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Raji: An Ancient Epic

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Raji: An Ancient Epic
Developer(s)Nodding Heads Games
Publisher(s)Super.com
Designer(s)Avichal Singh[1]
Programmer(s)
  • Paras Chaudhary
  • Dipam Bora[1]
Artist(s)
  • Shruti Ghosh
  • Ian Maude
  • Shreyas Pai[2][1]
Composer(s)Linus Tzelos[1]
EngineUnreal Engine 4
Platform(s)
ReleaseNintendo Switch
18 August 2020
PS4, Windows, Xbox One
15 October 2020
Android, iOS
5 April 2023
Genre(s)Action-adventure
Mode(s)Single-player

Raji: An Ancient Epic is an action-adventure video game developed by Nodding Heads Games based in Pune, Maharashtra, India. It was first released as a timed exclusive for Nintendo Switch on 18 August 2020, and released on 15 October 2020 for Microsoft Windows via the Steam client and the Epic Games Store,[3] PlayStation 4, and Xbox One.[4]

On 16 April 2024 the game was released on the PlayStation Plus catalog in a new version for the PlayStation 5 which features graphic enhancements, raytracing, a Platinum Trophy and haptic feedback, lightbar and adaptive triggers for the DualSense Controller.[5]

The game incorporates Hindu mythology and takes inspiration from epics such as the Mahabharata and Ramayana. Graphically, the game is designed in the style of Pahari paintings, and the in-game architecture is modeled after that of medieval Rajasthan.[6]

Plot

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The story revolves around Raji, an orphaned circus performer. Her only family is her younger brother, Golu, a story teller. On the day of Raksha Bandhan, demons attack the carnival where the siblings work. As the demon army lays waste to the land, three of them abduct Golu. This forces Raji to go on a journey to get her brother back. Meanwhile, watching her are the deities, Goddess Durga and Lord Vishnu. Durga supports her young devotee while Vishnu has some doubts about her. Raji races through the Ruins, and upon reaching a temple of Durga, gets a divine trishula (trident) from her, which she uses to battle and kill the demons and save their captives while also unlocking traditional stories and her childhood memories.

The mastermind behind Golu's abduction and the demon invasion is revealed to be the demon lord Mahabalasura (lit. 'Mega-strength demon'). He was once one of the Mystics, knowledgeable people with great spiritual power, but was outcast for his arrogance. So, he did penance to please Lord Brahma, who granted him the boon of immortality and a powerful trishula. Using these gifts, he reunited his new people, the demons, and started spreading chaos and destruction on Earth. When Bhoomi Devi (Mother Earth) urged him to stop this, he killed her. This angered Lord Shiva, who imprisoned him. After years of captivity, Mahabalasura has returned for revenge.

Raji follows the demons who took Golu and many other children to the Fortress of Jaidhar. She is also gifted a divine bow by Lord Vishnu, who starts finding her capable. Upon reaching the fort, the demon Chieftain sends Golu to Mahabalasura via a magic portal before Raji can save him. As Raji kills the Chieftain, Golu reaches Mahabalsura's realm where the demon lord puts him under his control.

Raji is then sent to Hiranya Nagari (lit. 'Little gold village'), a heavenly and technologically advanced city of Lord Vishnu, which has been taken over by Rangda, a powerful demon queen, who has put the city's guards under her spell and poisoned its waters. Raji races through the city, killing Rangda's minions and repairing the damage she did. She is also gifted a divine sword and shield by the two deities watching her, while being haunted by horrifying visions of Golu. Raji finally vanquishes Rangda and then is taken on Mayura, a giant beautiful white peacock by a Mystic, to his land to stop Mahabalasura.

As she reaches the Land of the Mystics, Raji finds that many of them have been either killed or turned to stone by Mahabalasura. After fighting through the demon hordes and calming the Naga, the giant serpent demigod and guardian of the land, she finally confronts Mahabalasura. He forces the Mystic chief to give him an ancient scroll and escapes after attacking Raji and being wounded by her. Raji, near death, is revived by the Mystics and reunites with her brother. However, it is revealed that Mahabalasura wants to get revenge on the Gods for imprisoning him. His plan is to open the gates of heaven, allowing him to invade the realm of the Gods and destroy them. The scroll he took from the Mystic chief contained the incantation to open the gates. Raji has been chosen as the warrior who will destroy him and restore the cosmic balance. So, she continues her journey, leaving Golu with the Mystics.

