I had seen media coverage of Raji long before it was released and I had always been a bit intrigued. Once it finally did launch I was quite impressed by the mostly favorable reviews. Eventually I was able to pick it up on sale and recently had the chance to complete a playthrough. This action adventure game may not innovate much in terms of gameplay but instead it delivers a truly unique plot. The narrative is heavily steeped in Hindu lore; this is what really sets Raji apart from the multitude of brawlers that came before it.
In Raji you play as a young girl, by the same name, who is an orphaned circus performer along side with her brother. In the middle of one of your performances demons are unleashed. You get knocked out in the attack they end up carrying your brother away with them. It is up to you to track down your brother Gulu since you're the only family he has left. As you journey you'll have to overcome several different trials but, thankfully, the gods seem to be there to assist you in your efforts. As you progress you'll get to reflect on memories of your childhood and start to slowly learn more about the enemy's intentions for your brother.
Raji plays like a typical top-down action adventure game but adds a decent amount of variety to keep things interesting. In combat you start off with a spear and can choose between fast hits and slower more powerful attacks. A key thing that makes Raji's combat stand out is the way in which you can use your environment in fights. Raji can swing around poles to damage enemies in a wider radius or leap of walls to crash down on foes from above. She can also save up to three special attacks which if timed properly can damage many enemies at the same time. As you progress you'll unlock two more weapons that play quite differently.
On your journey you'll find orbs that will grant you elemental abilities; these can use to enhance your weapons. When you're not engaged in combat there is some easy platforming and a couple of simple puzzles to solve. Two of the repeating puzzles involve rotating tiles and totems to get all the pieces to line up to form an uniform image. These puzzles aren't there to provide any sort of challenge and instead are really just designed to trigger story beats at key moments. Additionally towards the end of each stage you can look at murals on the walls to learn about the legends of the various Hindu gods.
While I did enjoy my playthrough for the most part I really stuck around more to see how the story unfolded more than anything else. Raji's devotion to saving her brother is very admirable and gives good incentive to see the experience through to the end. It was fun to learn about all the different Hindu gods and even listen to them commentate to Raji's plight. The gameplay is more run of the mill for an action game but at least getting to see each new environment is a treat. I think most people will want to play Raji because it offers something outside of the same old re-used plot lines we're used to even if the combat mechanics seem all too familiar.