Majin and the Forsaken Kingdom is a "Buddy" game unlike any other. It stars Teotl (the Majin) and Tepeu (You, the Character). The Human Main Character was raised amongst the animals and was never given a name until he rescued Teotl the Majin from a Dark Castle. Given a mission by the animals, Tepeu the thief breaks into the Castle where The Darkness rules over his kingdom. His goal is to find the ancient Majin, a mythological creature capable of Banishing the Darkness.

Tepeu frees the Majin, Teotl, by pulling a Sharpened Spike from his arm. This spike becomes Tepeu's weapon against the Dark Hordes. While it does hurt the enemy a tiny, tiny bit, it is the Majin who will do most of the fighting. Your role in combat is to protect him from faster, more agile enemies and perform Combo Attacks with him once an enemy is struck enough and falls to the ground. Something akin to Wolverine's and Colossus' Fastball Special, these Combos usually entail the main character being thrown into the air to slam down (HARD) on an enemy or both Tepeu and Teotl hitting a downed foe at the same time.

Outside of Combat, Tepeu (the main character) uses his agility and smaller stature to climb to areas the Majin cannot reach or fit into spaces too small for him to enter. Usually this is done to open passages to allow access to the Majin, but it's also done to explore areas for things like Fruit and Memory Shards to power up the Majin and Restore his lost memory.

It's a mutually beneficial partnership between the two characters; one couldn't complete the Quest without the other. You are the brains and the agility. He is the brawn and the firepower. He heals you of the Darkness that invades your body when it is attacked (by literally EATING it); You Provide him with Green Fruits to increase his Stamina, Red Fruits to increase his Strength and several other Magical Fruits to give the Ability to Control Lightning, Fire and Wind. He commands the elements in Battle or uses them to solve various environmental puzzles; You Direct him When and Where to use these powers via the R1 and R2 buttons. You control ONLY Tepeu; Teotl can only be given commands. It's THIS dynamic that the whole game is built around. The R2 button, especially, makes this an Adventure game with Puzzle Elements rather than just a Combat game with a box to push here or a lever to pull there. Sometimes you hold R2 and Press the Square to get Teotl to Attack. Sometimes you press the same combo to get him to interact with the environment, as in pushing over a tower or breaking through a wall. The Triangle button makes him Follow you. The "X" makes him remain in place or Crouch to become a leg-up to a higher, formerly unreachable area. The R2 and L1 buttons together let out a Stunning Roar.

The Main Character can find Helms, Arm Guards and Armors that give him various bonuses. Fighting along side Majin also provides him with Blue Crystals that upgrade HIS strength and Stamina and Red Crystals that upgrade their Friendship Level. The more this goes up, the closer the pair gets, the more Teotl comments when you do something for him, they even do a "Happy Dance" together when passing particularly difficult sections of the game! Even more importantly, their Combos get more elaborate and stronger, Majin heals you faster or revives you from the Dead or Gains magic strength back quicker during extended fights.

The game is very colorful. The voices are mostly laughable but nothing too abrasive. Teotl sounds like a big, friendly oaf. The animals you encounter have voices that sound like Valley Girls, Average Dudes, Accountants and College Professors. It's weird but it takes nothing away from the game at all. If anything, they are good for a chuckle!

It's a definite good thing these animals HAVE their voices! The World is HUGE and without their direction, you WOULD get lost, and frequently do. Once you get used to the Map and understand the way in which the game gives you your clues, you'll find yourself getting lost less and less. Thankfully, the Map ALSO keeps track of all the items you need to find in an area and marks them off graphically once you do! INVALUABLE!

I hesistate the use the "Z" word to describe this game. I know it would over-excite one person here and, at the same time, turn others off. Ironically enough there IS a Princess trapped in Crystal in the Castle you need to break into to complete your quest. While this DOES make me want to refer to this game as: "The Legend of Teotl: A Tepeu to the Past" the game has much more of a combat element to it and the puzzles are designed around the TWO characters enough to make this NOT feel like a carbon copy!

It's a "Budget" game in some people's eyes due to the $39.99 price tag. I believe this was done to entice people into giving the game a chance --NOT-- because it is lacking in anything a full-priced game would offer. I've just reached the point in the game where I now command all three elements so the entire map is now able to be explored. This is kinda akin to getting Samus' Space Jump, for example; it provides the same kind of satisfied feeling. I am about 11 hours in and have killed Two of the Four "Generals" I need to beat before the path to the Dark Castle (Yes, it ends where it began!) opens up to me again. I estimate probably 4 hours or so more. 15 hours of gameplay for $39.99? There's NOTHING wrong with that!

How can you knock a game where it was the Developer's goal to make the player happy?! If you've got a spare $39.99 and a couple of hours to spend on a unique little adventure, I whole-heartedly recommend this game!

Is he carrying a bomb?

Hmm. I will give this game a second chance. I believe it might drop in price after december.

gamingeek said:

Is he carrying a bomb?

I thought he had stolen one of Steel's testicles.

"It's Okay Teotl you don't need your powers anymore!"

...and the credits roll on Majin and the Forsaken Kingdom!