Raji reaches the Thar Desert, where Mahabalasura has gone to set his plans in motion. She also receives the Sudarshan Chakra, Lord Vishnu's most powerful weapon. Racing through the desert and killing demons, Raji finally faces Mahabalasura using the Chakra. Almost defeated, he tricks Raji by distracting her with several clones of himself. While Raji fights the clones, the demon lord is joined by Golu who, still under his control, recites the chant and opens the gate. (It can be implied that the reason why Golu was abducted was because the chant required a person of pure heart to work, as the two deities once stated.) Now, with his plans successful, Mahabalasura proceeds to assault the Gods' realm, leaving Golu to be once again reunited with Raji, as the fate of both the Gods and humanity is left ambiguous.

Development

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Raji: An Ancient Epic is the first game developed by Nodding Heads Games based in Pune, Maharashtra, India. The game was developed by a team of thirteen people.[7] A six-man team at Nodding Heads Games began development on Raji: An Ancient Epic in January 2017.[8][9] The developers cited Bastion and Journey as being major influences on the game, and God of War, Ico, Brothers: A Tale of Two Sons, and Dark Souls as other influences.[10][11] Nodding Heads Games attempted to secure funding for the game through Kickstarter with a funding goal of £120,000 in 2017. The campaign raised over £66,000 but fell short of its funding goal.[12][13] A twenty-minute demo of the game was made available as a free download on 8 November 2017 alongside the Kickstarter, and was also playable at the Indian Games Expo 2017 and the 2017 Nasscom Game Developer Conference.[14]

Despite securing funding through the Unreal Dev Grants program, a $5 million fund supporting developers working with Unreal Engine 4, developer Shruti Ghosh had to sell her apartment to sustain the team until they found a publisher.[15]

Raji was included in the Square Enix Collective in October 2017.[16] The game was developed for Microsoft Windows. Nodding Heads Games co-founder and lead designer Avichal Singh stated in November 2017 that they also planned to release the game on consoles. He stated that they had begun "the dev kit conversation" with Microsoft but had not yet approached Sony or Nintendo. He added, "It's a matter of constraints we follow to make sure the game is running on these platforms because they have technical constraints. As long as they can keep to that we will be good. Unreal Engine 4 makes life a bit easier. You have direct porting options as well."[17]

Nodding Heads Games announced a partnership with game publisher Super.com in March 2019.[18] The game was demoed at the annual India Game Developer Conference in Hyderabad, Telangana, in October 2019.[7] A new demo of the game was made available through Steam on 23 March 2020.[19] An Xbox One demo of the game was released in July 2020 as part of the Xbox Summer Game Fest.[20]

Developer Shruti Ghosh told IGN India in April 2021 that Nodding Heads Games had to make several cuts to Raji due to time and budget constraints, and difficulty finding a publisher. The game had originally planned to have completely 3D cutscenes but due to the amount of time required, only a few 3D cutscenes were included in the final game and the rest were made in 2D shadow puppet style. Ghosh felt that 3D cutscenes would have created a more immersive experience and "the player would actually feel a lot more emotion and can be a part of the character's journey." She also noted that a few "good puzzles" were removed and other changes were made to gameplay due to the constraints.[21]

Release

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The game was released for Nintendo Switch as a timed exclusive on 18 August 2020.[22] It was released on 15 October 2020 for Microsoft Windows via the Steam client and the Epic Games Store, PlayStation 4, and Xbox One.[23] A DRM-free version of the game was released on GOG.com on 22 March 2021.[24] Raji was added to Xbox Game Pass on 22 July 2021.[25] The game was localized for the Japanese market by Teyon Japan and released for PlayStation 4 and Nintendo Switch on 5 August 2021.[26] Netflix released it on iOS and Android on 5 April 2023.[27]

In March 2021, Nodding Head Games announced plans for updates to the game including Hindi voice-overs, RTX support, Wallpaper Engine, and enhancements to gameplay.[28][29] Raji: An Ancient Epic Enhanced Edition was released as a free upgrade[30][31] on 20 July 2022 for Xbox Game Pass and PlayStation 4, and 28 July 2022 for Nintendo Switch.[32] Apart from previously announced features, the Enhanced Edition also includes visual tweaks, rebalanced combat, bug fixes and new game modes. The new Story mode makes Raji invincible, and the One Shot One Kill mode kills the player with a single hit.[32]

