Game: Talaka
Developer: Potato Kid
Publisher: Acclaim
Release: Coming soon
Demo: Free on Steam now
Platforms: PC (Steam)
Genre: 2D action roguelite
🎨 The Talaka demo is free on Steam right now. Steam Next Fest wrapped on October 26, but Potato Kid’s hand-painted roguelite demo is still available to download, including the Dendê Tree boss fight. The full game is coming soon from publisher Acclaim, with no release date announced yet.
🌿 Myths on the Edge of Erasure
The legends that once guarded Brazil’s lands are being erased from memory, and as they fade, they’ve lost themselves to a mysterious corruption. Now myths and beasts, and even the Orishas, are going rogue in fear of being forgotten.
Wield god-blessed weapons, hunt down corrupted legends, master their patterns, and fight alongside the Orishas to restore a mythology the world is forgetting.
Enemies don’t bleed. They burst into ink.
If you spent Steam Next Fest scrolling past a wall of samey store pages, developer Potato Kid has a pitch for you. Talaka is a fast-paced 2D side-scrolling action roguelite crafted with frame-by-frame, hand-painted watercolor animation, where every creature, character and environment is based on Brazilian mythology. It blends Dead Cells-style combat with a Hades-like run and storytelling structure, and it’s one we’ve had our eye on since we went hands-on with it at GDC 2026, where its expressive hand-drawn animation was the standout.
Every Biome Is a Living Painting
🌵 The Sertão
Brazil’s arid Northeastern dry lands, shifting from browns and yellows to a purple nightfall.
🐊 The Pantanal
The vast wetlands, painted in sweeping watercolor.
🏙️ São Paulo
The streets of Brazil’s biggest city, haunted by urban legends.
🌌 The Dark Orun
The dreamlike depths beyond the mortal world.
Every enemy is rooted in real Brazilian folklore, fauna and flora, from the Mapinguari and the Velho do Saco to the Labatut and the Bathroom Blonde, legends that have haunted the Brazilian imagination for centuries. An in-game bestiary tells the story behind each one. And because enemies burst into ink rather than blood, by the end of each battle, the screen is your own canvas.
Dead Cells Combat, Hades Runs
⚔️ 150+ Weapon and Skill Combinations
Dodge, parry and slash your way through corrupted spirits and twisted beasts in fluid, fast combat, building up to miniboss and boss encounters. Between runs, spend your earned Ashe on permanent upgrades to health, dodge, healing and more, and seek the blessings of Iemanjá, Ogum, Oba and Eshu to shape each run.
• Kill Streak: defeating enemies boosts your damage, but healing resets the streak.
• Brush of Kumbu: one stroke shatters the corruption shielding some enemies. Upgrade it alongside your weapons.
• Uncover Secrets: every room hides areas with rare items and untold stories.
• Two-way progression: some unlocks, like the Parry, trigger either by beating a level or by dying a set number of times, whichever comes first.
♿ Difficulty Your Way
Talaka analyzes how you play and suggests the ideal difficulty for your skill level. If you want full control, accessibility options are always available, including infinite health and one-hit kills. The developers recommend playing with a controller.
🛠️ A Demo That Keeps Improving
The demo launched on September 1 and has been updated twice since. The first update added aiming up and down with weapons like the bow and boomerang, and debuted an AI Director that paces enemy encounters. The Next Fest update introduced enemies more gradually, added weapon breakdowns on first pickup, and fixed over 100 bugs.
Talaka at a Glance
| Genre | 2D side-scrolling action roguelite |
| Inspirations | Dead Cells (combat) · Hades (runs and storytelling) |
| Setting | Brazilian mythology and folklore, with the Orishas |
| Release | Coming soon (free demo available now) |
| Platforms | PC (Steam) |
| Controller | Full controller support (recommended) |
| Languages | English · Portuguese (Brazil) |
| Features | Achievements · Steam Cloud · Family Sharing · Adjustable difficulty |
| Minimum PC | Windows 10 · 2.1 GHz dual-core · 4 GB RAM · Intel HD Graphics · 1 GB storage |
📅 Demo Out Now · Full Game Coming Soon
Try the free Talaka demo on Steam, and wishlist it to hear when the full game from Potato Kid and Acclaim launches.
For more gaming news and reviews, check out our reviews section.
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