A quick but decent entry in the shoot 'em up genre | Full Review - Towaga Among Shadows

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Set in a mysterious and dark Aztec-inspired world, Towaga: Among Shadows places players in the role of Chimu, a masked protagonist with supernatural powers, tasked with defending the sacred Temple of Towaga from relentless hordes of shadow creatures.

🟩Pros

+unique art style

+simple controls but a challenging gameplay

+controller support

+extra game modes like versus multiplayer

🟥Cons

-game is very short

-story feels underdeveloped

Towaga: Among Shadows is a  2D shoot 'em up game that blends dual/single stick shooting and tower defense elements. It was previously released for Switch, PC, Playstation, Apple Arcade, and has since made its way to mobile platforms (iOS, Android) with a recent release last June 15, 2023.

Towaga: Among Shadows literally shines in its breathtaking stylized cartoonish visuals. The game employs a unique art style that combines vibrant colors with silhouetted characters and backgrounds, creating a visually stunning experience reminiscent of cartoons like Samurai Jack and Star Wars Clone Wars (the 2D cartoons). Each level is uniquely designed, with details and colorful and sometimes blinding lighting effects (Photosensitive seizure warning) that enhance the juxtaposition of darkness and light, immersing players in a mystical world seemingly inspired by Aztec mythology.

The story revolves around Chimu, the last sole defender of his land, who utilizes his light powers to hold back hordes of darkness and cleanse five shrines from the evil entity known as Metnal. The story is told through cutscenes in-between levels and phases, and all the dialogue must be read. Given the exceptional caliber of art and presentation in this game, it feels unfortunate that the game didn’t have any voice-overs as icing on the cake.

However, the story is served more like an afterthought – with most of the elements hidden behind codex entries and not actually present in the actual gameplay, and the game could benefit from a more developed storyline or lore to enhance immersion and provide a stronger sense of purpose.

The gameplay in Towaga: Among Shadows offers a fresh take on the shoot 'em up genre. As Chimu, players must defend the Temple of Towaga by using their supernatural powers to shoot beams of light at shadow creatures and using abilities, one phase and level at a time. The feeling is literally like pointing a strong flashlight towards enemies for them to burn and die, and it’s visually satisfying to do.

The controls are simple and intuitive, with players rotating Chimu’s 360 degree aim around the temple using a circular touchpad and tapping the screen to unleash powerful attacks. Precise aiming and timing are crucial to success, as enemies become increasingly challenging with each level. It’s hard to control the accuracy of the beam at first, due to the nature of using touch controls, however in time, players will get used to it. Physical controllers like the Xbox or Playstation gamepads are supported however, which makes aiming a bit easier with the use of physical sticks.

The gameplay is composed of two main game modes that alternate with each other during the main story: Temple and Aerial. Temple mode is more of a tower defense format and is the harder one to do, as Chimu isn’t allowed to move around and must defend his position, and kill his enemies before it reaches him for damage. Aerial mode follows a more traditional twin-stick shooter layout, with Chimu being able to move around a predefined area for evading enemies.

In both modes, you can equip one ability out of a selection of six, and use it. Throughout each phase, you can accumulate shards that can be used to upgrade your “build” - such as upgrading your beam’s width, damage, your health points, and mana for abilities. Both modes are fun and provide enough variety for the entirety of the campaign.

Towaga: Among Shadows offers other game modes aside from progressing in the main story of over 70 levels. The main story is quite short, only around under four hours of play, but the game features endless game modes such as Survival consisting of both temple and aerial modes, and a player vs player multiplayer mode where you and up to three friends can battle it out in aerial mode, although it only supports gamepads.

Conclusion:

Towaga: Among Shadows is a quick but decent entry in the shoot 'em up genre, offering mesmerizing visuals, satisfying gameplay, and intuitive controls. The game's stunning art style, complemented by fluid animations and vibrant colors, creates a visually striking world. It is available for mobile devices at an affordable price of $3, which is in my opinion well worth the price.