Raji: An Ancient Epic

Raji: An Ancient Epic manages to bring a distinctly Indian perspective to a conventional action-adventure spectacle.

Starting at $6.24Buy now

Get on Steam

Get on PS Store

In "Raji: An Ancient Epic," a new war between demons and gods begins, and the main character, Raji, is chosen by the gods to be their champion. Raji must use her combat skills and the guidance of the gods to avenge their past defeat and save her brother, who has been kidnapped by the demon lord Mahabalasura. The game is set in ancient India and features intricate environments and epic battles based on Indian mythology.

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

Single-Player Play through the game's story or campaign solo

Reviews

79%

Audience ScoreBased on 2,640 reviews

story690 positive mentions

stability46 negative mentions

Stunning visuals and beautiful art style that captures Indian culture and mythology.
Engaging story with a unique narrative style, incorporating Hindu mythology and lore.
Smooth gameplay mechanics with a variety of weapons and combat options.

Combat can feel repetitive and lacks depth, often devolving into button-mashing.
The game is relatively short, with some players feeling the ending is abrupt and unsatisfying.
Camera angles can be frustrating, making platforming and combat challenging at times.

story
1,327 mentions
52 % positive mentions
45 % neutral mentions
3 % negative mentions
The story of *Raji: An Ancient Epic* is rooted in Hindu mythology, following the titular character's quest to rescue her brother from demons, narrated through beautifully crafted shadow puppetry and engaging visuals. While many players appreciate the cultural depth and artistic presentation, the narrative is often criticized for being simplistic, with an abrupt and unsatisfying ending that leaves some feeling that the story is incomplete. Overall, the game is praised for its unique storytelling approach, but it struggles with pacing and character development, leading to mixed feelings about its overall impact.
- “The story is well crafted, based on Hindu mythology.”
- “Loved the characters, props, and how it narrates the story as you cross each section.”
- “The story unfolds through beautifully narrated cutscenes and intricate shadow puppetry sequences that serve as a perfect storytelling medium.”
- “The story is awful, the gameplay is repetitive (platforming and combat again and again in predictable sequences), the dialogues are just bad and the background story is told by the worst exposition ever.”
- “The story was okay but because most of the narration and Raji's dialogue was something along the lines of 'I can do this', I felt like I was losing interest in the story as I was playing.”
- “The story is basic but it has a lot of insights into Hindu mythology.”
graphics
980 mentions
74 % positive mentions
26 % neutral mentions
0 % negative mentions
The graphics of *Raji: An Ancient Epic* have been widely praised for their stunning visuals and unique art style, which effectively showcase Indian mythology and culture. Many reviewers highlighted the game's beautiful environments, intricate artwork, and captivating animations, often comparing its aesthetic to traditional Indian art forms. However, some noted issues with graphical fidelity, such as low detail in certain assets and performance drops, which detracted from the overall experience.
- “Raji: an ancient epic is a breathtaking journey through rich mythology and stunning visuals that captivate from the very beginning.”
- “The visuals are stunning, the music is beautiful, and the gameplay is a lot of fun!”
- “The graphics are amazing: so much Indian lore and culture jam-packed in every frame!”
- “Bland combat, bad graphics, poor platforming.”
- “The games seems to have framerate related issues, graphical glitches and also gameplay related bugs that make some areas of the game really frustrating to deal with.”
- “The main thing anyone looking to purchase it should know is that it looks a lot better than it plays, and I don't just mean the visuals: the platforming and combat are all a spectacle to behold in trailers and gameplay footage, but actually playing it is very underwhelming.”
gameplay
698 mentions
39 % positive mentions
53 % neutral mentions
8 % negative mentions
The gameplay of *Raji: An Ancient Epic* is a mixed bag, praised for its beautiful visuals and engaging narrative but criticized for its clunky combat mechanics and repetitive gameplay. While the game offers a blend of platforming, combat, and puzzle-solving, many players found the combat to be simplistic and often devolving into button-mashing, detracting from the overall experience. Despite its shortcomings, the game is noted for its cultural representation and artistic style, making it a worthwhile experience for those interested in Indian mythology.
- “The gameplay in Raji is an engaging mix of platforming, combat, and puzzle-solving.”
- “Its stunning visuals, compelling narrative, and engaging gameplay make it a must-play for those who crave unique and culturally rich gaming experiences.”
- “The inclusion of divine weapons adds an exciting layer to the gameplay, with each weapon boasting unique powers and executions that make combat a thrilling spectacle.”
- “While Raji excels in its visuals and storytelling, its combat mechanics leave much to be desired and are easily the weakest part of the experience.”
