The world of Roguelites requires games to feature many permutations. Whether it’s the attacks our character performs, the magic we use, or the upgrades we find along the way. All these options must always be for the benefit of the player, allowing each user to find that balance between their own playing style and something they feel comfortable with. But what happens when we add more story elements and weapons, and art direction that highlights its settings? This time, we had the opportunity to play the first few hours of Towa and the Guardians of the Sacred Tree, the upcoming title developed by Brownies and distributed by Bandai Namco, a title that promises to take us beyond combat.
Attack and magic, in two bodies
One of the most interesting features of Towa and the Guardians of the Sacred Tree is its character system. The story introduces us to Towa as the priestess of Shinju, who is the last line of defense against Magatsu. Fighting alongside her is a group of eight companions, each with their own unique abilities and attacks. The idea is that each run involves choosing any two of these characters, one being the main character with whom we attack, and the other being the support character who uses their magic. This not only creates unique combinations, but as we progress, it also introduces us to who these characters are and how they have interacted with each other.
Moving on to combat, we encounter the classic strong and weak moves, as well as a couple of special magical attacks from our companion. The sword-wielder’s moves are limited, with the sword “losing its edge” if we overuse the quick strike, so we’ll have to make another attack for the sword to recover. Combat depends heavily on the characters you choose, as each one attacks differently, and you will have to get used to this.
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After each battle, we can choose an upgrade and continue on our way by choosing between two options for our next power. Along with this, we will obtain orbs and items for upgrades, all the classic elements found in games of this genre.
Attack, reach the village, and repeat
As with any good Roguelite, the cycle of adventure and returning to base is present. After failing in our advance through the inhospitable lands affected by the evil of Magatsu, we will return to Shinju Village, where we control Towa. Here, we will have several options, from talking to the residents to get to know them better, training in the dojo to activate and improve our companions’ skills, or even forging a new sword with the items found on our journey.
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The process of forging a sword is quite interesting, and although I only saw the initial stages, I am very intrigued by this type of mini-game, where we can choose the type of sword, curvature, colors, and statistics. By mistake, the first sword I forged was sharpened too much, meaning that although its attack speed was higher, its durability meant that I constantly had to resort to secondary attacks or magic. The process of creating your own sword can be done entirely by yourself, or you can let the game do something for you.
Once you’re ready, you’ll choose your companions again and send them back into this world. Here, there are two aspects that I personally find interesting. On the one hand, it has a system in which the bond between companions not only improves combat, but also tells a story about who they are and their relationship. We will discover part of this during the runs, with moments of rest in front of a campfire or in the hot springs. On the other hand, we have art direction that shows a visually detailed world, where the illustrated backgrounds, enemies, and each of the scenarios we pass through look truly beautiful.
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Although, unfortunately, my playing time didn’t allow me to defeat the first big boss and continue advancing in the story, I was very impressed by the way the game develops and where it’s headed. Towa and the Guardians of the Sacred Tree has a solid foundation and many elements to consider for the permutation of each of the runs you can perform.
For now, Towa and the Guardians of the Sacred Tree will be released on PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, Steam, and Nintendo Switch on September 19.
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