Back in January I wrote a (supporters only) post about how tired I am of all survival games starting off the same. Here’s the gist of it: I’ve had enough of gathering rocks and sticks to make a crafting bench, from which I’m forced to build a hut and so on. I’m sure for some this is riveting, but for me, it’s something I tire of within seconds.
And so it’s with a heavy heart I say that Towers Of Aghasba suffers from the same starting gamut of sticks and stones. There’s a hint of some interesting ecosystem stuff springing up a bit later, and judging by the trailers, an ability to clamber on massive flying creatures made of what looks like elephant skin and hair. Still, I just can’t do it.
Towers Of Aghasba has you play as a member of a tribe that’s washed ashore on some ancient lands. And with the power of Palworld-esque virtual building, you’re to restore the land to its former glory by feeding templates of farms and huts with requisite bits of earth and wood. First you scour the floor for sticks, then stones. You build an axe. Eventually you build a crafting bench. Then a little village bit, that requires you to chop down trees for resin. Later you build a farm and harvest a total of three (3) lettuces to give to the man who wants them.
I do like how Towers makes building easier than most other survival games, in the sense you don’t have to plonk together individual bits of fencing or whatever. You just lump 20 wood into the equivalent of a Grow Your Own Structure that transforms from small and malnourished into a readymade retreat for your NPC pals.
It also has this interesting ecosystem thing going on. A bubbly Seed Spirit Thing tells you to plant a big tree, so you go ahead and do that, and it transforms the surrounding area into a lush oasis of small marsupials and verdant green – a bit like Avatar without the tall blue people. Tend to this land by feeding the animals berries and roots, and planting seeds from the Special Tree, and the ecosystem will reward you with rarer materials and rarer wildlife. I’m assuming this is how you spread goodness across the lands, and most importantly, how you unlock the flying whales made of elephant skin and hair.
Avatar-ing the lands is Towers’ biggest selling point to me; it’s really rather beautiful, watching the dusty island you’re on gradually turn into a tangle of colour. And from what I gather, you’ll be able to take the Seed Spirit’s trees and plant them in other corners of the island, gradually spreading the cheer.
Sadly, I can’t ever see myself doing that. To reach that point, I need to acquire a substance called “Cob” and I have no idea where it resides. It’s not anywhere in the menu and, presumably, I need to wander about and use my various tools to shovel or chop or mine until it happens to land in my inventory. Everything else in my to-do list is a chore, to the point where I’ve not just gone and had an explore. I’m desperate to ditch the twig-hunting and just like, stick on some armour, grab a spear, and venture into the unknown.
My immediate future? Build this pissing fishing hut. I just can’t. I really hope you can persevere, though, because I think there’s something to this game that I don’t have the willpower to uncover.