“Gather around all you who would
listen …”
The legend is of high adventure, of
ancient evil and those who would serve it to plunge the world into darkness. But
to understand the tale now, one must return to a time not long before. Once a
series of dark spells were created to enslave the world, but before the spells
could be evoked, they were stolen and broken apart, and branded upon the souls
of the innocent. The lines of the spells took the form of markings on babies.
But as the spirit guide tells us,
“Men are mortal and time can be an enemy of fear. The families forgot what the
marks were for.” The evil that was once so pervasive slipped beyond the
memories of the people and were all but forgotten by most of the people of the
land. But not everyone forgot. An evil sect, known as the Kasai, waited for the
spells to be rediscovered.
And those bearing the marks upon
them, the tracings of the evil spells would soon be thrust into a journey to
discover the origins of the markings upon them.
Rau and his sister, Tati, use their unique combat
skills
to make short work of a would-be assailant
Rise of the Kasai is the
PlayStation2 release from SCEA and BottleRocket. It is the sequel to the 2002
critically acclaimed title, the Mark of Kri. The game bounces from a decade
before the time frame of The Mark of Kri, and then jumps 10 years beyond that
time.
As the tale opens Rau is dead, and
Kuzo is asked to visit the past to learn what befell the warrior. (Rau, for
those who did not play the original title, was the hero of The Mark of Kri.)
Three stories are intertwined – Tati (Rau’s sister), Griz and Baumusu. The game
begins with a voice (the Oracle) speaking of Rau’s death, and asking the spirit
guide, Kuzo, to go back into the past.
It begins 20 years before on a
journey undertaken by Baumusu and Griz. They find out that the Kasai have the
pieces of one spell almost assembled. The only thing missing is the mark upon a
young baby girl. The story then jumps ahead 20 years to Tati and Rau, entering a
city full of hostile forces, looking for an oracle to explain the mark upon
Tati’s back, and hoping for answers to the nightmares that are plaguing her.
Tati – don’t let that haunted but sweet visage
fool you, she is deadly …
Rise of the Kasai allows players to
choose which character to play at the start of each level. The second character
in the level assists and is CPU-controlled. The characters sometimes travel
together, but there are occasions when they separate and encounter different
obstacles. The game does have drops spread throughout the level in the form of
health boosts and healing pots, and there are also save points. There are
missions and side missions that can be accomplished, and each character comes
equipped with different weapons, which are applicable at different times.
For example, in the first level,
Baumusu (a barbarian) may be cutting through Kasai soldiers with ease with his
sword, but when you encounter the tentacled beast, that sword just does not
truly cut it (slight pun intended). The damage accrues at too long a pace, and
so you can hold down the R2 button (R1 is for blocking) and cycle to the other
weapons strapped to his back to select the one that will do bigger damage
faster.
Successful completion of the levels,
while accomplishing the tasks set before you, will unlock arenas.
… See!
The game’s camera is sluggish and
creates a few targeting problems. You can use the right analog stick to target
oncoming enemies, but that does not swing the camera. Instead, the right analog
sweeps across the enemies and assigns hot keys (the X, O, square and triangle
buttons) to them. You will automatically turn to face the enemy that corresponds
with the key you are hitting. It takes a little getting used to, but fortunately
the early levels are forgiving and allow players to get comfortable with the
control scheme before throwing bigger challenges at them.
The left analog stick controls where
your character is going, and you can swing the camera in behind him or her with
the L1 button. This can produce some minor frustration, which would be
compounded if the enemy AI were strong. As it is, instead of attacking en masse,
many of the enemies stand around and wait for their turn to be targeted. This
may be fine within the context of the mediocre targeting and camera controls,
but it hardly makes for immersive gameplay – which is somewhat sad. Why? Because
the game’s mysticism, and the story are rather intriguing, and the look of the
game is wonderfully stylish, though rather violent.
The load screens are water-colored
paintings, which fairly ooze with class and yet keep the mystical qualities of
the game intact. The animation is fluid, but as you fight you will knock the
armor off the enemies and then can slice them up, separating body parts, or
getting a blade temporarily stuck in their bodies, or even perform an amazing
acrobatic move and hear the snapping of vital bones.
The game’s sound is spot on with the
mood and theme of the game.
Rise of the Kasai has some problems,
notably in the AI of the game, but this is still a game that is intriguing and
amazing to look at – for the most part.
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Gameplay: 8.1
While there are a number of cutscenes, the stylized watercolor graphics and the
wonderful story make them enjoyable. The game does have some load times, but it
also has several save points throughout each level. Replayability relies on
gamers wishing to pursue the threads of other characters within each level, as
well as participating in the arena combat. The game’s puzzles are somewhat
simple in nature.
Graphics: 8.2
The game’s graphics are presented in a charming manner. Some of the environments
are redundant but the animation sparkles, and some of the moves (especially
Tati’s acrobatics) are amazing.
Sound: 8.4
The musical score really keeps the tone of the game, and the game’s voice acting
is solid. The effects are also nicely done.
Difficulty: Medium
The game does ramp up in difficulty as you progress, and the level challenges
add sparkle to the gameplay.
Concept: 8.3
The game maintains some of the feel and gameplay elements of The Mark of Kri,
but does a very nice job with working through the past history and updating the
story all within a 20-year span. The AI is a little suspect though that is to
allow players to take on hordes of enemies without having it handed to them.
Overall: 8.3
The combat is well realized with the only drawbacks coming with camera
perspectives, though you can learn to deal with that early in the game. Rise of
the Kasai has a compelling tale, revealed with wonderful graphics that walk from
remarkable watercolor screens to violent and bloody combat. This game may have a
few stumbles, but it is worth the journey.
