Towers of Aghasba

Written by Jason Dailey on 11/26/2024 for PS5  

Next to roguelikes, the open-world survival crafting game is nearing a point of over saturation, in my humble opinion. These games are a dime a dozen, so if you have a general apathy towards every new one that comes out, I can certainly understand why. With that said, at the advanced gaming age of 35, I like to think that I’ve developed a keen eye for potential, and in recent days my eye has been drawn to Towers of Aghasba. Drawing inspiration from the last two Zelda games, the Avatar universe, and open-world craft ‘em ups has led to an interesting formula in Towers of Aghasba that deserves your attention as it progresses from Early Access to full launch.

My journey began with a rather lengthy tutorial that introduced me to the world of Aghasba and the game’s various systems. I awoke on a beach after being shipwrecked alongside fellow members of the Shimu tribe, who have returned to Aghasba after being forced to flee years prior. I met the tribal leader and a few other colorful characters, and as you might expect, they needed my assistance with building a home for the tribe. The opening couple of hours serve as a tutorial, including an island that is cutoff from the mainland and the hub known as Midhaven, which is the former seat of the Shimu tribe.

Right off the bat, I am reminded that Towers of Aghasba is an Early Access game, with cutscenes feeling a bit wonky thanks to mouths not syncing up and a general blurriness during some moments. There is nothing demonstrably unfinished about the game, but you should know that it is still very much a work-in-progress. Despite a bit of cutscene jank, I quickly became endeared to the supporting cast of characters and their Sims-like gibberish. I frequently found myself smiling or chuckling over the light-hearted tone and dialogue. Culkin, the tribal architect, took credit for everything I did at every possible opportunity, pretending like I didn’t exist in a Disney-Pixar slapstick sort of way. In a later quest, I was attempting to sober up the forest god who had gotten drunk off an intoxicating fruit. He admonished me for tricking him into sobriety but pulled it together long enough to assist me in restoring the ecosystem of Aghasba.

Ultimately, you are trying to rebuild Midhaven for the Shimu, as well as the ecosystem of the entire island. As I mentioned, years prior humans wreaked havoc on Aghasba, leaving behind a mostly barren wasteland where hardly a weed will grow. Thankfully, the Shimu have a bit of magic up their sleeves – magical seeds, to be precise, which can sprout an oasis out of nowhere, providing vital resources to further repair the ecosystem. From there, I engaged in a progressive cycle of building and crafting. Every item and structure require resources, from sticks to wood to fiber, and dozens of other ingredients as well. Each one is a product of the environment of Aghasba, meaning I chopped down my fair share of trees, busted dozens of boulders, and hunted strange creatures for their hide.

At first the hunting and gathering nature of the game sounds at odds with the theme of Towers of Aghasba, but a morality currency called Amity – a sort of life force – keeps everything in balance. The land needs you, but you too need the land, and while killing animals or chopping down trees may drain you of some Amity, it is also incumbent upon the player to plant seeds and throw out food for the wildlife, bringing harmony to the cycle. Speaking of flora and fauna, the art design of both is reminiscent of the Avatar films, having an innate yet alien beauty. Watching the island come to life as I planted more magical seeds was a pleasure to behold.

While I was busy breathing new life into nature, I was simultaneously working on rebuilding a home for my tribe. Building structures is extremely intuitive, with the d-pad used to raise, lower, and rotate structures while you walk around with the blueprint looking for just the right spot to place it. There’s no snap or grid placement (a good thing), instead opting for freedom of placement within a buildable area.

When I wasn’t building or growing something, I ventured out to explore and gather resources across Towers of Aghasba’s large map. Traversal is ripped straight out of the last two Zelda games, with stamina-based climbing of almost any object, and even paragliding from high elevations. It works, with one exception – the game waits far too long to give you a rideable mount. The first couple of hours of running back and forth across the map are a slog, but having a mount makes it far more palatable. The saving grace of those early hours of exploration is the excellent music, featuring tribal-sounding folk music that dips in and out as you journey about.

I made a few other notes of minor issues that need cleaning up before the game releases 1.0 at some point in the future. For starters, there is no pause function when playing in single-player mode, allowing enemies to attack while you are looking in menus to craft another hatchet, or to check where you are headed on the map. Along those lines, there is no ability to drop a pin on a point of interest, so the only wayfinding markers you get on the minimap are quest objectives, which was frustrating. And finally, the ability to scan the environment to highlight resources would be a massive quality of life change for the better. Honestly, I would be shocked if all those things were not added over time.

For a game still in Early Access, Towers of Aghasba shows an immense amount of promise. The issues I have with it are relatively minor in the grand scheme of things, with no deviation from the overall direction of the game needed. Like Aghasba, the game itself is built on a solid foundation, just needing a bit of care to truly blossom. While it is already a joy to play thanks to its charm, ambiance, and satisfying gameplay loop, I am looking forward to watching Towers of Aghasba’s growth from Early Access to full launch.