Developer: Brownies
Publisher: Bandai Namco Entertainment
Platform: Switch (2), PC, PS5, Xbox Series X|S
Tested on: Switch 2
Towa and the Guardians of the Sacred Tree – Review
While the rest of the world got stuck in with Hades II over the last weekend, we were playing a different, yet very similar game. It was a bold move for Bandai Namco to release said game, Towa and the Guardians of the Sacred Tree, a week before the launch of one of the most highly anticipated titles in the same genre, so they do deserve kudos for that. However, a ballsy launch date alone isn’t enough for a game to deserve merit. The question at hand is if Towa is a game that can stand on its own legs or if it’s a case of “We have Hades II at home”.
Story
You probably wouldn’t say it based on her youthful appearance, but protagonist Towa is actually a powerful goddess, tasked with defending Shinju Village. Alongside her eight warriors, the Prayer Children, Towa fights against Magatsu, an evil god bent on corrupting the world’s mana. Things go south during a battle against Magatsu, with the Prayer Children ending up scattered across time and the village becoming trapped in a distorted timeline. In order to restore balance to the world, Towa must seek her warriors, defeat Magatsu’s monstrous offspring, and reclaim the land’s mana. Each victory pushes time forward in Shinju Village by decades, allowing its people to grow, change, and leave legacies, while Towa herself remains an ageless protector. However, this progress comes with a cost as well: one guardian must be given up to heal the world, forcing hard choices as the story unfolds between mythic battles and the quiet passage of generations.
Graphics
Taking inspiration from Japanese mythology, Towa blends 2D and 3D elements, creating a watercolor-like aesthetic that lets its cultural influences shine through. The designs of both characters and monsters are distinct and varied, imbuing the game with charm and personality. Environments are colorful and vibrant, with a painterly quality that conveys Japanese mysticism and folklore. On the Switch 2, the game does suffer from a lower resolution, especially when it comes to on-screen text and 2D portraits. The game’s frame rate is seemingly capped at 30 fps, which doesn’t do the game’s high-tempo action justice. The restraints here are likely directly related to Towa being released on the OG Switch as well, but they hold back the experience enough that we recommend considering picking up the game on a different platform if you can.
Sound
The soundtrack for Towa was composed by none other than Final Fantasy XII’s Hitoshi Sakamoto. The game’s music is one of Towa’s highlights, striking a great balance between adding drama to the tense combat and underscoring the peaceful life in Shinju Village. The influence of Japanese mythology is noticeable here as well, with the music relying on traditional instruments that reinforce both the mystical tone and emotional undercurrents of the story. Towa also features voice acting in both English and Japanese. The Japanese audio is the clear winner here, however, with the voices fitting the characters and tone of the story, while the English voice cast is less convincing, with flat, awkward performances. Sound effects and ambience are solid but nothing remarkable.
Gameplay
We’ve seen plenty of games that took inspiration from Hades in recent years, from Knight vs. Giant to TMNT: Splintered Fate. That’s with good reason too, as Supergiant Games redefined the roguelike action genre with their smash hit. We can’t blame developer Brownies for hopping on the same bandwagon, given just how well the core formula works. The release timing of Towa is a different story, however, as it’s pretty much inevitable not to draw comparisons to Hades II. Instead of immediately going for an outright comparison, however, let’s start by looking at what makes Towa tick. Unsurprisingly, the game sees you take on runs through semi-randomized rooms, defeat enemies, and face bosses at the end. In between runs, you’ll return to Shinju village, where you can forge weapons, upgrade stats, and build new structures, essentially reforging the city after Magatsu plunged it into chaos. The village acts as the game’s hub area, and seeing it evolve and grow ties into the narrative, which adds some emotional depth beyond the practical advantages of building out the shops.
While Towa’s core gameplay experience sticks close to what you’d expect from a title inspired by Hades, there is a unique gameplay hook here with which the game tries to set itself apart. There are a grand total of nine playable characters to pick from: Towa and the eight Prayer Children. In a run, there are always two characters in play, with the second one controlled either by AI or by a second player in co-op. One character is the Tsurugi, who wields swords, whereas the other is the Kagura, who wields a staff. The Tsurugi handles direct melee combat, with the Kagura instead providing support magic. With each of the characters bringing their own unique set of stats and abilities to the table, this opens up all sorts of strategic opportunities. One important thing to keep in mind though, is that after defeating a boss, you’re forced to sacrifice your Kagura, so there is some strategy involved with which characters you assign to the Kagura role and which upgrades you spend on them.
On paper, it’s a system that has a lot of potential, adding replay value and strategic depth, but in practice, Towa’s dual hero setup doesn’t get the opportunity to truly shine: by sticking to the same Tsurugi and upgrading them throughout, the Kagura mechanic becomes essentially meaningless. Why would you waste precious resources on a character that is going “in the trash” after defeating the next boss? That’s without even getting into Towa’s uneven difficulty. Early runs are manageable, but enemies quickly become damage sponges. Bosses in particular can really throw a wrench in your plans, with random teleports, AoE spam and two-shot combos? Add to this that health recovery is scarce, and you’re looking at a roguelike title where long runs turn into punishing tests of attrition rather than fun challenges. Cycling back to Hades II, Towa ends up feeling lacking in both depth and fluidity. There are some good ideas here but the game’s combat loop and uneven difficulty hold Towa back from reaching its full potential. Keeping in mind that both games carry the same price tag of €29.99, it’s difficult to recommend Towa, as its biggest competitor outclasses it in the area where it matters most in this genre: combat.
Conclusion
We honestly didn’t want to dismiss Towa as an inferior Hades clone, but its proximity to the launch window of Hades II pretty much directly invited the comparison. That’s not to say that our opinion of Towa would’ve been different had it been released three months from now, as the same gameplay flaws still would’ve held back the overall potential of the game. There still is a lot to like here, with the game’s soundtrack in particular standing out, but overall, Towa just falls short of what it could have been. Perhaps if Towa receives an update or two down the line, or if you’ve finished Hades II and are looking for something new to play, it’s worth considering picking this one up. As it stands, gameplay definitely isn’t a reason to pick up Towa over Hades II, but the audiovisual presentation and story just might win you over if you’re a fan of Japanese mythology.
No Comments