| Majin and the Forsaken Kingdom | |
|---|---|
European box art |
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| Developer(s) | Game Republic |
| Publisher(s) | Namco Bandai Games |
| Director(s) | Yoshiki Okamoto Takashi Shono |
| Producer(s) | Daisuke Uchiyama |
| Designer(s) | Sosuke Honda |
| Writer(s) | Ryo Suzukaze |
| Composer(s) | Toshihiko Sahashi |
| Platform(s) | PlayStation 3, Xbox 360 |
| Release date(s) |
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| Genre(s) | Action-adventure, Puzzle |
| Mode(s) | Single-player |
| Rating(s) | |
Majin and the Forsaken Kingdom (魔人と失われた王国 Majin to Ushinawareta Ōkoku) is an action-adventure video game with puzzle elements, developed by Game Republic and published by Namco Bandai Games. It was released on November 23, 2010 in North America.[1]
Contents |
Majin's story is set in a once prosperous and fruitful kingdom, which is overtaken by a mysterious darkness and thrown into disarray. While many citizens attempted to explore and find out what's going on, they were never to be seen again, and the decay continued. To cleanse this forsaken kingdom of the darkness, a young thief, whom the Majin refers to as Tepeu, sets out to free the mythical Majin - an all-powerful and mystical beast, to reclaim its power and restore the land to its former glory.
The game is an action/platformer, with puzzle elements thrown in at different intervals. Players control Tepeu, while Majin is A.I. controlled. Though the player takes no direct control over Majin, they can give him commands, which are often used for solving puzzles or during combat.
As the game progresses, Majin will gain powers, such as the ability to produce electricity. These elements will be used both in combat and puzzle solving.
The game is intended to emphasize the differences in Majin and Tepeu. For example at certain points, the characters will be separated and Tepeu must dispatch enemies using stealth, as he does not have the strength Majin does.
The game was first announced during Namco Bandai's press briefing in Gamescom 2009 trade show.[2] Takahiro Sasanoi, director for Tekken 6, also served as the director for this game.[3] The original title was Majin: The Fallen Realm however, this was later changed during development.[2] Although the game shares many conceptual similarities with Team Ico's The Last Guardian, Namco Bandai states that Majin and the Forsaken Kingdom "was in development long before [The] Last Guardian was announced."[4] In March 2010, Namco Bandai confirmed the game for a western release.[5]
Game Informer awarded the game an 8.0, stating that it was a fun game with an enjoyable story, but felt that it didn't accomplish anything different in the genre. The review also stated that the graphics were not as crisp as they could be, and was particularly critical of the game's voice acting. GameSpot awarded the game 7.0 out of ten and said "Simplistic combat and tedious backtracking don't fully diminish the pleasures of this attractive and festive fable."[1]
X-Play gave the game a 2/5 stating that while there were "clever puzzles and level design" and that the "companion system works well" it ultimately suffered from "dreadful dialogue", "sloppy controls", and a "cliched story". [2]