Rating – 4 stars

Anyone with an interest in game design, including Northeastern Illinois University’s (NEIU) very own John Gronli and Sean Katamay, knows all about role-playing game (RPG) makers, one of the most basic of game design programs. In fact, Gronli and Katamay used the program to create Towers of Ajura. Although it is already for sale, the game’s official launch event will be held on Nov. 17 at the PC Zone Internet Café (5400 N. Kedzie) at 4 p.m.

The game starts with the player in a dying world where the gods have given up all hope for humanity. The idea is to survive and remove any enemies that get in the way. One has the ability to upgrade and customize cities and any areas taken over as they see fit, all while adventuring and leveling up their characters. There is no single correct way to beat the game; simply pick a starting class and appearance and start playing. The only down side is a few bugs, which can be taken care of by updates the developers themselves make available on the website and have promptly taken care of.
Most old fashioned RPGs tend to play out in a linear style of gameplay. Towers of Ajura is a sandbox style. The difference between the two modes of play is quite profound. In a linear game, a predetermined route is set and there is no straying outside of the borders set by the game designers. While there can be side quests or events to do while playing, chances are that these events will be directly related to the primary objective of concluding the game. Everything goes step by step in a predetermined series.
In a sandbox style game the player can take multiple pathways to reach the final objective of game completion. Missions and side quests are aplenty as there is no set method of getting to the end. Players will get where they’re going at their own pace. Players even have the option to completely branch off from the main quest and simply do as they please.
With graphics similar to that of the NES, Towers of Ajura is a nice throwback game to the ‘90s. That is as far as its simplicity goes. The battle system for enemy encounters is more complex than most games dare to try nowadays, as is the advanced strategy system for managing towns, towers and cities.
Towers of Ajura, released about a month ago, can be purchased for just $3 through the game site on http://toa.darklorestudio.com. Check out a trailer on youtube at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BZn6PI6DwXw. This game is not for people looking for the latest graphics. The selling point is in the quality of the gameplay and the immense possibilities available from customizing towers to selecting what statistics to level up and abilities to learn.