Towa and the Guardians of the Sacred Tree Review

When I first touched Towa and the Guardians of the Sacred Tree at Bandai Namco’s preview event, I came away surprised. The kawaii-folk art direction looked like something straight out of a cozy RPG, but under the hood was a roguelike combat system full of combos, guardian pairings, and even a forge minigame that had me thinking spreadsheets Towa Preview .

Fast forward to my full playthrough (about 22+ hours in), and the same vibe holds true: Towa is a game that constantly tempts you away from its main story and into its systems. I didn’t roll credits, not because the story lost me completely, but because sidequests, the blacksmith, and build-crafting were more interesting than chasing the ending.

Story: Cheese With a Side of Charm

Narratively, Towa sets up big stakes with gods, guardians, and curses, but quickly drifts into Bandai Namco’s signature anime cheese. There’s time/space/alternate universe intrigue sprinkled in, which kept me nibbling, but the dialogue is endless. After a while, I started skipping through cutscenes just to get back to forging blades and testing builds. Unfortunately, that little chatter box that frequents the forge in the early game halted my excitement to stop one too many times.

That said, not everything falls flat. Fish Dude (yes, the sexy fishman Kishiki makes a triumphant return) is easily my favorite character. Origami’s quirky “personality” also stood out. And while I initially hated the “sacrifice your partner” mechanic (nothing hurts more than scrapping a perfect build), I eventually saw its intent: forcing me to try everyone, not just stick with the OP duo. It’s mean, but it works.

Combat: Clunky Start, Smooth Finish

Combat is still the star here. The layering of swords, guardians, and combos is where Towa shines. At first, the controls felt awkward — not broken, just slightly uncomfortable. But after a few hours, it clicked, and fights became fast, flashy, and rewarding.

Boss battles? They look and sound incredible. The art direction and music crank things up a notch. But once the dust settled, none of them stuck in my memory gameplay-wise. Often during their opening animation my expectations were raised then immediately sank once the red danger boxes started showing up. The squid in the second world really had me going for exactly 30 seconds before it did the same old giant squid tentacle hitting stuff. Eventually I conceded that the bosses are more about the spectacle than the mechanics.

Skill progression is grindy, but in the best way. The game constantly teases you with new build potential, so tinkering never felt like busywork. It’s the kind of grind that keeps you up late thinking, “One more run, I just need to try this combo.”

World & Vibes

Visually, Towa nails its kawaii aesthetic. The characters feel soft, springy, and cozy. Sometimes that clashes with the darker story beats, but honestly, the charm wins out. Environments have personality too — each new zone feels distinct rather than reskinned filler.

And the music? Still fantastic and only gets fantasticallier and whimsicallier throughout. The cozy village tracks lull you in, while boss themes go full anime-banger. It does a lot of heavy lifting in selling moments where the story writing stumbles.

Steam Deck Verdict

Performance was flawless on Steam Deck. No crashes, no major bugs, smooth framerate. The UI takes some warming up, especially juggling the dual-character system, but eventually it becomes second nature. Controls also take a session or two to re-sync with your brain if you step away for a bit, but once you’re in the groove, they feel right. The Steam Deck’s physical layout really aided in my hands getting used to the combat. I could see potential for these controls to leave me with some serious carpal tunnel on other handhelds like the Legion Go or Ally X.

Final Thoughts: Hades With a Cozy Twist

If Hades is a finely tuned action roguelike machine, Towa is the slightly clumsy, colorful cousin who charms you anyway. It doesn’t dethrone Hades or Hades II, but it earns a spot in the rotation for anyone craving that loop of combat, grind, and build-crafting.

It’s a game best suited for people who already 100%’d Hades and still want more — or anyone who loves kawaii anime aesthetics but also wants to beat demons into dust. And while I didn’t try co-op yet, I can only imagine how chaotic and fun it would be with a second player.