Majin and the Forsaken Kingdom Message Board

There are very few problems that can't be solved by a giant buddy like Majin. Walls? Smashable. Enemies? Smooshable. Devaluation as a result of the inevitable march of time, as well as a severely lacking promotional campaign? ... Yeah, that's trickier.

However, if you click on over to Amazon, you can be the benefeciary of this unfortunate force and pick up Majin and the Forsaken Kingdom on Xbox 360 for a little under $10. Wow, a great deal and an opportunity to medidate on the truth that every living being has its frailties? Don't mind if we do.

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Is the bond between this unlikely pair strong enough to produce a diamond in the rough?

If the phrase "escort mission" tickles your gag reflex, then you'd be forgiven for overlooking Majin and the Forsaken Kingdom. After all, this is a game that promises nothing but hours and hours of adventures with a largely computer-controlled sidekick. You wouldn't even be swayed if somebody told you that your partner obeys your commands. You've been down this road before, and you know it ends in a ditch.

But this Majin fella, he's not so useless, in fact, you wouldn't last an hour in the dangerous ruins of this ancient civilization without his help. He's a bodyguard, a medic, and a handyman. He even carries out your orders as you intended them! You may start to wonder: who is escorting whom, exactly?

Say hello to my big friend.

A classic tale of a nameless boy his loveable, yet also annoying-as-hell monster.

Could this be one of 2010's sleeper hits? We get started on the game and report back.

In the latest Majin and the Forsaken Kingdom dev diary video, composer Sahashi Toshihiko discusses the process of creating music for Game Republic's buddy game. It turns out that before the Forsaken Kingdom, he had experience in the Magic Kingdom -- he created music for Tokyo Disneyland.

While Majin and the Forsaken Kingdom hasn't been entirely forsaken by publisher Namco, it has seen its release date bumped up by a week at the last minute and now, its seen its price slashed considerably by at least two different online retailers. Siliconera spotted that the new $39.99 price at both Amazon and Gamestop though only the latter shows the lower price across both Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 releases. Amazon only shows the lower price on the PS3 release.

With little in the way of pre-release buzz, the price cut may be a shrewd move to help move some units, something Namco could really use. We've asked the publisher if this new, lower price will be available everywhere across both releases. We'll let you know what we find out.

Majin, like Denver: The Last Dinosaur before him, isn't just your friend -- he's a whole lot more. According to Game Republic art director Sousuke Miyaura, he's "the personification of all nature," able to devour the creatures of darkness that pollute the world. He's also there for high-fives.

Namco Bandai can't wait to introduce you to Majin and the Forsaken Kingdom. The publisher announced that the North American release date for Game Republic's adventure, starring Tepeu and his awesome monster pal, has been moved forward a week from November 30 to November 23.

If you can't wait to play the game, a demo is available right now for Gold subscribers on Xbox Live Marketplace, and will be available on PSN later today. It features the first level of the game, in which Tepeu encounters the giant monster who would become his friend. Of course, not knowing how that plays out, Tepeu probably sees it as "encountering a giant monster," which is less heartwarming.

Spellbinding action adventure is ready to be unleashed and pre-launch demo coming soon.

Majin and the Forsaken Kingdom is the kind of game you want to love. It has a winning premise, made all the more charming by the immediately likable Majin -- a towering beast that forges a strange friendship with a thief, Tepeu. The two characters balance each other surprisingly well, with Tepeu's cunning and speed matched by the Majin's adorable dimwittedness and hulking force. Namco Bandai calls it "partnership gaming," and it's seemingly the latest trend in games -- if Enslaved and The Last Guardian are any indication. Coupled with some beautiful art, and some interesting gameplay mechanics, Majin should be a winner.

But perhaps developer Game Republic isn't up to the task. While Majin is unlikely to be the train wreck that was their last project, Clash of the Titans, it's likely to find a similar fate as its (arguably) greatest hit so far -- Folklore. Like Majin, Folklore also had a rather original and intriguing concept. Yet, in spite of great art and some fun gameplay, it didn't have the polish expected of a genuine blockbuster title. Like its predecessor, Majin stumbles around greatness, but doesn't always hit the mark.

I loved the various implementations of "partnership gaming" in my preview demo. You control Tepeu, but never the beast. Tepeu is a rather capable bloke, able to reach places the beast (obviously) can't. He's quite skilled with his staff, but the enemies they face have a power that renders Tepeu powerless: seeming immortality. Outside of a few stealth attacks, only the beast has the force to finish off the inky creatures, meaning Tepeu will have to use his wit to lure enemies into traps, and gain the upper hand on his foes.

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The latest version of the game points towards a sleeper hit.

Majin and the Forsaken Kingdom producer Daisuke Uchiyama announced this morning at GamesCom that the game will hugginate European retail on November 25. The game already has a scheduled North American date of November 30.

