Indian indie studio Nodding Heads Games surprised fans at the Xbox Partner Preview on November 20, 2025, by revealing Raji: Kaliyuga, the long-awaited sequel to their 2020 debut Raji: An Ancient Epic. Set six years after the original’s cliffhanger ending, this follow-up escalates the conflict to cosmic proportions as asura warlord Mahabalasura tears open heaven’s gates, unleashing Kaliyuga—the prophesied age of darkness where every choice threatens to unmake the universe. The sequel introduces transformative changes including a shift from isometric to third-person perspective, dual playable protagonists featuring Raji and her younger brother Darsh the dreamwalker, and distinct combat systems where Raji wields acrobatic martial arts with the divine Trishul while Darsh controls reality-warping Siddhis manipulating gravity, time, and energy. Coming to Xbox Series X and S, PlayStation 5, PC via Steam and Epic Games Store, and Nintendo Switch 2 with day one Xbox Game Pass availability and Xbox Play Anywhere support, though no release date was announced.
The Original Raji: An Ancient Epic
To understand why this sequel matters, context about the original helps. Raji: An Ancient Epic launched in August 2020 from Pune-based Nodding Heads Games, a tiny thirteen-person team creating their first commercial game. The action-adventure followed Raji, a young circus performer whose brother Golu gets kidnapped by a demon army. With divine support from Goddess Durga and Lord Vishnu watching from above, Raji embarks on a quest through locations steeped in Indian and Hindu mythology including ruined temples, the golden city of Hiranya Nagari, and mystical realms.
The game distinguished itself through authentic cultural representation rare in mainstream gaming. Rather than superficial aesthetic borrowing, Nodding Heads integrated actual Hindu religious texts, architectural styles from different Indian periods, traditional music, and narrative structures from ancient epics. The story culminated in a cliffhanger revealing the demon lord Mahabalasura’s plan to invade heaven itself, setting up obvious sequel potential.
Critical reception was mixed but encouraging for a debut indie title. Reviewers praised the gorgeous environments, confident visual identity, varied combat system, and thematic cohesion where the distant isometric camera perspective reinforced the gods-watching-mortals narrative. Criticisms focused on platforming difficulties caused by that same camera, occasionally stiff voice acting, and brevity with the campaign completable in under ten hours.
Despite mixed reviews, Raji: An Ancient Epic earned a nomination for Best Debut Game at The Game Awards 2020, losing to Phasmophobia. The recognition validated Nodding Heads’ effort representing Indian culture authentically in an industry dominated by Western and Japanese perspectives.
Kaliyuga’s Story Setup
Raji: Kaliyuga picks up six years after An Ancient Epic’s conclusion. Mahabalasura succeeded in unsealing heaven’s gates, escalating the conflict from mortal realm skirmishes to full cosmic war involving gods, asuras, and mystical entities across multiple lokas (realms in Hindu cosmology). This grand battle threatens not just India or Earth but the entire universal order.
Raji has matured into a seasoned warrior of faith during the intervening years, mastering combat techniques and deepening her connection to divine powers. Her younger brother Darsh, previously a captured child needing rescue, awakened as a dreamwalker—someone who experiences visions of past and future, walking between realities through dreams. These haunting visions drive the siblings’ quest as they journey toward the Eternal Summit.
Their destiny presents impossible binary choice: save the universe or destroy it to end the conflict. This moral ambiguity elevates stakes beyond simple good-versus-evil heroics. Perhaps the only way to stop Mahabalasura and close the gates requires devastating sacrifices that unmake creation itself. Whether Raji and Darsh possess the strength to make those choices forms the narrative core.
The title Kaliyuga refers to the fourth and final age in Hindu cyclical time cosmology. Characterized by moral decay, spiritual darkness, and the decline of righteousness, Kaliyuga represents the worst epoch before cosmic renewal through destruction and rebirth. Mahabalasura’s actions triggered this prophesied age prematurely, collapsing time itself and forcing the siblings to confront whether they’re destined saviors or unwitting agents of universal ending.
Dual Protagonist System
The most significant gameplay evolution introduces Darsh as a second playable protagonist alongside Raji. Character switching occurs based on story events rather than player choice, with the non-controlled sibling serving as AI companion during combat and exploration. This structure resembles God of War (2018) where Atreus accompanied Kratos, or The Last of Us where Ellie and Joel alternated primary control.
Raji employs acrobatic martial arts combining parkour movement with aggressive melee combat. She wields the divine Trishul (trident) gifted by Goddess Durga, using it for rapid attack chains, aerial juggling, and stylish finishing moves. Her customized evasion system allows multiple dodge types including rolls, backflips, and wall-runs that flow seamlessly into offensive combos. This creates fluid combat emphasizing momentum and positional advantage.
Darsh awakens immense Siddhi powers—supernatural abilities in Hindu and Buddhist traditions representing perfected mastery over reality. His combat revolves around controlling gravity to lift enemies and environmental objects, manipulating time to slow or accelerate specific targets, and channeling energy as projectile attacks or defensive barriers. The Siddhi-wielding system apparently allows combining these reality-warping effects for creative problem-solving during puzzles and boss encounters.
