Adventure waits in a world of guardians
By Paul Hunter
There’s something immediately inviting about Towa and the Guardians of the Sacred Tree. On PS5, this roguelite from Brownies Inc., published by Bandai Namco, blends dungeon-running excitement with quiet village management in a way that makes both feel equally important. You move between tense, action-filled stages and the calm, rewarding world of Shinju Village, and each side of the game makes the other feel more satisfying.
You’ll spend time controlling a pair of guardians through challenging runs, gathering power-ups called Graces and experimenting with combat abilities. Between battles, Shinju Village is your playground. Craft swords, upgrade stats, and see the village evolve as you progress. Even small touches, like watching villagers grow and develop, make coming back to the hub a joy. Every session is meaningful, whether you’re tackling a new dungeon or returning to refine your equipment.
The charm comes from how these two parts interact. Combat gives you a rush, while the village offers reflection and growth. The systems work together so that your time is always rewarded, keeping you invested in the world and your guardians.
So, is Towa and the Guardians of the Sacred Tree the roguelite that will keep you hooked run after run? Let's find out!
Towa’s tale unfolds like a slow, careful melody—big notes of myth framed by quieter, human moments. You’re the fearless hero at Shinju, charged with pushing back Magatsu’s corruption. Your task is straightforward in its aim but layered in execution: take guardian pairs into runs, weaken Magatsu’s offspring, and slowly stitch the fractured timeline back together. It’s clever how progression and story feed each other.
The eight guardians quickly grew from combat options into companions I knew by voice and habit. Their short scenes and in-run chatter reveal their personalities in compact bursts. The game also asks hard things: sometimes a guardian must be sacrificed to restore mana for the village. I’ll admit I didn’t see the emotional punch coming when Origami’s farewell rolled in—a companion’s final scene that somehow left me oddly teary.
Shinju itself acts like a living scrapbook. Time jumps forward in decades, and villagers age, careers shift, new faces replace old ones—yet Towa stands steady, beloved and unchanged. That contrast gave the hub a bittersweet charm. Small details—apprentices taking over the dojo, a family refining a recipe across generations—made the hub feel real.
On the rare occasions where dialogue overstays its welcome, I wished it would tighten up. Still, the story’s heart is strong. It balances grand mythology and intimate moments in a way that pulled me back into the loop again and again.
Combat in Towa and the Guardians of the Sacred Tree is immediate and satisfying. I spent hours controlling a pair of guardians—a Tsurugi swinging dual swords and a Kagura casting supportive spells—learning how their abilities complemented each other. Swapping swords mid-combat keeps you on your toes, and each Graces upgrade feels meaningful, allowing different builds and strategies each run.
One fight stands out: I paired Koro with Akazu, using Koro’s calm, crushing swings to clear enemies while Akazu’s orb spells kept me safe from a tricky boss attack. The synergy made victory feel satisfying and reinforced how the game rewards experimentation. Every dungeon run offers that sense of progression and accomplishment, while boss battles add sparks of excitement that are genuinely thrilling.
Between runs, Shinju Village becomes a place to regroup and grow stronger. Swordsmithing is surprisingly tactile—hammering and quenching in QTE-like sequences directly affects weapon stats. Upgrading character stats at the dojo or building new structures adds permanent progression, so every visit to the village leaves a lasting impact. Even minor tasks like crafting new swords or assigning gems to guardians feel purposeful.
The sacrifice system introduces big stakes without ever feeling punishing. Giving up a guardian to restore mana makes you rethink your strategy and experiment with different pairs. It’s a gentle nudge toward creativity that keeps the loop fresh.
From quick dungeon runs to the slower, careful pacing of Shinju Village, the game balances action and strategy beautifully. Each run leaves you wanting to test a new pairing or see what improvements the village will bring next. The gameplay is both rewarding and endlessly engaging.
I wasn’t expecting to be stopped in my tracks by a hub world, but the first time Shinju appeared I simply paused. The art style feels like a moving sketchbook; brushstrokes animate and the world breathes. Guardians carry strong visual identities that make them easy to pick out in the hub, which made me care about them on sight.
Hitoshi Sakimoto’s music deserves a shout-out. It blends traditional Japanese tones with punchy tracks for combat in a way that felt right for both quiet and intense stretches. The Japanese voice cast gave lines more weight; English delivery sometimes lacked the same spark. I ended up playing with Japanese audio and subtitles most of the time.
Technically, PlayStation 5 runs the game smoothly. Transitions between village and dungeons are quick, and runs stay fluid even when scenes get busy. Big boss fights can overload the screen with effects, though, and I noticed a few drops then. The visual clutter in those moments can hide important cues, but that didn’t ruin the excitement.
A minor gripe: several arenas start to look like slight variations of the same stage, and some enemy art repeats. Also, because the camera pulls back during combat, you won’t often see your custom sword’s fine details. Still, those are small grumbles in what is otherwise a striking package.
All told, presentation here feels thoughtful. The game looks like it was painted by hand and scored with care, and that care shines through in both quiet village scenes and big, noisy battles.
Final Score: 7.5/10 - Good
Developer: Brownies
Publisher: Bandai Namco
Genre: Action Adventure, Roguelite
Modes: Single-player
A key was provided by the publisher.
By Paul Hunter
There’s something immediately inviting about Towa and the Guardians of the Sacred Tree. On PS5, this roguelite from Brownies Inc., published by Bandai Namco, blends dungeon-running excitement with quiet village management in a way that makes both feel equally important. You move between tense, action-filled stages and the calm, rewarding world of Shinju Village, and each side of the game makes the other feel more satisfying.
