Towers of Aghasba

TOWERS OF AGHASBA Budding Open-World Fantasy Adventure Sprouts into Early Access— Out Now on PlayStation 5 & Steam

Posted November 19, 2024
Dreamlit Games just launched their debut title, Towers of Aghasba, into Early Access on Steam and PlayStation 5. Inspired by the art and fantasy worlds of Studio Ghibli films, along with the cozy island life of Animal Crossing, this gorgeous adventure marries open-world exploration with player creativity. Players will experience a rich story as they transform withered lands into vibrant ecosystems, befriending majestic creatures, and designing a thriving island community in balance with nature. Towers of Aghasba is available now in Early Access on Steam and the PlayStation Store for $29.99 USD. 
Towers of Aghasba launches to early access with an impressive slate of content, but today’s launch is only the beginning of the journey ahead. The indie start-up shared an extensive roadmap plan, including new systems (and the expansion of existing ones), new quest lines and narratives, new regions to explore, and much more.

Launch content includes: 

  • 6 regions to explore
    • Exploration across vast open-world lands— climbing, gliding & riding mounts!
    • Ruins & relics to discover, unlocking ancient knowledge
    • Leisure activities (eg. fishing!)
  • 3 types of settlements to build, design & decorate
  • 3 types of ecosystems to grow
  • 50+ unique creatures
  • 150+ decorations to craft
  • Singleplayer + co-op gameplay:
    • You can invite up to 3 friends to your island to build up your settlements, tend to your ecosystems, take on challenging withered foes, and discover secrets across the world!
Q4 2024
Post launch support
Quality of life updates
Polish + fixes

Q1 2025
New regions to unlock & explore
New quest lines
A fresh cast of characters
Time of day related gameplay
Offline play mode
Expanded glider traversal mechanics
Photo Mode
Player Emotes

Q2 2025
New mounts & mount management system
Expanding multiplayer activities and experiences
Crossplay
Player character customization
Improved Townfolk AI
Improved Shimudex functionality
Q3 2025
New regions unlocked
New withered quest lines and characters
Giant withered demon combat
Cold environmental effects
New creatures
Creature relationship systems

Q4 2025
New biome type- shallow water
New ecosystem type- water ecosystem
New village type- fishing village
New creatures
New foliages
New quest lines and characters

Q1 2026
New regions unlocked
Hot environmental effects
New creatures
Town happiness system
Building customization

Q2 2026
Increased Tower levels
New major quest lines
In an official Sony PlayStation blog, Saiprapanch Adloor, Game Designer at Dreamlit Games, explained why the team decided to launch to Early Access:

“This project is an ambitious open-world sandbox developed by a small team, with core mechanics intended to let players shape their island however they like! It’s also one of the first in-development early access titles coming to PlayStation 5. By launching into early access, we can involve our community in the development process, allowing us to better balance, polish, and iterate on these core components— and introduce new content and features based directly on your feedback!”

Inspiration + Artistry 

Studio Ghibli’s Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind is one of the chief artistic inspirations behind Towers of Aghasba; Dreamlit Games’ CEO, Co-Founder, and Game Director, Khang Le sought out (and won over) one of Studio Ghibli’s premiere background artists, Yoichi Nishikawa, to produce hand-painted background textures for the game. Nishikawa is a 20+ year veteran of the legendary Japanese animation studio, with work featured in over 30 films and shows, including The Boy and the Heron, Howl’s Moving Castle, and Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind. 
In a charming interview he gave to Dreamlit Games, Nishikawa explains why he agreed to work with the project:

“When they first approached me about Towers, I had my doubts. But I decided to make one sample for them anyway. I was surprised when they showed it to me in the game. It’s just like the background for a Japanese anime, but it’s inside the 3D game world! I thought we could make something never-before-seen.”

He also explains the care and attention that goes into his hand-painted textures, and that Director Hayao Miyazaki himself even commented on his work for Towers of Aghasba in passing, with Miyazaki’s trademark pith and wisdom: 

“Miyazaki-san walked behind me as I was painting some bricks for this game. He said, ‘It’s always hardest to draw the simplest of things.’ He was right. You have to draw every single brick with care. That left an impression on me.”

The outstanding artistry in Towers of Aghasba is unsurprising considering Khang has a background in Hollywood film concept design, bringing a cinematic vision to the project. Khang and Co-Founder, Dave Nguyen (Dreamlit’s VP and Lead Game Designer) have brought together a talented team of developers and artists to achieve their vision for Dreamlit Games’ debut title.

Out Now in Early Access
Explore a stunning open-world filled with majestic creatures and quirky characters. Nurture withered lands into vibrant ecosystems and flex your creativity as you build a thriving island civilization in balance with nature. Invite friends to craft, harvest, and hang on your fantasy island. Towers of Aghasba is available now on PlayStation Store and Steam. For further details on Early Access development and upcoming news, follow the Dreamlit Games team on Facebook,  X (formerly Twitter), visit the website, or join the thriving community on Discord.

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About Dreamlit Games
Dreamlit Games is a small, but ambitious indie studio started in 2020. We're a fully remote team that is spread all around the world! Our immensely talented and passionate DREAM team is committed to building an incredible open-world experience while maintaining a positive and healthy work culture! For more information, visit https://www.dreamlit.games/


About Kowloon Nights
Founded in 2017, Kowloon Nights is a source of production funding that allows developers to chart a path towards complete independence. Kowloon Nights gives independent developers the ability to focus on making games while still holding on to power and influence. The team continues to seek more titles to add to its portfolio; for more information, please visit https://www.kowloonnights.com/

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