Raji : An Ancient Epic (Demo) – First Impressions.

Of Gods And Monsters, Man And Myth

 

              Raji : An Ancient Epic, an upcoming isometric RPG from Nodding Heads Games, seems more of a love letter to environmental storytelling than anything else I could find closer resemblance to. And while the short yet fulfilling Demo I played did feel inspired, the care that has gone into making the world its own, organic entity is obvious right from the get go.

The Lighting Engine shines with each successive step into the core of Raji’s world.

 

The World of Raji

 

                 The premise of the game is quite close to home, “ Raji: An Ancient Epic is a video game set in ancient India. Chaos unfolds as demons invade the human realm, with ambitions to overthrow the mighty Gods themselves. Amidst this war, a girl is chosen. Her destiny, to rescue her younger brother and face the demon lord Mahabalasura. Blessed by the Gods, Raji sets on a journey. An adventure awaits. ”, is what curious onlookers are greeted to at the game’s official page. And the game pays close homage to these realms of design. It is, for all intents and purposes, a story rich action RPG, and the beginning moments unfold bit by bit even through the close confines of the Demo.

Bowing mountain peaks, dream of solace and a breeze.

At its heart, Raji is a story set in stone.

                 From the ambient sound, and beautiful classically inspired music playing across the sprawling overworld, to the often nostalgic art style of  both the titular protagonist and the enemy clusters, Raji is a children’s folktale come to life in absolutely brilliant manner. Even more so, considering how well the Unreal Engine 4 ties the world and its brutish denizens together. Of the levels themselves, I can simply praise the peculiar Rajasthani approach the design team seems to have taken. There is a regal air to the decadent architecture on display, however the slightly muddy textures and lack of proper Anti Aliasing options to choose from were the only compromises I felt genuinely disheartened for. However, the game kept me on a tight grip with the almost unending cluster spawns that brought out the full extent of the combat options given to players as the Demo progressed.

” Become the power that strikes from the Heavens.”

The architecture is sublime, and very nostalgic to behold, for good reason.

                 Nodding Heads Games have clearly devoted a substantial amount of time and resources behind making PvE interactions feel as fluid as it is eventful, and it shows in plenty. Consecutive mobs keep spawning on cue, as if waiting for the fallen to wither completely, leaving the lone aggressor prey for themselves. And the satisfaction from beheading a hulking Gadasura or impaling the imp-like, acid-spewing Tezabsura, in full slow-motion ‘Fatality’ fashion, is a thing of video game gold. Talking of the mobs themselves, the Demo presents two explicit members of Raji’s bestiary, and each has two variations of the usual mob, with the larger, frenzied, variants of the Gadasura being mini-bosses of sorts.

                 But, one might ask, wouldn’t the game be artificially difficult then, if there are mobs that keep spawning one after the other? Raji seems to be a difficult game, but the difficulty is very subjective, and more often than not it would be a test of a player’s patience as opposed to rampant button mashing. It is here, however, that I should point out another flaw in the Demo itself, that the Lock-On reticule doesn’t behave as it should normally, and that the default auto-targeting does not bring Raji’s player model face to face with the unit locked on to. This made for some frustrating moments as I initially launched myself into the game, but patience is key, and I soon understood how well the game felt once I’d overcome these little nuances.

Nothing a little overkill doesn’t fix

 

Closing Thoughts

 

                 The playable Demo for Raji : An Ancient Epic has all the markings of an experience set to enchant and entertain, and with a tentative release date of Q2-2019, the stage seems fairly set for an international success story of unprecedented scale. A parting thank you to Nodding Heads Games for allowing us to experience and accompany Raji on her road to glory, and much like the ghungroo that seem to reverb throughout this steadily unfolding world of Gods and Monsters, of Man and Myth, we patiently await what follows.

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More on the playable Demo for Raji : An Ancient Epic will be covered in the days to come, keep watching this space for more.

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Raji : An Ancient Epic is out on Kickstarter. Pledge to the game’s developers and witness the beauty of Raji unfold. Follow Nodding Heads Games and Raji at their Official Page, Facebook, Twitter, YouTube.