Rise of the Kasai is a game that some will recognize and others won’t. The Mark of Kri which was released a few years back told the story of Rau Utu who heroically battled the Kasai. In Rise of the Kasai, we are presented with a prequel and a sequel. The whole game spends its time jumping through 20 years of the Raku family’s history. The game starts out in the past, but jumps forward and back again. This can be a difficult trail to follow, but its engaging story, imaginative visuals and innovative gameplay ideas present a unique gameplay experience that still doesn’t reach its prime by the end of the game.
The plot this time revolves yet again around the Mark of Kri, a tattoo that was placed among specific people. It is a tattoo that contains mysterious powers of evil, powers that the Kasai will do anything to get their hands on. It just so happens, one of the main characters, Tati, carries the cursed mark. The game features four playable characters, Rau, Tati, Baumusu and Griz, all of whom have their own special abilities, weapons and uses. Those familiar with the original game will be right at home with the game’s quirky control scheme. For others, it takes a bit of explaining.
The standout feature of The Mark of Kri was its unique control setup. Instead of randomly jumping into a brawl with ten enemies with absolutely no idea of what you are doing, the game makes you use the right analog stick to target your enemies and they are each assigned a button on your controller. At this point, you attack each enemy that corresponds to the button symbol tagged to them. This allows you to fluidly attack one enemy, cover your back and perform some interesting combos. Its one of the best ideas to come out of the current console generation and its nice to see that the formula hasn’t been altered much from the original.
The game gives you the option of utilizing stealth or the simple hacking and slash type gameplay we have all become used to. It all depends on the preference of the player but I found that while straight up action was more enjoyable, the stealth elements have their perks too. Not only can you sneak up on an enemy and perform a special kill, but you can even perform a dual stealth attack and take on more than one enemy from behind. The familiar wall hug is present here as well.
For those who enjoy the chaos of simply running into the heat of battle, there is plenty to like here. Each character has a diverse set of weapons that vary in speed, power and effectiveness. Bows, swords, maces and staves make up the arsenal along with a few others. If you want to know how well you are doing with a particular weapon, well take a look at how fast you are hacking off limbs. That always works, doesn’t it?
Another feature that The Mark of Kri introduced was the ability to use Rau’s spirit guide (bird) Kuzo as a way of scouting the areas ahead of you. Rise of the Kasai once again uses this ability and it can be a large help if you happen to be stuck in a particular area or if you just want to plan your strategy ahead of time.
The game’s action is fluid and enjoyable. Sometimes things can become pretty difficult but there are always enough save points to keep you sane. The one annoying aspect of the gameplay that has me a bit puzzled was the feedback that your get if you hit your sword or weapon against a solid surface. While I can see it to be used to make the game more challenging, this happens far too many times and often under unnecessary circumstances. Because of some close quarters battles, you will be hitting the surfaces far too often. Its not a major detriment to gameplay, its simply annoying. Lastly, the option to choose either stealth or heavy combat is often a little too loose. It would have been nice to see the stealth moves required in some instances to push a little variety on the player, but its never really enforced.
As far as its aesthetics go, Rise of the Kasai doesn’t disappoint. There’s no use in comparing the game to God of War because frankly, Kasai is a whole different monster. Fluidly animated characters, beautifully animated cinematic and imaginative environments make Kasai a very nice game to look like. The Mark of Kri was often referred to as a twisted Disney cartoon, and that is a pretty valid statement considering the body parts that tend to fly in any which direction. Musically, Kasai stands out with its heavy drum influenced score and comfortable narration that helps us be immersed in the world of the characters. Presentation is one area where Kasai lacks nothing, it does what its good at, and it shows.
For an action game of this nature Rise of The Kasai will last a pretty long time. Its worth playing through and for those who want something a little out of the ordinary, this is definitely worth a purchase. One could say that its gameplay ideas aren’t particularly innovative anymore, but let’s be honest: Rise of the Kasai is a second chance for a series that not many people have yet to experience. It’s still an undiscovered gem.
