Nodding Head Games has released the first gameplay trailer for their upcoming action-platformer, Raji: An Ancient Epic.
The game is inspired by Hindu and Balinese mythology, and follows the story of Raji, a young girl chosen by the gods to challenge the demon lord Mahabalasura. Raji will traverse grand, hand-painted environments and fight the demon legions that have invaded the human realm and kidnapped her little brother. You can watch the gameplay trailer above.
Here’s a rundown of the game:
Raji: An Ancient Epic is an action adventure game set in ancient India. Raji, a young girl is chosen by the gods, to stand against the demonic invasion of the human realm. Her destiny to rescue her younger brother and face the demon lord Mahabalasura.
—Key Features—
Breathtaking Hand Painted Environment
Hand Painted art style
Each and every corner of Raji: An Ancient Epic is hand painted, this utilizes the use of several softwares, dedication and countless hours. The environment is inspired by the medieval architecture of Rajasthan, which was the pinnacle of architectural achievement during the medieval era of India.
This inspired us and thus the art style naturally went down a route of hand painting each and every texture, which can be reflected in every pixel of the game. All thanks to our environment artist, since she comes with a Fine Art background and special expertise that suits the game.
Unique Character Artstyle
Reflecting Southeast Asia in an Indian game
Our character art style reflects inspiration from Southeast Asia, the art team went to Bali, Indonesia to study more about the mythology and the background of the island. The art team were heavily influenced by the demonic statues and sculptures that were later infused within the characters of the game.
A Story Of Siblings
A sister on a rescue mission, against all odds
Raji: An Ancient Epic takes you through an intense and emotional story of Raji, who is determined to find her brother and bring peace to the human realm. The story of Raji: An Ancient Epic is a witness of how Raji evolves through the atrocities of war and the loss of loved ones. She takes upon herself to find an end to this reckless war, which can only happen if she manages to break down the might and the stratagem devised by the great lord of demons, Mahabalasura.
Gritty and Fluid Combat
Choose your weapons and gods
The combat of the game offers a mix of fluidity in movement and attacks going against powerful and mystical enemies. The combat is empowering, making one feel like a demigod, but beware, her vulnerability as a human is never far away. The game offers you choices from various weapons as well as god powers gifted to Raji allowing for diversity and letting the player explore their own style of gameplay. Raji will also come across several demon types and subtypes, including mini bosses and epic boss battles.
Through the Ranks Of The Enemy
The bad and the ugly
All the demons in the game have their ranks among the army. While Raji can come across a demon from a specific race who gripped a stone mace, she might meet the same demon type later with full fledged armor and advanced weaponry. Not only that, one will come across well equipped demons, several subtypes with varying abilities and mini bosses that can be found lurking in the game.
Explore Ancient Forts and Solve Environment Puzzles
Forts and Fortresses, secret locations, puzzles and environment storytelling
The story of the game takes you through various levels which were inspired by gigantic forts of the medieval era, built by Rajput kings of Rajasthan. Not only that these forts allow for tightly packed arenas for combat they also take the player through the massive scale and breathtaking views the forts provide. The levels will also feature secret locations where one might wonder, what would they stumble upon… friend or foe, treasure or trap?
Each of the handcrafted levels will ask the player to surpass challenges one after another. Various “Mandala” puzzles play an important role in environment storytelling, these were designed to give the player a breather in-between the challenging combat. Certain level locations will be telling their own story, which is up to the players to decipher, our artists and level designer has made these locations keeping in mind the context of the level and the lore of the universe.
Myths and Culture
A grand game which inspires from Hindu and Bali mythology
The setting of the game allows us to seep in small fragments of Hindu and Bali mythology here and there. Various level locations, demons, bosses and characters will be representing distinctive features which draw inspiration from both Hindu and Bali mythology. The team at Nodding Heads Games wants the world to be a witness of the grandeur and bizarreness of a game coming from India, which has never been seen in the gaming industry to date.
Raji: An Ancient Epic will launch on Windows PC via Steam Q1 2020.
