News: Garden of Wandering Souls Demo Launches on Steam
Independent game development studio Arsanesia has launched the first playable demo for Garden of Wandering Souls during Steam Scream 4 Fest 2025. This unique tower defense game with roguelite elements explores what happens when souls become lost in the afterlife. Inspired by Indonesia's Borobudur Temple, the world's largest Buddhist temple, the game blends narrative depth with strategic gameplay. After death, wandering souls arrive in the “Garden,” a realm of purification overseen by Daimon Guardians. Chaos has erupted, birthing the “Deep Rift,” a dark force threatening eternal consumption of these souls. Players must build formations of Daimon Towers to purify souls and craft paths guiding them away from danger. The demo offers an introduction to these mechanics, featuring procedurally generated maps where players destroy obstacles with explosive orbs and expand the Garden using tile orbs for dynamic layouts each run.
Central to Garden of Wandering Souls are two innovative mechanics: path-building and puzzle-like tower attack patterns. Players design paths—straight lines, curves, loops, or custom patterns—to optimize soul guidance while maximizing tower exposure. Each tower boasts unique attack or effect ranges resembling intricate puzzles, demanding careful placement and synergy with paths for effective strategies. Roguelite progression ensures growing power; clearing waves unlocks new cards for towers or blessings, enhancing future attempts. Random card draws per turn add challenge—use, save up to three for later, or discard and purchase anew with gold from the card shop. Blessings provide permanent boosts per playthrough. Tower defense fans will appreciate arranging formations to counter corrupted souls, culminating in intense boss fights against powerful entities at wave ends. The game's fantasy genre tags, including strategy, puzzle, and roguelite, highlight its replayability and tactical depth on Windows and macOS via Steam.
The demo immerses players in one introduction stage across 10 waves, one boss encounter, seven tower cards, and two buff cards, providing ample opportunity to experiment with strategies. Available now on Steam, it encourages wishlisting the full game for release updates—date and price TBA. Developed by Arsanesia, an independent studio in Bandung meaning "island of happiness" from Sanskrit and Greek roots, founded in 2011. With over 14 titles like Project UNSEEK and Juki Warteg Mania, Arsanesia fosters joy and connection through gaming. This Indonesia-inspired title promises a haunting yet strategic experience for tower defense, horror, and puzzle enthusiasts during Steam Scream Fest.