Towers of Aghasba, a gorgeous fantasy builder/open-world title from Dreamlit Games, enters early access on November 19th for PS5 and PC. A new PlayStation Blog article has detailed some of its references and what PS5 players can expect in terms of features.
These include the Aztecs and Jomon peoples of Africa, who “give the game’s visual identity a distinct feel.” Studio Ghibli films like Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind and Princess Mononoke are beloved by the developer and influence its style. However, the title even involves Studio Ghibli background artist Yoichi Nishikawa, who has worked on numerous award-winning films like The Wind Rises, Wolf Children, Sky Crawlers, Summer Wars, The Boy and the Heron, and more. Nishikawa is responsible for hand-painting “many” of the textures in Towers of Aghasba.
Though PS5 players receive bonus cosmetics on pre-ordering, Dreamlit Games also leverages 3D spatial audio and the DualSense. Designer Dave Nguyen notes that the former ensures, “You’ll hear bugs flying around and the waves crashing along the shorelines, and you can turn your camera around and really get a good sense of where the sound’s coming from.”
Haptic feedback is utilized in combat, but you’ll also feel it when creatures roar or step near you. The Lightbar changes colors to depict low and “critical” health, while the adaptive triggers come into play when drawing the bow and let you feel the weight of the various melee weapons.
Towers of Aghasba retails for $29.99 in early access. Stay tuned for more details en route to its launch.