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The roguelite genre has always felt like the best one to experiment with. As long as you have a solid gameplay loop, you can make a deckbuilder, a turn-based RPG-like, a bullet heaven, or something entirely different. As someone who’s played many of those, I was surprised to see how refreshing Towa and the Guardians of the Sacred Tree felt. On the surface, it is a proper roguelite with an addictive gameplay loop boasting several build options. However, if you dig deeper, you’ll find a story of JRPG proportions, one of the most memorable casts of characters, and a gorgeous world that changes with every loop you complete.
Guardians Against Time
Usually, I don’t delve much into a roguelite’s story because the narrative tends to feel like an optional dish in a buffet full of gameplay systems. However, Towa and the Guardians of the Sacred Tree brings a much deeper plot than I was expecting and one that kept getting better with every loop I completed.
The story begins with Towa and the village’s Guardians trying to end Magatsu, the biggest threat to Shinju Village. Unfortunately, something goes terribly wrong, trapping the Guardians and leaving them with a daunting task: protect the village across different timelines.
In truth, the plot was one of the game’s highlights for me, and one that hooked me as soon as the tutorial wrapped up. Its cast of characters is also something that enhances it further. Since you have to bring two Guardians for a run, they’ll both engage in unique conversations that deepen their bonds. It also adds emotionally charged moments, as completing a boss fight comes with unexpected sacrifices that will leave you feeling heartbroken for a few of the Guardians.
While I enjoyed the narrative from start to finish, it might be a double-edged sword for many roguelite fans out there. As you know, roguelites are all about fast-paced action and almost no quiet times between runs. While the hectic combat is there, it sometimes takes a bit too long to get to it, as there’s a lot of story to go through, a lot of dialogue, and many interactions between Towa, her Guardians, and the colorful denizens of the village. Again, I loved this because it was very JRPG-core, but some might feel that the game drags its plot and conversations a bit much.
Trapped in a Loop
Story aside, let’s move on to the roguelite gameplay aspects, which, fortunately, are as deep as the story this game features. Like any other roguelite, you can already expect many of the genre’s iconic staples. Branching paths with different rewards, randomized buffs that encourage you to make a build on the go, and currency that lets you unlock permanent upgrades to make your runs easier. While Towa and the Guardians of the Sacred Tree has all that, it isn’t a run-of-the-mill roguelite because it tackles its combat and upgrading systems a bit differently.
For starters, you will always bring two characters to a run. One of them is called the Tsugiri, or Blade, and the second one is the Kagura, or Staff. Any of the eight Guardians can perform any of these roles. So, if you want your buffed-up Koi Guardian to be the Staff in one run but then wield a blade on the next one, you can do that.
In combat, you’ll control your Tsugiri at all times. Your Tsugiri Guardian has two blades, a Red one and a Blue one. The former has a fast attack pattern that changes for every Guardian and doesn’t do a lot of damage. The Blue one usually has a unique charged attack for each character that does more damage. The gimmick here is that you must swap between the two blades as each one has a durability bar. Using it too much will break it and reduce its damage potential, prompting you to switch to the next one until it breaks as well. This was an interesting approach, as it made combat feel even more fast-paced and varied due to the fact that it swapped between two attack modes at every moment of the fight.
Beyond that, every character has an ultimate attack of sorts that you can perform once you gather enough mana by attacking enemies. Just like the previous attacks, these are also unique to each character, with some favoring an area-of-effect attack and others sending out spinning waves that damage enemies in a wider area.
The Kagura, however, feels more like a passive companion, as you won’t control it that much, unless you want to. If so, the game becomes a twin-stick shooter of sorts, but I didn’t find this too appealing. I always preferred having my Kagura follow me. In any case, your Kagura will have an auto attack with their staff and two spells of different domains. Each character also has two domains you can’t swap, but you can unlock new spells as you gather currency.
Take the electric domain, for example. It focuses on conjuring up bolts of lightning to damage opponents or even areas that buff your speed. Some spells even summon whirlwinds to damage enemies. You can find the same variety in all the other domains, which provide a unique play style.
In terms of enemies, they are quite varied, but the highlight was each of the boss fights. After a certain number of areas, you’ll encounter a mini-boss with unique mechanics that might remind you of Hades. All attacks are telegraphed, and you’ll have to dodge or deflect some of the attacks to make it out alive. The most challenging encounters are the Magatsu-hi, which are the final bosses of every area and the ones you need to beat to progress the story.
