“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.

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.