Reception

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On the review aggregator Metacritic, Raji: An Ancient Epic received mixed reviews.[33][34][35] Adesh Thapliyal, writing for Waypoint, commended the game's "feminist" recasting of Hindu myths but criticized the implicit erasure of Muslim influence on the Indian culture represented in the game. Thapliyal placed the game's cultural depictions within the context of Hindutva/Hindu nationalism.[36] Akhil Arora, writing for Gadgets360, praised the game for its lovely background score, sound design, visual influences and detail, narrative threading of Indian mythology and feminist fable[37]

Awards

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It was nominated for best debut game at The Game Awards 2020 but lost to Phasmophobia. This was the first time that an Indian game had been nominated for an award at that show.[38][39]

Award Date of ceremony Category Result Ref.
The Game Awards 2020 December 10, 2020 Best Debut Game Nominated [40]
MIX Live 2020 December 24, 2020 Best of MIX Live Won [41]
Taipei Game Awards 2021 January 28, 2021 Grand Prix Won [42]
Winners Circle Awards Won [42]
Pégases 2021 [fr] March 17, 2021 Best International Indie Game Nominated [43]
SXSW 2021 March 20, 2021 Indie Game of the Year Nominated [44]

References

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  1. ^ a b c d "Press Kit". Raji The Game. Archived from the original on 11 August 2020. Retrieved 9 August 2020.
  2. ^ "Team". noddingheadsgames. Retrieved 30 October 2020.
  3. ^ "Raji: An Ancient Epic on Steam". Steam. Retrieved 9 August 2020.
  4. ^ "5 Upcoming Xbox One Games To Keep On Your Radar". GameSpot. Retrieved 9 August 2020.
  5. ^ "Raji: An Ancient Epic on X". X. Retrieved 11 April 2024.
  6. ^ "Raji: An Ancient Epic".
  7. ^ a b "Raji: An Ancient Epic – Enter the Realm of Indian Mythology". Substance 3D - Magazine. 2 July 2020. Retrieved 9 August 2020.
  8. ^ "'Raji: An Ancient Epic' by Nodding Heads Games is set to usher in fresh Indian flavours". AnimationXpress. 2 February 2017. Retrieved 9 August 2020.
  9. ^ Suckley, Matt (17 November 2017). "Indie developers in India are channeling their history into exciting new games". PC Gamer. Retrieved 9 August 2020.
  10. ^ "Raji: An Ancient Epic channels Hindu mythology for a change". Destructoid. 9 December 2017. Retrieved 9 August 2020.
  11. ^ Nellore, Sujayendra Krishna. "An Interview With The Makers Of Raji: An Ancient Epic". www.stumagz.com. Retrieved 9 August 2020.
  12. ^ Evans-Thirlwell, Edwin (29 November 2017). "Raji and the rise of Indian gamedev". Eurogamer. Retrieved 9 August 2020.
  13. ^ "Raji: An Ancient Epic - Action Adventure in Ancient India (Canceled)". Kickstarter. Retrieved 9 August 2020.
  14. ^ Wood, Austin (30 November 2017). "Try the demo for mythological action RPG Raji: An Ancient Epic". PC Gamer. Retrieved 9 August 2020.
  15. ^ "Raji: An Ancient Epic – The story behind the 'Made in India' game everyone is waiting for". The Indian Express. 14 October 2020. Retrieved 30 October 2020.
  16. ^ "Raji: An Ancient Epic is an Action-Adventure Game Set in Ancient India and That Has a New Gameplay Trailer". DualShockers. 9 October 2017. Retrieved 9 August 2020.
  17. ^ "How God of War Influenced India's Raji: An Ancient Epic". NDTV Gadgets 360. 29 November 2017. Retrieved 9 August 2020.
  18. ^ Garst, Aron (25 March 2019). "'Raji: An Ancient Epic' Mixes Tight Combat, Gorgeous Visuals and Indian Culture". Variety. Retrieved 9 August 2020.
