RAJI: AN ANCIENT EPIC

The final boss in Raji is incredibly unbalanced compared to the rest of the game, but other than that this was a fun little escape. I've only a miniscule amount of knowledge about Hinduism, and I found the murals and tidbits about the different deities the most interesting feature. It's not forced upon you though, and the option to simply ignore all of it is there.

The Most epic aspect of this game is its Background MUSIC and ART Direction. I loved the rich Cultural Backdrop, Enchanting Landscapes, and the soothing Music.

This is the only positive (till now) I think of whenever it comes to game development in India. Game doesn't have to be AAA or have great graphics to make name for itself. It just needs to be enjoyable as simple as that. Even though it's not perfect game and it has some flaws, I love the initiative of them to go against what deluded MAJORITY OF INDIAN gaming audience wants and make something reasonable with good gameplay mechanic.

It's really strange how few games take place in ancient India with all this mythology legends and creatures... this game brings it very effectively... nice combat, quite challenging many times, really nice setup and music... really worth for 6-7 hours if you find it on discount

Epic or Undistinguished?
Inspired by the old God of War games, with emphasis on Hindu mythology. It seemed like a game that would appeal to some of my tastes. This indie effort is in some respects really impressive but in other areas it comes a little short. From my understanding, the game was made by a small team of industry talent on a modest budget which makes sense given the strengths and weaknesses of the game. I played on normal mode, but there's also easy, hard and one hit death difficulties.
Epic Graphics!
To start with the most obvious, the art direction is quite impressive in this game. There's always some beautiful vista to admire in each level, and the use of colour and shadows really pop at times. The dev team makes great use of the isometric perspective to achieve a sense of grand scale in locations. The various effects and environmental details are beautifully done and makes me appreciate how far game visuals have come.
Story
We follow Raji, a girl whose brother was kidnapped by demons. We must save him and stop the demon hordes, as the Gods guide us through our adventure.
The integration of Hindu mythology and Indian culture is the game's greatest strength. The stories and lore are intriguing, the way mythology and medieval architecture are weaved to the attractive visuals are memorable. Though I wish some of these stories were integrated to he main plot more. Take the legend of Garuda, that was a standout to me, I would have loved to meet this deity in actual play. It really feels like the game is barely scratching the surface of the mythos with its' short run time, but I don't think it is bad to want more.
Music and Sound
Not much to say here. Sound was pretty well done, weapons and elemental powers felt suitably punchy on attacks. Music didn't have anything that stood out too much to me but it was used appropriately based on situation, to set the mood accordingly. Appropriate instruments were used to represent Indian culture and it synced well with all aspects of the game.
Gameplay
Play consists primarily of combat and platforming, whereas puzzle solving and exploration make up the secondary elements of gameplay. While all things are done competently, none of the elements feel particularly exceptional in execution.
Combat
Combat consists of light and heavy attacks, alternating between them to land basic combos. When enemies are low on health a prompt will show up to execute them, this will restore health when performed.
To mix things up there's some fun environmental interaction that is mixed into the combat. You can bounce of walls and pillars to land some explosive aerial attacks, and there are poles which you can swing around to stun groups of enemies.
The game introduces three standard weapons; the Trishul trident, Sharanga Bow, and Nandaka and Srivatsa sword and shield.
The trident is our first and most well rounded weapon, it has solid range, damage and can be thrown as a projectile. It is a solid weapon to get the player acquainted with the game.
The bow comes next. It can be polarising at first. It is difficult to get accustomed to its' slow and demanding attacks, even more so when the ~third fight after its' introduction consists of quick enemies who gang up on you and stalk you, showcasing just how inept this weapon is at close quarters combat. Despite this, the bow seems to rack up the highest damage out of these three weapons so its' utility will depend on how capable you are of mixing it in during fights.
The sword and shield is perhaps the most powerful of these. This weapon has a greater emphasis on defence, thus it doesn't tear through enemies as quickly (but is no slouch either) but the shield helps deal with those pesky quick enemies who pummel you.
These three weapons offer distinct utilities and also feature an ultimate ability that can turn the tide of each battle.
There are also three elements granted through play that can be equipped on the weapons; lightning, fire and ice. These can be upgraded to provide differing effects during combos and will grant additional effects to the 3 weapons' ultimate abilities. These elements seem to differ, yet are in some ways too similar mechanically.
The attacks generally feel punchy but there's some issues the zoomed out isometric view causes with spatial awareness that makes landing attacks awkward, particularly if you're trying to aim with the bow, which has lock-on but this doesn't always kick in when you're trying to land split second attacks. The bow is the first instance where I realised how much I would like to have a parry ability in the game, which is sadly missing here.
I think the combat would have benefited if fights were zoomed in to help with landing combos, as well as with greater combat depth e.g. more combo strings to perform and a parry to avoid the repetitive use of the dodge button. Some enemies could also be mixed differently. Some fights were annoying with how certain enemies who throw a plethora of projectiles or ones who explode on top of you are paired in groups. Swapping between weapons in the middle of fights also felt clunky.
Platforming
Generally well done, though it must be noted that the dodge also functions as a jump, so each leap between platforms is done in a slightly awkward 'lock on' parkour. You will also do some pole climbing which require patient timing (no rushing!) and positioning à la the Tomb Raider games. Raji will reach out her hand to signal to the player that it's safe to jump from one pole to another, a smart bit of design that's appreciated.
There is infrequent issues that arise from the perspective again but it is mild.
Puzzles
Typically used to aid story telling through the environment and character revelations.
Most of them are assembling puzzles of rotating segments. They can be visually appealing (particularly the one that shows the environment reforming from rubble as it progresses) but are devoid of challenge. I appreciate how they're tied into the story but they grow dull from repetition of the same easy tasks.
Exploration
Very basic. It's when you take the second path that diverts from the main, you'll occasionally be met with a platforming challenge. When taking the alternate path you are rewarded with an "Orb of Favor" upgrade for your elemental magic.
Boss Fights
These weren't to my liking. The devs keep them varied but generally they seem too repetitive despite having multiple attack patterns.
The final boss was my least favourite part of the game. The execution was lacking. On controller he is frustrating to deal with and not fun to fight. Switch to mouse and keyboard however and you will notice that he becomes a pushover. The ability to keep your mouse pointer aimed at specific enemies when using the chakra weapon introduced late game, as well as having movement and evade mapped to WASD and Spacebar respectively kind of breaks the fight. Your experience with it will either way be a dissapointment regardless of input devices used.
Favored by the Gods?
I liked most of my time. I believe the developers did a decent job balancing most aspects, particularly with the scope of what it was. However I would love to see this world expanded on, with a more refined combat and puzzle solving, as well as greater variety to help keep me engaged throughout the whole run time.
Some polish would also go a long way to make the experience that much more positive.

Recommended, but barely. And only when the price is low.
Game is really short. Climax feels rushed. A lot of weapons and attacks feel useless because of animation lag. Enemy AI sometimes glitches out. Combat is fun when works but can often become a pain when some annoying enemies start showing up. Final boss is too frustrating on Easy. Overall, the game lacks QA and polish.
Inspirations from Prince of Persia is obvious. The fantastic art direction, mesmerising visuals, storytelling and a rather authentic depiction of Indian mythology are about the only reasons that make this game somewhat worthwhile.
We need more games based on similar themes and legends, because right now this is something of a rare gem.

A must have and must played Mythological game on Steam. Amazing graphics, level design, story telling, gameplay and above all, the music, mindblowing.
You will get to know a lot about Indian mythology and feel the essence of the Soul of Bharat.