Asura is a hack and slash roguelike inspired by Indian mythology

 Asura is what happens when three veteran Indian developers band together to make a game. It’s a hack and slash that, according to Ogre Head Studios’ game director Zainuddin Fahad, is inspired by games like Diablo (no surprise given the design of its lead character), Binding of Isaac, and Zelda

(See: Here’s how Diablo 3 will be censored in China)

Like every respectable hack and slash game, there’s a lot of loot. For this, the studio looked to Indian mythology for cues. This influence extended to the game’s setting as well. You’re Asura, a demon prince who finds himself in the unenviable position of having to defeat legions of enemies, one wave after the next.

Along the way you’ll find a plethora of chests to open and runes to use. But dying ensures you lose everything you’ve earned. It’s something the studio refers to as “roguelite” what with elements of roguelikes such as Spelunky and FTL: Faster Than Light merge with the hack and slash mechanics made popular by Diablo and it’s ilk.

It sounds ambitious for an Indian studio to take up a genre that isn’t the most prevalent or popular. And that’s just the start of it. Ogre Head is going to bring the game to
iOS and Android platforms, as well as a PC release via Steam Greenlight. This isn’t all. The studio is also in talks for a Playstation Vita version as well. Given the country’s not so encouraging track record of development on Playstation platforms, it will be interesting to see how it pans out.

(See: The death of Trine: a cautionary tale about game development in India)

Having said that, we won’t have to wait too long to find out. Fahad tells us the game is 60 percent complete. With plans for a Steam Greenlight campaign soon, and a possible Vita release, Asura seems to be something unique coming out of a country where RPG-styled games aren’t the most popular choice for developers.

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