  19. ^ "Raji: An Ancient Epic - Play our new demo with the Steam Game Festival!". Steam News. 18 March 2020. Retrieved 9 August 2020.
  20. ^ "Ancient India Based Action-Adventure Game RAJI: AN ANCIENT EPIC Releases Demo On Xbox One". GameTyrant. 23 July 2020. Retrieved 9 August 2020.
  21. ^ Alwani, Rishi (21 April 2021). "Raji: An Ancient Epic - What's Missing from the Final Release and What Won't Be from Nodding Heads' Next Game". IGN India. Retrieved 23 October 2021.
  22. ^ 18 August 2020, Austin Wood (18 August 2020). "All the Switch games that got a surprise release today". gamesradar. Retrieved 26 August 2020.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  23. ^ @rajithegame (15 October 2020). "Register" (Tweet). Retrieved 14 August 2023 – via Twitter.
  24. ^ "Release: Raji: An Ancient Epic". GOG.com. 22 March 2021. Retrieved 27 March 2021.
  25. ^ "This Is the First Made-in-India Game on Xbox Game Pass". IGN India. 20 July 2021. Retrieved 3 September 2021.
  26. ^ "Ravi: An Ancient Epic Coming to Japan, Localization by Teyon Japan - TheFamicast.com: Japan-based Nintendo Podcasts, Videos & Reviews!". The Famicast. Retrieved 3 September 2021.
  27. ^ Soto, Fran (5 April 2023). "Raji: An Ancient Epic Carves its Way to Netflix". Hardcore Gamer. Retrieved 24 July 2023.
  28. ^ "Raji: An Ancient Epic Hindi Voiceovers Announced, GOG Version Released". IGN India. 25 March 2021. Retrieved 27 March 2021.
  29. ^ "Raji: An Ancient Epic PC RTX Support On the Way, Nodding Heads' Next Game to Focus on Indian Mythology and Culture". IGN India. 3 March 2021. Retrieved 27 March 2021.
  30. ^ Harris, Kieran (27 July 2021). "An Enhanced Edition of Raji: An Ancient Epic is coming in Q4 2021". Gamereactor UK. Retrieved 23 October 2021.
  31. ^ "Raji: An Ancient Epic Enhanced Edition Coming As A Free Update To Switch". Nintendo Life. 26 July 2021. Retrieved 23 October 2021.
  32. ^ a b "Raji: An Ancient Epic Enhanced Edition out now on PlayStation and Xbox". Eurogamer.net. 21 July 2022. Retrieved 22 December 2022.
  33. ^ "Raji: An Ancient Epic for Switch Reviews". Metacritic. Retrieved 10 September 2020.
  34. ^ "Raji: An Ancient Epic". Metacritic. Retrieved 22 December 2022.
  35. ^ "Raji: An Ancient Epic for Xbox One Reviews". Metacritic. Retrieved 18 November 2020.
  36. ^ Thapliyal, Adesh (27 October 2020). "How 'Raji: An Ancient Epic' Falls into the Indian Far-Right's Trap". Waypoint. Retrieved 23 December 2021.
  37. ^ Arora, Akhil (28 August 2020). "Raji: An Ancient Epic Review". Gadgets360. Retrieved 13 May 2024.
  38. ^ "India's First Game Awards Nominee, Raji: An Ancient Epic, Can Mature Our Gaming Industry". News18. 11 December 2020.
  39. ^ "The Game Awards 2020: Indian game 'Raji' nominated for best debut game". Firstpost. 20 November 2020.
  40. ^ Parthsarthy, Shwetang (19 November 2020). "The Game Awards: Ghost of Tsushima, Animal Crossing, TLOU 2 and More Nominated for GOTY". Essentiallysports. Archived from the original on 19 November 2020. Retrieved 19 November 2020.
  41. ^ "The MIX LIVE Showcase". The MIX. Archived from the original on 20 April 2021. Retrieved 8 April 2021.
  42. ^ a b Show, 台北國際電玩展 Taipei Game. "Indie Game Award Winners | Taipei Game Show". 台北國際電玩展 Taipei Game Show. Retrieved 8 April 2021.
  43. ^ Pegases 2021. "académie des arts et techniques du jeu vidéo". soumission-pegases.academiejeuvideo.org (in French). Retrieved 8 April 2021.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  44. ^ "Gaming Awards | SXSW Conference & Festivals". SXSW. Retrieved 8 April 2021.
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