Raji: An Ancient Epic

Genre: Spectacle Fighter / 3D Platformer

Players: 1

.

Review:

Raji: An Ancient Epic is a Spectacle Fighter with strong Platforming elements, in some ways reminiscent of the Prince of Persia: Sands of Time series, and not just because of its Southern Asian locale and aesthetic. Players take the role of Raji, a young carnival acrobat whose brother Golu is kidnapped by demons. However Raji’s quest is one she unwittingly takes for more than just her family, as she has been selected by the Hindu gods to fight on their behalf.

While playing this game, I was at turns impressed and disappointed by the presentation. On the one hand, there are definitely areas in this game where the framerates noticeably take a hit, and they’re not all that fantastic to begin with. I also notice some shadow pop-in, and the environments can be repetitive to the point where it’s easy to get lost. What’s more, the entire game has the camera pulled extremely far back from the action, and it would have been nice to at least have the option to pull in for a closer view.

On the other hand, this game’s use of the Indian culture absolutely fills this game with a wonderful and unique flavor that sets it apart from just about everything else out there. It’s hard not to admire the wonderful architecture on display in the game or the unique way paper puppets and shadow puppets are used to convey story cutscenes, but what really makes this game something special is its sound, with some really nice traditional-style Indian music and very nicely voiced characters – both Raji herself, bemoaning her plight and reacting to the events that unfold, as well as the Hindu gods watching over her, both commenting on her actions to each other, as well as discussing their own past (in turn acting as a primer of sorts for those of us who don’t know the first thing about Hindu mythologies). If there is one highlight in this game, it is this facet of the presentation, and it makes the otherwise standard story of a young hero on a quest to save a kidnapped sibling feel like something special.

The Spectacle Fighter gameplay does a few interesting things too – namely, players are highly encouraged to incorporate their environment into their fighting, with attacks often strengthened by vaulting off of poles or wall jumping before delivering your blow. This helps to set the gameplay apart some from the countless other games in the genre, even if the combat in this game isn’t quite as strong as some of the other games in the genre on the Nintendo Switch like the Bayonetta games, Astral Chain, and Devil May Cry 3.

While the combat here is good, the platforming has issues. The fixed camera, and the fact that it’s so far from the action, means it’s often easy to miss jumps, or to line up acrobatic stunts wrong during combat. What’s more, the game doesn’t do its signposting well, and it’s easy to find yourself wondering if you took a wrong turn, or to simply go the direction the camera is pointing and hope for the best (which doesn’t always pan out)

Raji: An Ancient Epic does bring something unique and special to the genre, but more than anything what’s unique and special about it is its focus on a region and mythology we rarely see in videogames. When it comes to this, the game works very well. But when it comes to the gameplay, it has mixed results. The combat is good but not quite what it could be, and the platforming is flawed. Players looking for a good Action game steeped in a fascinating mythology should certainly give this game a look though, even with its flaws.

tl;dr – Raji: An Ancient Epic is a Spectacle Fighter with Platforming elements that is heavily steeped in Hindu culture, which turns out to be the game’s greatest strength. The combat here is pretty good too, but the platforming has multiple problems, and the choice to pull the camera so far away from the action only makes those problems worse. This is still a game well worth playing, but probably more for its unique presentation than its gameplay.

Grade: B-

.

This game has been nominated for one or more of eShopperReviews 2020 Game Awards:

Runner-Up: Best Voice Acting

^{You can support eShopperReviews on Patreon! Please click HERE to become a Sponsor!}