One Boy and his…beast?
Majin and the Forsaken Kingdom is quite an interesting game. You play as Tepeu, a thief who rescues the creature known as Majin from a castle. Majin was a legend around 100 years ago but since has lost his powers and memory of what happened before. Darkness has engulfed the world and its up to the newly formed duo to bring an end to the evil that surrounds them…
Tepeu isn’t that strong, but the game focuses on teamwork for you to progress. You can order the Majin to attack enemies and even pull off team combos for maximum damage. Majin can also open doors, push over walls, heal each other, throw you and crouch to let you access hard to reach areas. The relationship between the two is engaging and enjoyable, although I personally feel the combat is the weakest aspect of the game. I would have rather the game focused more on puzzle solving than fighting, but then again…the platform mechanics are also fairly weak, yet despite these issues the game has a charm to it that cannot be denied.
You will either love or hate the Majin, his voice will divide players. I personally found it to be quite amusing, but know that it will irritate others. He’s also quite simple minded, but I wasn’t too keen on Tepeu as a character for some reason. I guess I would have preferred to have the option to play as the Majin, but such an option doesn’t exist.
The controls are a mixed bag; Tepeu is weak in combat but gets stronger through the course of the game, as does the Majin. There are times where the combat can be unfair and the Majin can be overwhelmed with enemies, but for the most part he can hold his own. The game puts a huge emphasis on working together to succeed and it works well for the most part.
The visuals are the weakest part of the game, sadly. Majin looks great, but the locations have plenty of average textures and the draw distance is pretty bad. Despite that, there is still something charming about the style of the game. Voice-acting will divide people, but the soundtrack is truly great and fits the theme of the adventure well.
The Verdict
Main and the Forsaken Kingdom is a pretty mixed game. The partnership between Tepeu and the Majin is great, but the combat and platforming lets it down. Despite that, there are some really enjoyable moments to be found, but you need to get through the rough sections to find it, but ultimately it’s worth it.
