In the five years since Hades exited early access and took the roguelike gaming world by storm, there have been many imitators.
This year alone, games Lost in Random: The Eternal Die clearly imitate Hades’ isometric action gameplay and focus on a story evolving over the course of each run through the game, even if your specific gameplay buffs don’t.
I’ve found those games to be missing the magical spark that truly made Hades what it is. That is, until I played Towa and the Guardians of the Sacred Tree from Brownies and Bandai Namco Entertainment games.
This new roguelike understands the critical role that memorable characters and gameplay meaningfully impact the narrative played in making Hades what it is.
Towa and the Guardians of the Sacred Tree then delivers that with some Japanese cultural flair and some standout gaming ideas of its own.
That may finally be enough to usurp Hades, Balatro, and Vampire Survivors as my go-to roguelike once it launches.
Towa and the Guardians of the Sacred Tree has original gameplay ideas
This isn’t your standard Hades-inspired roguelike
I played about 15 minutes of Towa and the Guardians of the Sacred Tree at Summer Game Fest.
While that left a generally positive impression, it really only gave me an idea of what combat would look like during a single run through the game, which follows a priestess and her companions as they fight off the corrupted forces of the evil being Magatsu.
Like Hades, Towa and the Guardians of the Sacred Tree is an isometric action game where players go arena-by-arena, fighting enemies and being rewarded with a run-specific buff if they are successful.
In this game’s case, that comes in the form of “Graces” that can power up each of the player’s attacks and abilities.
Instead of playing as just one character, you control two. One is the Tsurugi, the sword-wielding main character who primarily fights enemies. The other is the Kagura, the spell-casting support character who adds some extra abilities to the player’s toolset.
This two-character setup brings a dynamic feel to each run.
Players have to constantly change who and what they are attacking with and hear banter between the two characters.
Then, between each run, players can craft weapons, cook, and interact with the townsfolk of Shinju Village to permanently power Towa and her friends up for the next run.
It’s everything you’d want from a roguelike gameplay loop.
Towa and the Guardians of the Sacred Tree forces players to make sacrifices
And those sacrifices seem to leave a lasting impact on the narrative
While the gameplay of Towa and the Guardians of the Sacred Tree does have some unique elements, that alone is not enough to drag me away from a comfort game like Hades.
What will entice me is the game’s narrative and the palpable impact a successful run has on the narrative.
In the couple of hours I spent with Towa and the Guardians of the Sacred Tree, I already found myself starting to care for Towa and her companions in the same way I did Zagreus and his friends in Hades.
Each character in this new game has memorable designs and personalities, like the buff humanoid Koi fish Nishiki.
That makes it all the more tragic that you have to kill these guardians off.
After completing a successful run that a story mission sets out for players, the Kagura character they completed the run with is sacrificed to help remove some of the corruption.
This impacts how characters act afterward, and obviously changes the dynamics players are exposed to as they continue to play.
From a narrative standpoint, this makes me care about each individual character even more, as I’m genuinely bummed when I have to sacrifice them.
On the gameplay front, this also forced changes in how I play.
The first guardian I sacrificed had the most health of any of the ones available to me, which, over the long term, could make my future runs harder.
Towa and the Guardians of the Sacred Tree understands what worked about Hades
And that’s why I’m excited to play more
Although I have only played a couple of hours of Towa and the Guardians of the Sacred Tree, I can already feel the game getting its hooks in me.
On a basic level, there’s an enjoyable action roguelike experience to be had here, having fun as I try to make the perfect character combo and set of run-specific abilities as I continue to play.
Meanwhile, the game works hard to make me care about each character before forcing a tragic choice that will radically change the rest of my adventure.
Most Hades-likes don’t nail the intertwined nature of roguelike narrative and gameplay like I can already tell Towa and the Guardians of the Sacred Tree does, and that’s why I’m extremely excited to play more when the game launches next month.
Towa and the Guardians of the Sacred Tree
- Released
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September 19, 2025
- ESRB
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Everyone 10+ / Alcohol Reference, Fantasy Violence, Language, Mild Blood, Mild Suggestive Themes
- Developer(s)
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Brownies
- Publisher(s)
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Bandai Namco Entertainment
- Multiplayer
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Online Co-Op, Local Co-Op
- Number of Players
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1-2 players
- Steam Deck Compatibility
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Unknown
- PC Release Date
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September 19, 2025
