Towers of Aghasba stands out as one of the more fascinating survival crafting games I’ve played. Combining survival elements with Tears of the Kingdom-like mechanics and set in a captivating world, this game has the potential to become a favorite, challenging you to restore both the Shimu people and their land as you fight back an encroaching darkness. Although still in Early Access, with some issues to iron out, I’m confident it will evolve into a remarkable experience.
In Towers of Aghasba, you’re a member of the Shimu, an ancient civilization forced to flee their homeland long ago due to a mysterious withering invasion—the Withered. This force ravaged the land, leaving it barren. After years of exile, the Shimu return, hoping to restore their homeland—a monumental task that falls largely on your shoulders.
While the premise isn’t groundbreaking (other open-world survival games share similar concepts), Towers of Aghasba distinguishes itself through its originality, particularly in its world design. The setting truly elevates the game. The landscape is filled with fantastical creatures, bizarre plant life, and imaginative ideas.
Among the peculiar creatures are flying turtle-dragons, eerie glowing spiders corrupted by dark forces, and giant, talking hands that move on their fingertips, with enormous bone protrusions for wrists. These unique beings are just a few examples of the incredible creativity on display. The game’s world is a pure high-fantasy playground, abandoning real-world familiarity in favor of imaginative and strong world-building.
The characters are diverse, though they tend to fall between interesting and forgettable—a common balance for RPGs. That said, many are quite creatively designed. One, for instance, is an excitable and impatient expert farmer—a fun combination.
You’re not just building a home for yourself but for an entire civilization. Unlike many survival games where you might build a few shelters, here you construct entire districts. The building mechanics are special because of the lack of uniformity or symmetry. The game encourages building with curves and uneven, organic shapes, resulting in a natural, tribal aesthetic.
Rebuilding goes beyond constructing villages; it extends to the land itself. One of the most interesting features is restoring the land’s vitality. By planting seeds, you summon fairy-like sprites that rejuvenate the environment. Special seeds even let you terraform, creating new biomes. You literally breathe life back into a dead world, transforming it into a thriving utopia.
Part of this is a cool encyclopedia system and a fun creature-collector minigame in which you catalog the island’s animals.
The game offers a co-op experience, allowing up to three players to team up and explore, build, and restore the world together, enhancing the experience.
However, Towers of Aghasba is still in Early Access, and there are issues that need to be addressed. For example, there are occasional item placement glitches. When placing seeds, especially in village buildings, the plants sometimes appear to grow in midair. It’s a minor visual bug, but jarring.
Another issue is the difficulty finding basic resources like sticks and stones. These are scattered throughout the environment and often blend in. Sticks, especially, are nearly impossible to find in arid biomes, where they’re small, brown, and camouflaged. Sometimes, they’re partially hidden, making gathering materials tedious.
Despite these quirks, I’m confident Towers of Aghasba will improve during Early Access. The game’s creative vision, rich world-building, and innovative mechanics have the potential to make it extraordinary. With continued refinement, I believe it will deliver an unforgettable experience. Whether building, restoring the land, or exploring, Towers of Aghasba offers a rich, engaging experience that is well worth your attention.
Pros:
- A fantastic setting full of original ideas and creatures
- Village building and biome restoration that create a truly new world
Cons:
- Buggy resource and player placement, making gathering and building challenging
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