Surviving in a wilderness is never best done alone if at all possible, but there’s one survivalbox that has you managing not just your own character’s well-being but that of an entire tribe. This is the main hook for Thunderful Games’ and Sand Sailor Studio’s ASKA,, a multiplayer title we’ve been following since November 2022 that has now kicked off its Steam early access.
“Build the ultimate Viking settlement and survive with your villagers. Land your ship in a foreign, ever-changing realm, make it your own and discover its secrets. Survive, build, craft, fight, farm and sail, but do not forget to prepare for the Dead Winter, when an ancient foe rises against you…”
This self-described “survival tribe builder” lets player teams of up to four build up a self-sufficient colony by harvesting and gathering, managing new buildings, and attracting new villagers, all while managing settlement needs and hunting bosses. Players can train their villagers in either battle or vocational disciplines and will need to gather strength and resources enough to survive the land’s harsh winter, which also brings on shadowy and dangerous foes.
Since yesterday’s early access release, the game has had a pair of hotfixes that both attempt to fix a bug that has been causing game save file corruption. As for its current Steam review score, it’s sitting on “mostly positive” right now, with some reviews bemoaning crashes but others lauding its depth and increasingly complex gameplay loops.
