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As someone who’s always looking for the next survival/crafting experience, I was immediately allured by what Towers of Aghasba would offer. A gorgeous and colorful world, village-building mechanics, and the ability to create ecosystems are some of the things that made me add this game to my wishlist faster than I could spell its name. Now, after trying it for a while and playing most of the features in its early access state, I can firmly say Towers of Aghasba is one of the most unique in the genre and one I will follow until its full release.
As a small disclaimer and for those looking to support the game during the early access period, yes, there is a bit of jank. Of course, it is expected in an early access state. But Towers of Aghasba deserves the “it pays to be patient” label. While I had a few crashes and experienced the occasional glitches, it was an enjoyable experience. All thanks to how innovative its gameplay feels.
The Sense of Belonging
One of my biggest gripes on every survival crafter is how empty it can feel. Yes, it makes sense for you to be the lone survivor because, well, that’s what you’re trying to do: survive. In a way, being alone makes sense. But even then, most plots revolve around you reading notes, finding dead bodies, and just building your base in a world where your only friends are the creatures you eventually hunt to create a new set of armor.
While some games have changed this, such as Enshrouded, Towers of Aghasba takes it even further. It provides a proper narrative with memorable characters, each with a strong personality. As soon as you wake up after being shipwrecked, you’re introduced to an eclectic cast of characters that will accompany you as you travel across all biomes, trying to rebuild civilization.
Ultimately, you’re still the one doing the heavy lifting. You’re the one speaking with the Gods, gathering materials, fulfilling orders, and facing most of the dangerous creatures. Still, it is nice to return to a town full of NPCs that will welcome you. Plus, the further the story progresses, the more villagers you meet. You will even get more attached to them. Or at least that happened to me with this cast that seemed like it came from a Disney/Pixar movie, and I loved it.
One Seed at a Time
Aside from the usual crop-harvesting, creature-feeding, and stick-gathering mechanics, the one big selling point of Towers of Aghasba is its ecosystem feature. See, here, you arrive at a withered land. The place you knew is long gone. All the structures, buildings, and everything else are dilapidated. So, how do you solve it? Instead of patching everything with a plank, you can actually create new ecosystems, and doing so is the most rewarding thing I’ve ever experienced.
After certain story moments, you’ll get specific seeds to create new ecosystems. This is a crucial part of the game, as you won’t be able to find most resources until you create them. If you want resin, you must create a biome with resin trees. And even then, you won’t have infinite resources, leading to another terrific feature: giving back to the land.
Most of the time, we aren’t afraid to go on a deforesting spree in every survival game. You can grow trees again, but we don’t care much once we have the materials. We’d rather have a new shovel than restore the land. Well, Towers of Aghasba teaches you the ups and downs of that. The more you destroy, the more Amity (the game’s currency) you lose. Furthermore, if you grab many materials at once, you’ll have to wait a while for everything to grow, thus making a playthrough slower. In that sense, managing your biomes is more important than ever, and it even feels like a refreshing change of pace from the formula we’re used to.
Biome-creation Doesn’t Diminish Exploration
Initially, I thought that sticking to the biome creation part would eliminate all sense of exploration in the game. That wasn’t the case. While you can grab many resources from the newly created ecosystems, you’ll still need to scour the land for more. Beyond that, many quests will send you to different locales, and there are even other missions hidden out there.
Take the first zone, for example. As I waited for one strange seed to grow in 40 minutes, I took a trip to the beach. In it, I found some talking giant hands, which gave me Elden Ring PTSD. They gave me a quest, which I sadly couldn’t complete because it seemed like it was unfinished, but it was nice to see there’s more to discover outside of the biomes you create.
Also, I imagine I had to progress a bit further to discover this, but I saw a few buildings that seemed to be able to be restored. Again, I didn’t progress that far because I got distracted with building and crafting, but there seems to be plenty to do for those willing to go the distance.
Takes Time to Grow
The one thing I have to admit is that the game takes a while to get going. Just like the plants you grow, the progress will feel like a slog at times. However, it is rewarding once you get to the good parts. I will say that the pacing in certain things takes longer than expected. Gathering resources can become frustrating, and waiting for some things to spawn once you’ve done other optional stuff will have you waiting aimlessly for a while. Also, those things you saw during the trailer, like the giant creatures, don’t expect to see them as soon as you spawn.
Still, Towers of Aghasba is a survival crafter full of soul and interesting ideas. The execution of some is not ideal, but it isn’t the worst. In terms of visuals, it is one of the most unique in the genre. And for those looking for a narrative-driven time, you’ll find it. Despite the early access jank, once I found my footing, I couldn’t stop playing. Towers of Aghasba has a way to enthrall you once you’re past its issues. And while it may not be the smoothest ride, even in early access, it is one project I’m willing to keep an eye out for as it blooms into something greater.
