Towa and the Guardians of the Sacred Tree preview: If Hades and Eastern mythology had a baby

Let's get the elephant out of the room as soon as we can: Towa and the Guardians of the Sacred Tree is similar to roguelite room-based roguelites like Enter/Exit the Gungeon, but above all Towa and the Guardians of the Sacred Tree is reminiscent of Hades. Their similarities go beyond the choice of overhead view or the way you choose the next stage depending on the reward it offers. There's a lot of love for Supergiant Games' title, but Towa wants to differentiate itself by adding a number of subsystems that neither Zagreus nor Melinoë possess and that, on top of decoration and ambience, offers a new perspective on the challenge of "how far can you go".

The story of Towa and the Guardians of the Sacred Tree is the struggle of good against the sea, where a deity named Shinju offered his daughter Towa to be the guardian of the village of the same name. She will be the one to face Magatsu and his demons, a destructive force that threatens the world, both material and spiritual. To fight this evil deity, Towa surrounds herself with a number of villagers, her closest friends and allies, each with different abilities.

Originally the plan was to fight Magatsu together, but Magatsu awoke prematurely and exiled the Prayer Guardians to the far reaches of space and time, while freezing the village of Shinju and Towa itself in time. Now it is up to the Guardians, reunited but on the other side of the veil, to defeat the eight protective spirits of Magatsu to free Towa and the village of Shinju.

One of the main differentiating elements of Towa is that the fighting here is in pairs, with a tandem of one melee fighter (Tsurugi) and one support fighter (Kagura), from the eight Guardians of Prayer. Combinations between the two (each guardian has different abilities depending on the role they play, though there are some more suited to each than others) can generate powerful synergies in combat, as well as unlocking parts of each character's story as they fight and get to know each other.

The combat itself is fun, consisting of chaining together a variety of attacks with both primary and secondary weapons, as well as special strikes and ultimate attacks. In addition, the support character, who can be automatic or be controlled by the player (though leaving the main character unprotected) can cast powerful offensive and defensive spells, depending on their skills and training, as well as Graces (passive skills that are unlocked in each room) that improve attacks, life or mana regeneration, or obtain items.

All of this is important, because the replay cycle with each "death" only restores the timeline to that point in the adventure, and with each run we can gather materials and experience with which to unlock new abilities for our fighting duo. The village will serve as a hub and a reflection of progression, as we add new buildings and more training options in the dojo.

You can also forge weapons to improve everyone's overall stats, and this is done with one of the most comprehensive mini-games I've ever seen. Another great "mini-game" (which could almost be a separate game, by the looks of it) is fishing, where you earn fishing points that can be traded with the village merchants to gather equipment for your heroes.

Yes, Towa isn't re-inventing the wheel, and its main inspirations are certainly clear, but it has enough originality, as well as a narrative and story mode interesting enough to carve out a niche in the genre. It's available on PC, PS5, and Xbox Series on September 19, and may be one of the hidden gems on the release calendar for that month.