Image credit: Rock Paper Shotgun/Acclaim Inc

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. 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. Though no fault of theirs, I kinda sucked at Talaka when I played it then, and the demo currently available during Steam Next Fest confirms I kinda suck at it now – though it's still colourful enough, and steeped in a folklore that games so rarely explore, that I'm going to keep an eye on it.

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…