Genre: Action
Publisher: SCEA
Developer: Bottlerocket Entertainment
Release Date: April 5, 2005

Buy 'RISE OF THE KASAI': PlayStation 2

Rise of the Kasai is the highly anticipated sequel to The Mark of Kri, a PS2 game released a few years ago to good reviews. Having never played the original game, I went in to Rise of the Kasai expecting something incredible. After all, it's been in development for quite a while, and the developers must have read the reviews of the previous game and nailed everything that was missed last time around. Rise of the Kasai ended up being an enjoyable title, but it's obvious that extra work was needed in a few key areas.

One of the most incredible aspects of the game is the presentation. Cut scenes and transitions are done in a stylish, animated fashion, which reminded me of a living canvas. The way things moved and looked as they were drawn on the screen was mesmerizing, and it is certainly one of the most original and inventive methods of presentation that I've ever seen. The story revolves around the events of The Mark of Kri, but the story of its sequel does a fair job of filling in the blanks. Rise of the Kasai begins 10 years prior to the events of the first game, and ends 10 years after. The player can control a total of four different characters over this period of time, with two characters available in the pre-Kri section and two available in the post-Kri section.

Rise of the Kasai isn't a particularly long adventure, but the storyline, if it hooks you, will make you want to play to the very end. It can be confusing at first, but towards the end when things really come together, it turns into a rewarding and satisfying experience. It involves the Mark that appears on certain people, and an evil group called the Kasai that wants to make use of the powers that belong to these people with the Mark. It's an engaging tale, not incredibly original, but well told nonetheless.

At the start of each level, the player is presented with a choice of which character to control. The other character comes along as your AI-controlled sidekick. I found that no matter which was one chosen, the styles of battle and the way the enemies met their doom was almost exactly the same. The characters each have several different weapons, including a ranged weapon, but the only difference is really the speed and area of attack. Even these aren't too different, and I found myself sticking with the same weapon for most of each level. The right analog stick is used to send out a "focus bar" that sweeps across the enemies and assigns each one a button. The focus bar looks like a red beam of light, and it gets a bit tedious to have to flick the right analog stick every time you come upon a new group of enemies. It's not necessary to use the focus bar, but it does help make combat manageable. Once you do so, combat is a breeze. By pressing the button appearing over the enemy's head, you attack that enemy. If you're surrounded, it's easy to attack the enemy you want by pressing the corresponding button.

Combat is beyond visceral. Heads roll, bodies get cleaved in half, and enemies gurgle and scream in pain. It's not incredibly bloody, but the level of violence can't be denied. There are combos that can be pulled off, allowing you to eliminate your enemies in several interesting ways. Most of the time, combat just degenerates into a routine: sweep the focus bar, rush into the group of enemies, and press the corresponding buttons until they're all dead. The game is pretty easy, not requiring an incredible amount of strategy to overcome each section. There are times when stealth is in order to avoid getting spotted and having a slew of enemies come at you, but even if you are spotted, it's not hard to fight it out. If you do get into trouble, you can always rely on your helpful AI-controlled sidekick to lend a hand, right?

Well, unfortunately that's not how it always works. The AI in Rise of the Kasai can be succinctly described as mediocre. Your partner doesn't always perform as needed, sometimes standing and staring off into space, or running ahead and alerting everyone to your presence. Occasionally, they won't follow you where you need them to go, instead getting stuck somewhere or just not moving at all. The enemies don't fare much better; it's easy to sneak up on them and hack away, while their companions sit idly by. It's unfortunate that the AI-controlled partners don't play a larger and more integral role in the game, as it could've been so much better, but as it stands, I would often just ignore them altogether, choosing to do what I could on my own. While they do well in combat most of the time, sparing you from having to eliminate everything yourself, it's best not to rely on them too heavily, as you might end up being disappointed with their performance later on.

Graphically, the game is a mixed bag. The animated sequences that use the "living canvas" style are gorgeous; I could probably watch those over and over again and never once get tired of them. They just ooze style and do an incredible job of telling the story. The in-game graphics are also well done, colorful, and stylish, but the models aren't particularly detailed, and some of the textures are kind of bland. The game moves smoothly and the animations and death sequences are quite cool.

The auditory aspect of Rise of the Kasai is done really well. The game is narrated by two different characters (not controlled by the player) in the story, and the voiceovers sound great. The developers obviously got some good voice actors to work on this game, and while this is one area that a lot of games are content to let slide or just neglect altogether, it's a focal point here. Combat sounds suitably violent, and is really immersive, and the sound effects when enemies get sliced up and swords clang are enthralling. The music is done in a "native" style, working well within the world that the game takes place in. There's nothing here that'll grate on your nerves, and I never felt the need to turn the music down or off.

It'll take a seasoned action game vet around eight hours to beat the game. The whole thing seems to be a bit too easy, even without the consistent help of your AI companion. There might be some draw to use a different character to play through again, and there are some extra challenges, but the real enjoyment is in the story and that can be completed rather quickly.

In the grand scheme of things, Rise of the Kasai is an above average title. It manages to do some things incredibly well, such as presentation, story, and sound. Other aspects, like the AI, leave much to be desired. If the story can hook you and you're able to ignore some of the more nagging AI issues, it'll be an enjoyable, if quick, action-packed romp. It's a solid title, but some extra work needed to be done to turn it into a true classic.

Score: 7.0/10