- “The gameplay is absolutely tedious instead of being fun.”
- “Gameplay got repetitive and boring quite fast.”
music
556 mentions
63 % positive mentions
36 % neutral mentions
1 % negative mentions
The music in "Raji: An Ancient Epic" is widely praised for its mesmerizing quality, featuring a blend of traditional Indian instruments that enhances the game's atmosphere and storytelling. Reviewers highlight the soundtrack's ability to complement the stunning visuals and cultural themes, creating an immersive experience that draws players deeper into the game's world. While some noted occasional repetitiveness or mismatched tones during gameplay, the overall consensus is that the music is a standout feature, contributing significantly to the game's appeal.
- “One of the standout features of Raji is its music, which complements the visuals and storytelling perfectly.”
- “From soothing melodies to epic orchestrations, the soundtrack enhances the atmosphere and draws players deeper into the world of the game.”
- “The soundtrack, featuring traditional Indian instruments and melodies, sets the mood and elevates the emotional impact of the story.”
- “The music is my big complaint, because I keep hearing like ~8 second loops constantly and they drill into my head like a TV commercial in the most negative way possible.”
- “The death music is very annoying though.”
- “The battle music was underwhelming.”
atmosphere
63 mentions
67 % positive mentions
29 % neutral mentions
5 % negative mentions
The game's atmosphere is widely praised for its vibrant visuals, captivating music, and authentic Indian cultural elements, creating a rich and immersive experience. Players appreciate the lush environments and engaging soundtracks that enhance the storytelling, although some note that the combat mechanics and puzzle designs detract from the overall enjoyment. Overall, the atmosphere stands out as a significant strength, making it a compelling choice for those interested in mythology and exploration.
- “From soothing melodies to epic orchestrations, the soundtrack enhances the atmosphere and draws players deeper into the world of the game.”
- “The vibrant colors and the locations really give each area a unique atmosphere, and it is such a breath of fresh air to experience a game set in India as that is such an unexplored gold mine of a setting.”
- “The world is incredibly beautiful, as is the music and atmosphere of the game.”
- “The game's atmosphere, art style, and theme all create this wonderful mysterious element to it that begs for having secret bonus areas and stuff, but it feels like a missed opportunity by the devs.”
- “Short-ish, strange floaty combat, curious bugs, and absolutely oozing with atmosphere, art direction, and style.”
- “The brisk platforming segments are modest yet engaging enough for players to take in the atmosphere and occasional exposition, and the puzzles are also quite simplistic.”
stability
50 mentions
8 % positive mentions
0 % neutral mentions
92 % negative mentions
The game's stability is a mixed bag, with numerous players reporting frustrating glitches that hinder gameplay, such as issues with level selection, character controls, and voice line interruptions. While some users experienced minimal problems and found the game generally smooth, many highlighted the need for significant patches to address the frequent bugs that can make the experience feel nearly unplayable at times. Overall, the game shows promise but requires substantial improvements in stability to enhance the player experience.
- “This game is bug-free, well optimized, and offers smooth gameplay.”
- “The game sure is beautiful, looks great, and runs great.”
- “The game is buggy and not optimized.”
- “The game has good intentions but has too many glitches, especially during jump and grab actions while climbing.”
- “Really, some of those glitches made it absolutely near unplayable; if there were a neutral option instead of recommend versus not, I would have selected that.”
replayability
40 mentions
8 % positive mentions
55 % neutral mentions
38 % negative mentions
The game has been widely criticized for its lack of replayability, with many reviewers noting that it is short (approximately 4-5 hours) and offers little incentive to revisit once completed. Players suggest that the absence of features like New Game+ or additional difficulty levels significantly diminishes its replay value, making it more suitable for purchase during sales rather than at full price. Overall, the consensus is that the game lacks engaging mechanics that would encourage players to return.
- “But if a game is combat and platforming based, I definitely believe that the replay value can be increased a lot without any new game+ etc., just by having the gameplay be worth revisiting.”
- “Replayability factor is pretty decent.”
- “It's a little unfair to judge a game like this based on replay value because of how linear it is.”
- “Basically no replayability, so far as I can tell.”
- “The game is relatively short, which is fine, but the replayability is pretty much nonexistent.”
- “Raji – an ancient epic is a rather short game with no replay value.”
optimization
32 mentions
28 % positive mentions
56 % neutral mentions
16 % negative mentions