When it comes to balance, Towa and the Guardians of the Sacred Tree felt pretty challenging, but not to the point that I became frustrated. There are so many things you can unlock for your runs that trivialize some fights. And well, good RNG also helps. However, you can also affect that RNG part, but more on that later. For those finding the game too hard, there’s a story mode that adds a 4% debuff to enemy damage with each failed run. Since I wanted to enjoy the plot, I switched to this difficulty mode halfway through my time with the game. Still, I recommend playing the standard difficulty to experience the combat systems completely.
Brimming With Systems
The roguelite systems are just as impressive as combat, if not more. When in a run, you’ll usually pick between one or two areas to explore, all of which offer different rewards. Like other modern roguelites, you can see which rewards you can get in the room you’re entering by pulling up a preview menu. That way, you can plan if you’ll either go to an area that rewards a Grace, one of the run-specific boons, the shop, the food cart, or a challenging battle.
Graces are a run’s bread and butter, as those are what allow you to tailor your build. These boons belong to different domains, each catering to a distinct play style. The Wind domain, for instance, is all about triggering Whirlwinds with your attacks. The Fire one scorches enemies. The Stone one makes foes more susceptible to damage and stun, among other effects. All of these Graces come in different rarities, with the rarest ones usually locked behind entering the same Grace room repeatedly.
Most of these rooms will also reward you with ores, which are materials that you’ll need for different things back at your village. For example, Jade Ore allows you to select a permanent upgrade that makes a specific Grace more likely to appear in a run. Firefly Ore lets you purchase spells or unlock more skill points for your characters. These are just a couple of the ores in the game, but there are so many of them that at times they can feel a bit overwhelming. Fortunately, the game does a terrific job of making all upgrades available for every character. If you purchase one permanent buff, every Guardian can equip it simultaneously, and this applies to items like swords and skill points, among other elements.
The most useful permanent buffs are locked behind a long grind, which is expected in every roguelite. I liked this approach, primarily since every run provided new character interactions or small story beats between each Guardian. It might be too grindy for some players, but I enjoyed the balance, and then again, if it gets too repetitive, story mode is there to ease things up.
Life in Shinju Village
Another essential part of the gameplay and roguelite loops is the village itself. As you progress through the campaign, you’ll notice the village advancing through different timelines, thus unlocking new functions. At first, you’ll only have the Forge that allows you to craft swords in one of the most intricate blacksmithing mini-games I’ve experienced. You can choose your blade’s length, shape, and even sharpen it to allocate its stats. Later, you’ll unlock the Carpenter who builds and upgrades buildings to give you buffs, a fishing mini-game with its rewards system, and many more activities that turn the mundane interactions into something vital for a run.
Additionally, there is a narrative behind the village systems. Since you’ll be seeing this place in different timelines, you’ll end up meeting some NPCs as kids and watching them grow up as you traverse to a new era. It was a neat addition that immersed me even more into this colorful isometric world and made me more invested in every inhabitant of the place I was trying to save.
My only complaint is that there are just so many NPCs to talk to that it’s impossible to fast travel to each of these characters using a chat bubble. While the actual functions of crafting and buying are available at the push of a button, I would’ve loved to see a map of sorts or a list of NPCs that had a conversation because I often found myself scouring the whole village after every run. It wasn’t a big deal since all the interactions are endearing and pretty fun at times, but an easier way to keep track of these conversations would’ve made my daily village stroll much more enjoyable.
An Evolving Roguelite
In a world where many roguelites aim for a fast-paced approach with little to no story, I’m glad to see that Towa and the Guardians of the Sacred Tree is aiming for a more balanced approach. It is a roguelite through and through that shines thanks to its depth and customization, but also enhances the whole experience by adding a village and a narrative that draws you into one of the most gorgeous worlds I’ve seen in a roguelite.
At times, it feels like there’s a lot of clutter and bloated systems there, and there could be a way to streamline all of the currency, NPC count, and things to do while you’re outside of a run. However, these minor hiccups never hindered my experience. Overall, Towa and the Guardians of the Sacred Tree is brimming with activities that cater to different types of players. Whether you’re looking for hectic roguelite action or a heartwarming story, you’ll find it in this timeless village, which I hope to revisit sometime in the future.
Review copy provided by the Publisher.
Towa and the Guardians of the Sacred Tree (PS5 Reviewed)
Towa and the Guardians of the Sacred Tree is a top-notch roguelite with a memorable storyline that may feel bloated at times, but it is, undoubtedly, one of the most unique games in the genre due to how packed it is with things to do.
Pros
- An excellent narrative
- Memorable cast of characters
- A plethora of things to do inside and outside of your runs
Cons
- Some systems feel a bit bloated at times
- It may be too grindy for some players
