Raji: An Ancient Epic Reviews
It has a strong story and is a good adventure game with decent combat but it does play it quite safe and never pushes outside of the safety zone.
My curiosity about Indian culture was rewarded by a fun title that mixes platform and hack and slash. There are several praises that the game deserves, such as simple controls, challenging combat filled with varied combos and an interesting plot. Even with technical problems and certain decisions that negatively interfere with gameplay, these flaws are not strong enough to overshadow the game's brilliance. Although short, Raji: An Ancient Epic manages to prove that Hindu mythology is a rich source of inspiration ready to be tapped by the gaming market.
Review in Portuguese | Read full review
For such a young studio, still finding its way in 2020’s complex gaming landscape, “Raji” is a strong foundation to build on.
More of a rough stone than a dazzling gem, Raji is glimmering with potential in lots of important ways and has some truly wonderful moments, but leaves something to be desired in terms of polish and consistency, especially where player movement is concerned. Overall this is a solid debut effort from a new developers and I suspect that the Steam version might be the one to play when it comes out later this year. Still, even with its flaws, Raji: An Ancient Epic offers a unique experience and a great story that are worth seeing, if you can get past the rough edges.
The lack of difficulty settings makes that a harder proposition, but I don’t want to dismiss the game outright simply because I didn’t have fun with the gameplay, when the core of the game is about celebrating a culture I’m not familiar with.
While not without its flaws, Raji: An Ancient Epic is a competent and enjoyable debut from Nodding Head Games that leans on some video game classics for its mechanics and combat but blends them with Hindu iconography and Balinese mythology to give it oodles of character.
Despite its inspirations and a cool setting, Raji does not live up to a great experience, with frustating segments and many bugs.
Review in Portuguese | Read full review
Overall, Raji: An Ancient Epic offers plenty of action and an interesting story in a sublimely beautiful world enriched by Indian and Balinese culture. It’s too bad the combat can be a bit repetitive and the camera gets in the way so much. Still, it is an enjoyable experience, even if it might not stand the test of time.
While certainly rough around the edges, Raji: An Ancient Epic is an earnest swing that shows a ton of heart and some great ideas.
Despite an unsatisfying conclusion, Raji: An Ancient Epic is a fun action-adventure game well worth looking into for anyone who wants an enjoyable story told alongside fast-paced combat or is interested in learning more about Hindu mythology.
Raji: An Ancient Epic delivers a fascinating depiction of Indian art and culture, but it disappoints due to unrefined and sometimes frustrating gameplay and to a bit too many bugs and performance problems.
Review in Italian | Read full review
Raji: An Ancient Epic is a game that aims to make known and disseminate Hindu and Balinese culture and mythology, and it does so with a story of struggles between gods and demons, and among them Raji, a young woman who only wants to save her brothers from the clutches of evil. Simple but enough to immerse ourselves in these stories of deities with beautiful art, and a soundtrack that knows how to accompany. India as we had not imagined it, the rest? Some simple platforms, some easy puzzles, and a correct hack & slash.
Review in Spanish | Read full review
Considering this is Nodding Heads Games first outing, I’m thoroughly impressed with the results. The combat is fun, the environments are gorgeous, and the mythos is a refreshing plunge into new territory.
It is truly exceptional that a small team has been able to develop a game like Raji, Nodding Head Games can be very proud of what they accomplished. Learning more about the Indian culture while playing a gorgeous game is rare and time well spent.
Overall, while I do wish the ending hadn’t disappointed me as much as it did, my time with Vishnu and Durga was full of character and charm, and my issues with the controls were minuscule. I learned about Hinduism and ancient India through a fictionalized, interactive tribute to the country’s culture and history, which was such a unique experience in an industry dominated by the United States, Western Europe, and Japan.
Despite the clunky combat, I can say without a doubt you can easily lose track of time while immersed in Raji: An Ancient Epic‘s pleasing aesthetics. As you explore its vibrant world, the spectacle and the splashes of Hindu legends and lore more than make up for the slightly sub-par skirmishes.
However, the gameplay is outdated, its worlds although impressive, they quickly prove to be uninspired and the story never reaches a satisfying ending.
Review in Greek | Read full review
aji: An Ancient Epic is a casual at the core of the game, with simplistic gameplay mechanisms, which in no way can support the "epic" adventure promised by its title.
Review in Greek | Read full review
The appeal of a beautiful environment and unique theme saves Raji: An Ancient Epic from being little more than a latent bore.