Have you ever pondered the ambitious vision of building a structure so grand it touches the heavens? The captivating short story ‘Tower of Babylon’ by Ted Chiang, found in his collection Stories of Your Life and Others, explores such a monumental endeavor. While I won’t spoil the journey or its outcome, it’s a powerful narrative that resonates deeply with the core concept of Stario, a new indie city-building game now available in early access.
In Stario, your mission echoes that of the ancient Babylonians: to erect an immense city that reaches for the sky. You’re responsible for sustaining your ‘Towertizens,’ maintaining their morale, and guiding them through periods of spiritual crisis and natural catastrophes. This task is particularly challenging because your construction is exclusively vertical.
A video embedded here showcases Stario’s unique gameplay and its vertical challenges, highlighting the intricate process of building upwards.
Traditional city builders allow you to establish vast farms, cultivate crops, and graze livestock across expansive lands, utilizing roads and even trains for efficient resource distribution. But in Stario, roads are simply not an option for upward travel. This vertical design introduces fresh obstacles. How do you cultivate food in the freezing, thin air of the upper atmosphere? And if farming isn’t feasible there, how do you transport essential provisions from the lower levels to the sky-high residences?
Stario’s innovative gameplay isn’t limited to its verticality. It also integrates fantastical elements, allowing you to perform mystical rituals to invoke guiding miracles. Envision flying creatures like turtles and whales, serving not only as breathtaking visuals but potentially offering novel transportation solutions. From sky ports to vital ‘hope beacons,’ Stario offers a depth that extends far beyond what might initially appear on the surface.
An image shows a sprawling vertical city structure, illustrating Stario’s unique architectural possibilities with multiple layers of development.
With three distinct difficulty settings, six varied atmospheric biomes, and four types of devastating disasters to contend with, Stario is poised to establish itself as a true innovator in the city-building genre.
Stario is currently available in early access. If you enjoy games that push strategic boundaries, you might also explore other top strategy games or discover hidden gems within the best indie games available.
Are you ready to embark on this celestial construction project in Stario’s early access? Share your thoughts and skyscraper aspirations with us in our community discussions!