Majin and the Forsaken Kingdom is a game with a lot of promise. Yes, some of it is lived up to completely. However, there are some trouble areas, most of which can be blamed on poor design decisions. And it's a shame: you'll want to love this colorful buddy adventure; merely liking it just doesn't cut it. In the end, I can't recommend Majin as a full purchase, but it's yet another of those perfect rentals.

The world in which Majin and the Forsaken Kingdom takes place isn't the most immediately striking one, but it's got its own flavor nonetheless. The abandoned and partially-destroyed paradise motif has been used time and time again, but it looks good here. As far as visuals are concerned, Tepeu isn't a particularly memorable character; the lone wanderer type isn't exactly a fresh idea for a hero. Still, the different costume pieces you'll unlock give the man some cosmetic flexibility. Teotl, on the other hand, is wholly unique. He looks like he should, being essentially a huge chunk of earth and flora imbued with human-like characteristics. The draw distance isn't always the best; distant areas are inconspicuously blurred out of focus until you get to a certain point. The corrupting darkness that serves as the primary antagonist for the game has an oozy look to it, and it's neat that as Tepeu takes damage, the darkness looks more and more ready to consume him. My favorite part of the visual presentation is easily the two-dimensional memory cutscenes.

Majin's music is terrific, but its voice acting is subpar at best. It's kind of painful to witness such a disparity between the two main pillars of any game's audio design, and Majin serves as a clear reminder of that for me. The unassuming beauty of the soundtrack effortlessly establishes the game's setting, as well as the budding friendship between the two main heroes. On the other hand, Tepeu sounds about as vanilla as a hero can possibly get, and he's not even voiced by Nolan North. Teotl's deep voice, like his mind, is oddly childlike. This is endearing at first, but it quickly gets old. Soon, you'll be annoyed by the golem's apparent aversion to expressing states of being. And then there's the animals, most of which are flat-out horribly-voiced.

Majin and the Forsaken Kingdom features two star players, but you control the lone, nameless wanderer. Seemingly the only man left in a world threatened by a mysterious creeping corruption, he seeks out the legendary Majin, who apparently has the ability to rid the titular forsaken kingdom of its blight. After a short prologue, he finds the Majin, whose name he discovers is Teotl. He has been all but completely stripped of his former abilities and his memory is practically gone. See where we're going with this? Teotl gives our hero the name of Tepeu, and they strike off on a grand adventure to restore the Majin's abilities and ultimately save the kingdom from certain doom.

In a perfect world, Majin would be The Legend of Zelda meets Ico. Its emphasis on teamwork, environmental puzzles, and combat seems like a recipe for surefire success. However, the mixture doesn't coalesce into a particularly satisfying end product. My biggest beef with this game has to do with the hub through which you access each new area; it's a touch that reinforces the continuity of the world, but it ultimately frustrates in the gameplay department. You'll spend too much of your time in transit, which isn't really fun to begin with. Sure, the world is pretty to look at, but more effort should have been put into making these moments optional. A smattering of teleportation gates only goes so far.

Now that I think about it, the backtracking issue is my only real quibble with the difficulty of Majin and the Forsaken Kingdom, though it ties into another problem I have. As long as you know where you're supposed to go and what you're supposed to do, this is not a difficult game. The problem with navigation here is that you sometimes might not know either. I'm sure this has a lot to do with story implementation; subtle cues (dialogue or signposts) might have helped allay this problem.

On the positive side of things, the puzzles are thoughtfully and carefully designed, only giving you the information you absolutely need to get past -- and usually not much else. In the end, if you've taken on your share of action adventures, you'll probably find Majin to be a breeze.

Some of this relative ease is a source of disappointment; take the combat, for example. Tepeu is, for lack of better words, a wimp. He swings his weapon just like everyone else, but the hits don't feel like they register; Teotl, on the other hand, strikes with such force that it always seems as if he's stealing all the action. And indeed, he is the one who seems to be having the most fun.

Majin and the Forsaken Kingdom draws heavily from the conventions that make great partnership-based games. Tepeu isn't as strong as Kratos, nor is he as agile as the Prince. However, he can get around just fine, especially with the help of Teotl. Working hand in hand with your god-of-nature buddy is the foundation upon which Majin's gameplay mechanics are constructed. Teotl will rarely (if ever) act on impulse, and he will obey Tepeu's every command. He can follow, wait, attack, and use magic abilities. All of this is accessed with a easy-to-access interface. If you need Teotl to interact with certain objects in certain ways, you won't often have a problem getting him to do it. Nor will you balk in the face of obstacles that look insurmountable; after all, Teotl will be at your side.

The combat, as mentioned before, is one of Majin's weaker components. It's a bit button-mashy, and the combination attack system feels more than a little forced. Still, most scenarios present the opportunity for strategic thinking. For example, stealth is occasionally factored into the mix. It's not the best part of the game, but it's functional. It's always a good idea to survey your surroundings and find ways to gradually thin out the herd before commanding Teotl to go all out with the attack.

Majin and the Forsaken Kingdom may be rough around the edges, but it deserves to be played. Some gamers will fall in love with it, others will be turned off by its overall lack of refinement. It's an inexpensive way to satisfy your gaming fix, and for the most part, it's a fun one too.