Towaga: Among Shadows

One of a kind Indie Game
I was searching for some fun games to play on my steam deck when I happen to discover this game. It's a very good indie game worth playing. Not to brag, but I own quite a number of games (300+) and played a lot of indie games, this is one of those extremely well designed games.
Some of the key highlights:
1. Very good graphics (indie game wise) and amazing character art .
2. Extremely fluid gameplay, despite not having any official steam deck rating, the controls were actually amazing and works perfectly fine with no errors.
3. Plot wise I can't really say just yet as I have only played a part of the game, but so far I'm enjoying it. I think it's quite an original idea. But I will update this section once I've beaten the game.
4. The background music is also quite good and matches the theme of the game. It drives the gameplay experience to be more immersive.
Conclusion
To conclude, for anyone that owns a steam deck, definitely go and check this game out. You won't be dissapointed. This game is literally a hidden gem and deserves more love and appreciation from players. Will look forward to future products by Sunnyside Games.
#indie #steamdeck #towaga #tmgreviews

Simple, little, beautiful. I found it quite easy: I upgrade everything once and got to finish Part 1 and 2. The survival though... OMG it's difficult.
What's missing in this game is a soundtrack ^^ it's silent, there is no music while you fight and that's a bummer. Other than that it is beautifully designed. Simple and authentic to its core game style.

A bit dark but cartoony. Really great graphics and it's an Adventure, Platform, Twin Stick Shooter. If it had COOP it would be over the top.

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TL;DR
Towaga Among Shadows is a decent variation of the twin stick shooter genre that slightly overstays its welcome and lacks variation, but is still enjoyable. It just misses the oomph for a full-blown PC game.
Disclaimer
The review key was provided by Sunnyside Games themselves. I still try my best to remain impartial.
Background
Sunnyside games is relatively young, having been founded in 2013 in Switzerland, which is certainly something. While Switzerland is certainly a well-developed country, it is not known for its strong gaming industry. Although they recently picked up the pace with titles like the Far series, it kinda ends there (for now). We have yet to see big projects out of Switzerland come to light.
Towaga does not necessarily step out of this shadow (pun intended) as the game first was developed for Apple Arcade, and it certainly nails the feel of an arcade game.
Arcade games generally have a simple gameplay loop, fast-paced gameplay and great replayability. While not every game on Apple Arcade is a regular arcade game (like “Fantasian” from Hironobu Sakaguchi or “World of Demons” from Platinum Games), Towaga firmly falls into this category.

Main Gameplay Loop
Towaga Among Shadows is a play on the twin stick shooter genre, which (mostly) removes the ability to move.
Yes, you are stationary most of the time, but bear with me.
The game focuses on having different enemy types with different attack patterns which need to be rapidly analyzed. The player has two different skills to prove: good understanding in which enemies need to be prioritized and which ability (as you can only equip a single one) is the best for the current level (called phases in this game).
The game has three kinds of levels. Ground and temple, which are relatively similar to each other and follow the formula I have described above.
And then are the so-called sky levels, in which the main character actually becomes moveable and obtains an invincible dash. They are much needed for variation, and I think that Sunnyside games nailed the actual level design for both types of modes.
While the amount of enemy types is limited, the game does not become stale and the levels have distinctive identities and offer different enemy constellations which keep the player on their respective feet.
This is the main gameplay loop and will consume 95% of the game time, which is good in my opinion. Towaga is a modern arcade game, after all, and intended to be quick and fun.
Next to a short story (2-3 hours), the game also offers a survival mode, of which I do not know if the number of waves is limited.
There are some small other features which are not that relevant, and I skip out on in this review.
The best I can say for the main gameplay loop is that it is competent and entertaining for the time of the story.
Criticism
Maybe I am expecting too much, but I have multiple small problems with the game. The first one being that waves seem to be semi random. For example: Enemies have some variation at which place they spawn. And if they spawn at the wrong place, damage becomes unpreventable.
Additionally, the upgrade mechanics of the game are basic stat adjustments which feel somewhat lackluster. It is as if the game expects you to have some upgrades, but can not decide how much it expects you to have and which ones, which leads to some levels being cakewalks and others being insanely hard.
This is circumvented in the last 20 challenge levels, which lock your bought upgrades, and they are challenging and more fun because of that.
Then there is the story: it feels like a very basic hero villain story with Mesoamerican visual influences and a half-baked world. The story is not the focus of the game, and the story unlocks mostly do not feel worth it too. As you can invest currency into upgrades and the average player will not unlock everything, if not for achievements, it just feels like an in game currency sink for the sake of being one.
Maybe I am expecting too much of a modern arcade game, but in my mind the questions persists why I should play this on PC, if there is so much competition on PC?
I think this game has a very specific niche and if you are the target audience, Towaga could be something for you.
Great Visuals
While I am not sure about the purpose of the Mesoamerican theme beyond being a “gimmick”, the artistic quality is undeniable in the animations of the characters, enemies, and especially small cutscenes. Visually, Towaga Among Shadows does not need to hide behind big titles as they absolutely nailed the aesthetic and movement of everything, while keeping things visually very identifiable.
In my opinion, the game can be enjoyed for this artistic quality alone and is worth at least looking into it for this.
Conclusion
Towaga Among Shadows is a very visually appealing game with a competent gameplay loop. The game goes relatively consistent on sale for the price of less than a euro. And at that price point, if you are remotely interested in the game, it is worth testing out for yourself.
It will not be a great life experience, but it got me interested enough to at least play through it in one evening, and have a decent time.
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Disclosure: I received a free review copy of this product from
I spent 3.5 hours playing this game on stream and had a great time. It's a bullet-hell, Tower Defence type of game with special powers and different clothes that give you buffs. I finished both paths, but there was still a lot to discover. You can play this game with a friend as well. The game play is fast and fluid, and I really enjoyed the part where you had to fly around and leave the tower. All in all, this was a great game that was well worth the money. Anyway i would rate this game at least a 7-10.

great simple game with cool graphics and lot of content

a small and very simple game of shooting lightrays at an ongoing flock of beautiful crafted enemies. Your character just stands still and you shoot everything that moves.
It feels a bit dull in the beginning but there is certainly a addictive quality to this game.
If it's on sale? try it out, you might like this one.
If i would slap a rating on this game right now i would say about 6 out of 10 points.
SOMEWHAT RECOMMENDED!