I keep embarrassing myself in front of the nature gods in handpainted 2D roguelike Talaka, whose colourful, combative demo is out now
One of the most memorable demos I played at Gamescom Latam 2026 was that of Talaka , a watercoloured 2D action-roguelike that - like many games at the São Paulo-based show – leaned deeply into Brazilian culture and mythology.
One of the most memorable demos I played at Gamescom Latam 2026 was that of Talaka , a watercoloured 2D action-roguelike that - like many games at the São Paulo-based show – leaned deeply into Brazilian culture and mythology.
The short version
- In this case, it's something of a side-scrolling Hades , with the permahorny Greek gods replaced by a playful pantheon of Orishas (vaguely human-shaped forces of nature) hailing from the Afro-Brazilian Candomblé religion.
- The Hades comparison isn't just me doing some divine typecasting: even with the different perspective, some light platforming, and the fact that Talaka herself is an isekai'd artist instead of a rogue demigod, the structure is the same.
- Pick a weapon, clear a room of lesser mythological minions, get chatted up by an upgrade-granting deity.
What happened
Not to also blame my tools, but I've maybe had trouble getting a feel for Talaka's movement and combat; it doesn't have the free-flowing immediacy of a Hades or a Dead Cells , with the platforming in particular being on the floaty side. For all the paint-sloshing visual flair of thwacking a baddie, there's also a sense that more could be done to give those strikes a tangible, weighty impact.
Why it matters
It's nothing that can't be polished or adjusted, mind, and the same goes for some of the demo's more cosmetic blemishes – English script typos, mainly.
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