Uchiyama said the "20 to 30 hour" adventure will release with DLC costumes for Majin (he's the big guy) and the boy, Tepeu, as pre-order bonuses in the States -- the costume packs will be available for download on Xbox Marketplace and PSN soon after. In Europe the costumes will depend on the country, but the plan is to release them later as separate downloadable outfits.

If, like us, you've been waiting patiently for your formal introduction to your giant, super-powered, super-huggable BFF Majin, now you can schedule your playdate for November 30. That's the date that Namco Bandai revealed for the North American release of Majin and the Forsaken Kingdom, Game Republic's new adventure about hanging out with the most wonderful stone giant guy ever (and also fighting or something).

Join us in scouring the gallery below for any evidence of a Boy and His Blob-style hug button, won't you? We mostly see a lot of fighting in here.

Play with giants.

A “heartwarming puzzle-action game” — that’s how Namco Bandai describes their upcoming PS3 game Majin and the Forsaken Kingdom. Majin is being developed by Game Republic, a studio that boasts several former members of Team ICO and a track record consisting of PS3 fan favorites such as Folklore.

Majin’s fantasy world looks highly stylized, with “shadowy, storybook visuals” in the words of Namco Bandai producer Daisuke Uchiyama. According to Uchiyama, the team wanted to create “something everybody can relate to…something familiar, nostalgic.” See Majin in motion below and judge for yourself.

You play as Tepeu, a mysterious thief who possess the ability to communicate with animals. Encroaching into a “forsaken kingdom” overtaken by a dark force, Tepeu comes across an imprisoned golem-like creature — called a Majin — and frees him. Named Teotle, the Majin follows the thief out of gratitude, thus forming an unlikely alliance against the murky forces of the forsaken kingdom. Majin’s gameplay always focuses on the symbiotic pair of the powerful Teotle and the nimble Tepeu. If you played BioShock, you can think of the slow, powerful Teotle as a Big Daddy and the nimble Tepeu as a Little Sister. That is, if Little Sisters were known for swordsmanship and acrobatics. Or having a Y chromosome, but I digress…

Tepeu and Teotle need to scratch each other’s backs frequently in order to survive encounters with the evils of the forsaken kingdom. In combat, you’ll face armies of tar-like creatures that will quickly overrun your spry thief. Luckily, the powerful Majin can bowl these guys over effortlessly and give you a chance to land a lightning-quick final strike with Tepeu. You’ll need to help out the Majin sometimes, too, by knocking snarling dogs off its back and fetching fat, revitalizing “power fruit” when it’s hurt. Mmmm…power fruit.

Though you don’t directly control the towering Majin, you can issue broad commands easily via a radial menu and the Majin does the rest auto-magically. During puzzle sequences, the Majin will respond to your orders contextually. Order it to “Crouch” and you’ll be able to jump onto its massive shoulders to reach high places; order it to “Act” and it might spew fire-breath to light your bomb’s fuse so you can blow a hole in a wall. Sometimes, the enemy hordes may be too much for even the rough-and-tumble Majin, so you’ll need to use the environment in creative ways, such as ordering the Majin to push a crumbling wall onto an enemy mob.

Majin and the Forsaken Kingdom is currently scheduled for late 2010. What do you think of the art style and the two-character symbiotic gameplay? Leave your impressions and questions in the comments, and I’ll try to shed some light.

We know our first thought after watching this Majin and the Forsaken Kingdom trailer should be, "Wow, look at all the pretty colors," or "Hey, this looks like it's going to scratch our Ico and Beyond Good & Evil itches pretty definitively." However, our minds are only addled with raw, unchecked jealousy.

How come we don't have a giant, lovable, moss-covered golem companion? We wouldn't make him fight monsters or lift gates for us. We'd only ask that he let us pet his grassy head, and occasionally ride on his back, and go on the most magical adventures together.

Curse you, Namco Bandai! You knew our weakness for giant, adorable companions, and you exploited that weakness without remorse.

Demons make fantastic friends.

Our first look at the ethereal adventure featuring a thief and his trusty demon.

The latest Trailer.

Note that these pics aren't forsaken- the kindom is.

Click to enter the Forsaken GalleryNamco Bandai sent out a Majin-sized update for Majin and the Forsaken Kingdom, bestowing upon us forty new screenshots of the boy and his behemoth.

Game Republic seems to have hit upon the secret formula for emotional resonance: the quiet-looking, overgrown ruins of stone buildings, and the pair of explorers therein, give Majin game a strong Ico vibe. Just replace Ico's reedy, ethereal princess with an enormous, moss-covered Muppet and you've got Majin. Which is fine with us -- more games should take Ico as inspiration. And to be honest, Yorda would have been way more helpful if she were twenty feet tall.

Between man and monster lies a spellbinding action adventure filled with mystery, a gripping storyline and intense gameplay.