shard-Bound — stronger than any mortal, and unable to make anything new.
In the Broken Marches, an ordinary knight reached for a fallen shard to hold a passage open so strangers could escape. The shard answered. Her name is Vesper.
Far above the Marches, something that has not moved in an age opens its eyes.
The playtest
Play it early. Tell me the truth.
What it is
An early, unfinished build of Astraya, free to play in your browser. Things will break; that is the point. Every forge asks an AI to think, and that costs real money, so each tester has a fair daily allowance.
How you get in
Join the list and confirm your email. I let people in a few at a time, by hand; being on the list does not guarantee a place. If one opens for you, you get an email with your own link. You must be 18 or older.
What you’ll do
Face the Iron Warden and the Crimson Blade, duel a rival knight, and ask VESPER for new moves. Now and then the game asks a short question, and F8 (fn + F8 on a Mac) reports a bug. Online Versus is for pairs I approve.
What you may get
Founding Testers may receive a free Steam key, a thank-you in the game’s credits, or both. That is a “may”, not a promise. What is certain: I read every report myself.
Needs a PC or laptop and a keyboard or controller. Chrome or Edge recommended. A microphone is optional.
Read the FAQJoin
Ask for an invite.
I let people in a few at a time. Leave your email, and if a place opens for you, I’ll write.
Before you join, read the Rule Book and the Playtest Agreement v3.