You’ll spend time controlling a pair of guardians through challenging runs, gathering power-ups called Graces and experimenting with combat abilities. Between battles, Shinju Village is your playground. Craft swords, upgrade stats, and see the village evolve as you progress. Even small touches, like watching villagers grow and develop, make coming back to the hub a joy. Every session is meaningful, whether you’re tackling a new dungeon or returning to refine your equipment.
The charm comes from how these two parts interact. Combat gives you a rush, while the village offers reflection and growth. The systems work together so that your time is always rewarded, keeping you invested in the world and your guardians.
So, is Towa and the Guardians of the Sacred Tree the roguelite that will keep you hooked run after run? Let's find out!
Towa’s tale unfolds like a slow, careful melody—big notes of myth framed by quieter, human moments. You’re the fearless hero at Shinju, charged with pushing back Magatsu’s corruption. Your task is straightforward in its aim but layered in execution: take guardian pairs into runs, weaken Magatsu’s offspring, and slowly stitch the fractured timeline back together. It’s clever how progression and story feed each other.
The eight guardians quickly grew from combat options into companions I knew by voice and habit. Their short scenes and in-run chatter reveal their personalities in compact bursts. The game also asks hard things: sometimes a guardian must be sacrificed to restore mana for the village. I’ll admit I didn’t see the emotional punch coming when Origami’s farewell rolled in—a companion’s final scene that somehow left me oddly teary.
Shinju itself acts like a living scrapbook. Time jumps forward in decades, and villagers age, careers shift, new faces replace old ones—yet Towa stands steady, beloved and unchanged. That contrast gave the hub a bittersweet charm. Small details—apprentices taking over the dojo, a family refining a recipe across generations—made the hub feel real.
On the rare occasions where dialogue overstays its welcome, I wished it would tighten up. Still, the story’s heart is strong. It balances grand mythology and intimate moments in a way that pulled me back into the loop again and again.
Combat in Towa and the Guardians of the Sacred Tree is immediate and satisfying. I spent hours controlling a pair of guardians—a Tsurugi swinging dual swords and a Kagura casting supportive spells—learning how their abilities complemented each other. Swapping swords mid-combat keeps you on your toes, and each Graces upgrade feels meaningful, allowing different builds and strategies each run.
One fight stands out: I paired Koro with Akazu, using Koro’s calm, crushing swings to clear enemies while Akazu’s orb spells kept me safe from a tricky boss attack. The synergy made victory feel satisfying and reinforced how the game rewards experimentation. Every dungeon run offers that sense of progression and accomplishment, while boss battles add sparks of excitement that are genuinely thrilling.
Between runs, Shinju Village becomes a place to regroup and grow stronger. Swordsmithing is surprisingly tactile—hammering and quenching in QTE-like sequences directly affects weapon stats. Upgrading character stats at the dojo or building new structures adds permanent progression, so every visit to the village leaves a lasting impact. Even minor tasks like crafting new swords or assigning gems to guardians feel purposeful.
The sacrifice system introduces big stakes without ever feeling punishing. Giving up a guardian to restore mana makes you rethink your strategy and experiment with different pairs. It’s a gentle nudge toward creativity that keeps the loop fresh.
From quick dungeon runs to the slower, careful pacing of Shinju Village, the game balances action and strategy beautifully. Each run leaves you wanting to test a new pairing or see what improvements the village will bring next. The gameplay is both rewarding and endlessly engaging.
I wasn’t expecting to be stopped in my tracks by a hub world, but the first time Shinju appeared I simply paused. The art style feels like a moving sketchbook; brushstrokes animate and the world breathes. Guardians carry strong visual identities that make them easy to pick out in the hub, which made me care about them on sight.
Hitoshi Sakimoto’s music deserves a shout-out. It blends traditional Japanese tones with punchy tracks for combat in a way that felt right for both quiet and intense stretches. The Japanese voice cast gave lines more weight; English delivery sometimes lacked the same spark. I ended up playing with Japanese audio and subtitles most of the time.
Technically, PlayStation 5 runs the game smoothly. Transitions between village and dungeons are quick, and runs stay fluid even when scenes get busy. Big boss fights can overload the screen with effects, though, and I noticed a few drops then. The visual clutter in those moments can hide important cues, but that didn’t ruin the excitement.
A minor gripe: several arenas start to look like slight variations of the same stage, and some enemy art repeats. Also, because the camera pulls back during combat, you won’t often see your custom sword’s fine details. Still, those are small grumbles in what is otherwise a striking package.
All told, presentation here feels thoughtful. The game looks like it was painted by hand and scored with care, and that care shines through in both quiet village scenes and big, noisy battles.
The Verdict
Towa and the Guardians of the Sacred Tree is a roguelite that feels alive at every turn. Dungeon runs push you to experiment with guardians and swords, while Shinju Village grows and changes, revealing stories that make the world feel personal. The watercolour visuals, distinctive guardian designs, and a soundtrack that shifts between quiet reflection and high-stakes combat pull you in. Small pacing and repetition moments don’t diminish the joy of success in a run or the satisfaction of seeing your village evolve. This is a game that rewards attention, strategy, and heart.Final Score: 7.5/10 - Good
Towa and the Guardians of the Sacred Tree details
Platform: PS5, Xbox Series X|S, Nintendo Switch, PCDeveloper: Brownies
Publisher: Bandai Namco
Genre: Action Adventure, Roguelite
Modes: Single-player
A key was provided by the publisher.