The game's optimization has received mixed reviews, with many players experiencing stuttering cutscenes and lag, particularly during certain gameplay moments. While some users reported smooth performance on lower-end machines without noticeable bugs, others highlighted significant performance issues and a lack of optimization for both keyboard/mouse and controller setups. Overall, there is a consensus that while the game runs adequately on most systems, there is considerable room for improvement in its optimization.
- “It did run smoothly though without any noticeable bugs.”
- “The gameplay was smooth and I didn't see any lag or bugs, and my PC is of medium performance from 2015.”
- “I really enjoyed and really appreciate the developer team because I played this on an i3 4th gen laptop; game performance was good (lagged during the cut scene).”
- “The game is buggy, not optimized.”
- “The game can be played on keyboard and mouse or controller, but it doesn't feel optimized for either.”
- “While the first level is enjoyable, the rest of the game is plagued with performance issues and incomprehensible design decisions.”
grinding
25 mentions
12 % positive mentions
8 % neutral mentions
80 % negative mentions
Players consistently find the grinding aspect of the game to be tedious and unengaging, particularly during boss battles, which feel like drawn-out tests of endurance rather than skill. Many reviewers noted that the lack of depth in combat and the absence of a lock-on function contribute to a frustrating experience, leading to a sense of boredom rather than enjoyment. Overall, the gameplay is described as overly easy yet grindy, making it feel more like a chore than a fun challenge.
- “Grinding can feel a bit repetitive at times, but it adds depth to the gameplay.”
- “The platforming elements keep the grind engaging and not overly tedious.”
- “You'll definitely need to invest some time into grinding to fully enjoy the game.”
- “Boss battles, in particular, suffer from a lack of depth, becoming tedious battles of attrition rather than engaging tests of skill.”
- “The game is insultingly easy, while simultaneously stretching each battle and making it grindy, which is the perfect recipe for being bored out of my mind.”
- “The gameplay is absolutely tedious instead of being fun.”
character development
23 mentions
26 % positive mentions
61 % neutral mentions
13 % negative mentions
Character development in the game is largely criticized for being minimal and linear, with many reviewers noting a lack of depth in the protagonist's journey and relationships, particularly with her brother. While the character designs, especially for the bosses, are praised, the overall narrative fails to provide substantial character growth, leaving players wanting more investment in the characters. Despite some positive comparisons to other narratives, the consensus is that the game does not prioritize character development effectively.
- “The art direction, character designs, and the various realms you explore all combine to create a visually stunning and culturally immersive experience.”
- “This game, the story of Raji, has a better arc and character development than Star Wars episodes 7-9 (I guess even an indie horror movie will outbeat those movies) but not necessarily a comment on the story arc of this game.”
- “[b]Character design[/b] - Raji is truly a worthy protagonist.”
- “The story itself is quite flat in my opinion, as I feel like the dev tries too hard to show you many different Indian gods on a very surface level, but doesn't spend enough time on the protagonist's character development and her relationship with her brother.”
- “There is no character development and just a few weapons you can upgrade a little.”
- “The story is very linear, there is hardly any character development.”
emotional
22 mentions
100 % positive mentions
0 % neutral mentions
0 % negative mentions
The emotional aspect of the game is highlighted through its heartfelt narrative, which follows a young girl's quest to rescue her brother from demonic forces, deeply resonating with players. The incorporation of traditional Indian music enhances the emotional experience, while cultural elements evoke a strong sense of connection and respect. Despite some criticisms regarding execution, many players find the story and its presentation to be touching and impactful, leading to a strong emotional attachment to the game.
- “Raji's narrative is a heartfelt tale of a young girl's journey to rescue her brother from the clutches of demonic forces.”
- “The soundtrack, featuring traditional Indian instruments and melodies, sets the mood and elevates the emotional impact of the story.”
- “Having followed the development of the game for about three years, I already formed an emotional attachment to the game - and I am enchanted that the final game exceeded my expectations in every respect.”
humor
2 mentions
100 % positive mentions
0 % neutral mentions
0 % negative mentions
The humor in the game is largely derived from the poor quality of Raji's voice acting, which many players find amusing, though it detracts from the overall experience of the story-driven gameplay.
monetization
2 mentions
0 % positive mentions
0 % neutral mentions
100 % negative mentions
The reviews do not provide any information regarding the monetization aspect of the game, focusing instead on the acrobatic combat mechanics.