ASKA is an open-world survival, colony management simulator. Currently in development by Sand Sailor Studio (Black The Fall), it is available right now as an early access title with Thunderful Publishing (GODBREAKERS). ASKA is only releasing on PC initially and you can pick it up over on Steam.
Make ASKA Your Next Viking Adventure
I will admit that I’m fairly sure I’ve seen advertisements for ASKA come across my feeds on occasion. I didn’t look into it further because I heard “Viking” and “survival” and thought of Valheim. What I found was that and so much more; a pleasant surprise. I should have been remembering the fun times I had in Valheim and seeing else ASKA has to offer. Let me tell you why you should too in the review of its current state below. An impressive feature that is sometimes hard to implement without being a distraction.
Gameplay
ASKA is an open-world survival and colony management simulator set in a mythical world of the Viking age. The player takes on the role as leader and caretaker of your own settlement, free to explore and expand at your discretion. Progress your settlement by gathering, crafting, and making a footprint from the ground up. Travel deeper into the island to uncover hidden mines and lairs. Make your settlement sustainable and expand to remote areas yet to be found.
The open world approach always seems best for the survival genre. It encourages the player to seek advancement and explore unknown areas. Making those areas procedurally generated like in ASKA provides a lasting measure of gameplay. It is one of the many reasons it’s harder and harder for me to play some games. Knowing exactly where a specific drop or loot will be defeats the whole point of just going out and seeing what is there. Not knowing is part of the fun and the excitement of discovering something awesome that much more enjoyable.
Survival, First
Survival gameplay is the heart and core of ASKA. The mechanics we come to expect, such as managing hunger, thirst and gathering resources for crafting are immediately present. Progression in skill and knowledge takes a logical path that is easy to understand or get clarification on. Thankfully these mechanics aren’t overly punishing without providing advance warning. It was a pleasure to be able to live without issue for my first hour or so while I got my bearings.
Being a tool of the gods has its perks. As one in ASKA, you’ll notice that rest is not among the stats you need to watch and replenish. You learn very quickly that the first several buildings you build will end up the homes of your summoned villagers. While they sleep, you can continue to work. Dying is also a different barter of sorts, as you may choose to respawn and lose everything you had. Or you may decide to sacrifices one of your villager’s lives to reclaim your place with inventory intact. The choice is ultimately up to you.
Build, Second
The colony management part comes in when you begin to summon villagers and build your settlement. Building isn’t some big mystery in ASKA, as craftable items and objects clearly show what ingredients or prerequisites must be met to advance them. I’m finding that the more and more I’m wanting to do and build requires more hands than I have. This game shines by allowing you to assign individuals to buildings and tasks to perform their own individual roles. However this also means unless you want to constantly shuffle people around, you need more villagers. Unfortunately housing at my settlement is slow to come by so I’ve been populating my settlement and a snails pace.
The great thing too with setting up your village is that you’ll find the villagers are mostly self-sufficient. Giving them the a specific role allows you to have them focus on certain tasks while you’re free to do otherwise. They also don’t need constant intervention as in some other management sims. Villagers in ASKA are more or less set and forget and they will actually seek you out if there is something they need. It also allows you to focus on your own objectives while knowing that you won’t have to grind out a bunch of things once finally have time.
Third, Explore
The latest content update for ASKA boasts expansion upon exploration across the high seas. Unfortunately, I’m nowhere near close to that content yet. I’ve just been taken aback by how thoughtfully complex the whole game’s systems seem to be. I’m also very timid and am trying to beef up my villagers before exploring much beyond the forest’s edge near where I started this save. Exploring is a key element to progression in the game though, as it will lead to additional resources and discoveries to advance your settlement. Hopefully sometime within the next month I’ll be able to come back and tell you about how my expeditions fare.
There really isn’t a set direction in ASKA. There are favours of the gods that act as a guide for certain milestones, but the rest is really up to the player. The only real restriction is just keeping to the logical progression of crafting advancement. A plethora of content awaits beyond just wherever your generated spawn starts you. I just need the time to get there! One thing that would be nice would be a way to pass time faster if you decide to have your character rest. It would help progress through slower points of gameplay but obviously wouldn’t work outside of singe player mode.
Graphics & Audio
Let’s be honest. Some early access games tend not to have the greatest graphics for a number of reasons. If you’ve seen the trailers for ASKA, those scenes are just as beautiful in game. It already feels smooth and polished. The world around is vibrant with detail that compliments the setting of the game and add depths to the gameplay. ASKA even implements weather changes without any distress on the visual quality through each season.
ASKA also boasts a beautiful audio track. The music is simply relaxing and helps set the mood when out and about. I’m sure it will be the same once I get out traveling in a ship too. Sound effects throughout are also on point for the genre and aren’t trying to be different or awfully unique.
Longevity
ASKA has so much to offer even while still in development. I’m curious to explore how the game plays differently in multiplayer as well. With the time I’ve already invested into my current village, the fact that I’m already looking forward to my next playthrough is a telling sign. Being a procedurally generated world adds to that longevity. With no rules to how to shape your settlement, the game truly is an open-world survival experience.
Final Thoughts
Despite being in early access, ASKA is already a must-have. It’s a refreshing take on the survival genre by adding in a solid colony management simulator for more complexity. The core mechanics are well thought out, deep and functional. It already provides a lasting amount of content and there’s more to come. So if you can’t tell, I’d highly recommend picking up this game either now or in the future. Don’t dismiss it as just another survival game.
Disclaimer: A code was received in order to write this review.
If you enjoy this review, check out my other reviews here.
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