You may have thought that you'd seen all there was to see in Nintendo's Nov. 9th Indie World showcase, but it turns out that the Japanese-language broadcast contained even more surprises — and they're coming to the west, too!

The Tower -To The Bottom- is a real-time roguelike deckbuilding survival adventure, coming to Switch and PC with the help of manga publisher SHUEISHA (One Piece, Bleach, Naruto, Death Note) and their new video game publishing arm.

The Tower to the Bottom
Image: Tasto Alpha

Here's the game spiel to give you an idea of what sets The Tower apart from other deckbuilding roguelikes:

Living atop a bizarre, shifting tower, a group of 20 lost children scrounge for survival. In hopes of finding precious bread, and in search of the rumored paradise at the bottom, they descend into the tower’s depths, two at a time. Choose two of the children, each with different starting cards and traits, battle the strange inhabitants of the tower, and uncover mysteries throughout branching paths in a real-time twist on deckbuilding roguelikes.

Draw from your deck with the ability to deal a new hand at any time, and unleash attacks and defensive moves in real time to skilfully counter and negate enemy effects. Contend with cards that flip thus altering their functions, either throwing a wrench in carefully-laid plans or providing a surprising new strategy. After each battle, choose the appropriate reward; adding one of the game’s 70 cards might help slay future foes, but bread can help feed the inhabitants back up top or heal the current adventuring party.

The Tower is being made by developer Tasto Alpha, with Tom Ikeda working as the Director and Game Designer. His past credits include Little King's Story (Lead Planner. Scenario Writer), Harvest Moon: Tree of Tranquility (Lead Planner, Scenario Writer), Black Bird, and Lollipop Chainsaw (Director).

The Tower -To The Bottom- will come out on the Nintendo Switch eShop on the 19th January, 2023, where it will cost $19.99.