This dual approach provides variety where Raji handles fast-paced melee combat requiring precision timing, while Darsh offers tactical crowd control and environmental manipulation. Players who prefer different playstyles get satisfaction from both characters rather than being locked into one approach.
The Perspective Shift
Perhaps the boldest change is abandoning the original’s isometric perspective for full third-person camera. This transformation affects every aspect of game design from combat to exploration to visual storytelling. The isometric view in Raji: An Ancient Epic created beautiful tableaux and reinforced the gods-watching-mortals theme, but also caused frustrating platforming deaths and made precise combat targeting difficult.
Third-person perspective solves those mechanical issues while enabling different cinematic techniques. Close camera angles during combat make melee engagements feel more intimate and visceral. Wide establishing shots showcase environmental scale without sacrificing gameplay clarity. Dramatic camera movements during scripted sequences create blockbuster presentation impossible from fixed isometric angles.
However, this shift changes the game’s identity fundamentally. The distant isometric view wasn’t just aesthetic choice but thematic reinforcement where players literally viewed Raji from the gods’ perspective. Moving to standard third-person action-adventure makes Kaliyuga more mechanically accessible and commercially viable but potentially less distinctive artistically.
Nodding Heads emphasized their commitment to delivering high-quality experience for fans, suggesting they believe this evolution serves the story and gameplay better than simply repeating the original’s structure. Whether fans agree depends on individual preferences about artistic vision versus mechanical refinement.
Traversing the Lokas
The journey to the Eternal Summit takes Raji and Darsh through various lokas—realms in Hindu cosmology representing different planes of existence. The original game explored earthly locations transformed by demonic corruption. The sequel’s cosmic scope allows visiting actual divine and infernal realms previously only referenced.
Expect locations including Swarga (heaven), Patala (underworld), and various intermediate realms populated by gods, asuras, celestial beings, and mystical creatures from Hindu mythology. Each loka will likely feature distinct visual aesthetics, environmental puzzles, enemy types, and boss encounters reflecting their mythological associations.
The trailer showcased gorgeous environments blending traditional Indian architecture with fantastical elements—golden palaces floating in clouds, impossible geometric temples, reality-warping spaces where physics behave differently. Nodding Heads’ art team clearly studied religious iconography and historical architecture to create authentic interpretations rather than generic fantasy settings.
Platform and Release Details
Raji: Kaliyuga launches on Xbox Series X and S, PlayStation 5, PC via Steam and Epic Games Store, and Nintendo Switch 2. The multi-platform strategy ensures broad accessibility though notably excludes previous generation consoles, allowing Nodding Heads to leverage current hardware capabilities.
Day one Xbox Game Pass availability provides immediate access to millions of subscribers, guaranteeing player base regardless of individual sales performance. Xbox Play Anywhere support means purchasing digitally on Xbox console or Windows PC grants access on both platforms.
No release date or window was announced, leaving uncertainty whether this targets 2026, 2027, or beyond. Given that only a cinematic trailer exists without gameplay footage, and considering typical indie development timelines, 2027 seems realistic though purely speculative.
The original Raji launched at budget pricing around twenty dollars. Whether Kaliyuga maintains similar pricing or targets premium thirty-to-forty dollar range depends on content scope and production values that won’t be clear until gameplay demonstrations emerge.
Frequently Asked Questions
When does Raji: Kaliyuga release?
No release date has been announced. Raji: Kaliyuga is in active development for Xbox Series X/S, PlayStation 5, PC, and Nintendo Switch 2.
Who is developing Raji: Kaliyuga?
Nodding Heads Games, a Pune-based Indian indie studio that created the 2020 original Raji: An Ancient Epic, is developing the sequel.
Is Raji: Kaliyuga on Xbox Game Pass?
Yes, Raji: Kaliyuga will be available day one on Xbox Game Pass for console, PC, and cloud gaming when it launches.
What changed from the first Raji game?
Major changes include shifting from isometric to third-person perspective, adding Raji’s brother Darsh as a second playable protagonist, and expanding from earthly locations to cosmic realms across Hindu mythology.
Do I need to play the first Raji game?
While Kaliyuga is a direct sequel continuing six years after An Ancient Epic’s cliffhanger ending, it’s unclear whether the story will accommodate newcomers or require prior knowledge.
What is Kaliyuga?
In Hindu cosmology, Kaliyuga is the fourth and final age characterized by moral decay and spiritual darkness before universal destruction and cosmic rebirth.
What platforms is Raji: Kaliyuga coming to?
Raji: Kaliyuga launches on Xbox Series X/S, PlayStation 5, PC via Steam and Epic Games Store, and Nintendo Switch 2 with Xbox Play Anywhere support.
Conclusion
Raji: Kaliyuga represents ambitious evolution for Nodding Heads Games, transforming their isometric debut into full third-person action-adventure while maintaining authentic Indian cultural representation. The dual protagonist system, reality-warping Siddhi powers, and cosmic scope across Hindu realms promise substantial gameplay variety if executed well. Whether a small indie team can deliver on these promises without the resources of AAA studios remains the critical question. For players hungry for mythology-based games beyond Greek and Norse pantheons that dominate the market, Kaliyuga offers rare opportunity experiencing Hindu epics through interactive storytelling. Just don’t expect this anytime soon—good things take time, especially when you’re trying to save or destroy the universe.