The North American box art.
Majin and the Forsaken Kingdom (魔人と失われた王国 Majin to Ushinawareta Ōkoku) is an action-adventure puzzle game developed by Game Republic and published through Namco Bandai Games. A stand-alone project, the game was released for the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 consoles. Surprisingly, despite being a Japanese game, it was released in Japan at the latest. It was released in North America on November 23, 2010, in Australia on November 25, 2010, in Europe on November 26, 2010, and finally in its home region of Japan on January 20, 2011.
As Game Republic has become defunct, it is safe to assume the game will not produce any sequels.
Gameplay[]
The game is an action/platformer, with puzzle elements thrown in at different intervals. Players control the nameless thief (later given the name Tepeu by the Majin after his former friend), while the Majin, Teotl, is primarily A.I. controlled. Though the player takes no direct control over Teotl, they can give him commands, which are often used for solving puzzles or during combat. Pathfinding for Teotl is superb and few hang ups occur in-game. However Tepeu must not travel too far from Teotl or the Majin will cease all action and remain where he is until retrieved.
As the game progresses, Teotl will gain elemental powers, which consist of wind, electricity, fire and purification (which transforms darkness into crystal). These elemental powers not only come in handy during combat, but also must be used to solve various puzzles, and are the only way to damage the game's five bosses.
The game is intended to emphasize the differences in Tepeu and Teotl. For example at certain points, the characters will be separated and Tepeu must dispatch enemies using stealth, as he does not have the strength Teotl does. Tepeu in fact is incapable of permanently slaying a foe, as Teotl is needed to consume their "soul" and cause them to disintegrate.
Plot[]
The story begins 100 years after the world's great and prosperous kingdom, Q’umarkaj, fell into ruin as a mysterious "Darkness" overtook it, throwing not only the planet's inhabitants but also the very ecosystems themselves into chaotic disarray. Although numerous citizens tried to explore and figure out what has happened, not one of them ever returned, and the decay continued unabated.
Eventually, a nameless thief raised by animals and with the uncanny ability to speak to them chose to try and save the realm himself, knowing full well of the danger. To do this he sneaks in to Arkela Castle, and after losing his dagger inside a Soldier of Darkness proceeds to locate and free the kingdom's mythical Majin, a creature that was the centerpiece to keeping Q’umarkaj as prosperous as it had been. The Majin, normally an incredibly powerful and unique mystical beast, is discovered to have been greatly weakened and chained to the floor with a magical spike driven through his hand. The Majin insists that his powers have been sealed away in fruit across the land, located in places he himself is unable to get to. The thief chooses to find a nearby fruit and frees the Majin, claiming the magical spike as his new weapon. The two escape the castle and set out to restore the Majin, Teotl's powers in order to restore the realm to its former glory.
Reception[]
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."
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 "clichéd story".