Rasta Santa Review: A fun game with tolerable flaws

This is one of those games that prove you don’t need ultra-realistic graphics to create a fun experience. While it has some drawbacks, the game is sure to make you laugh and will test your patience along the way.

Developed by Nigeria's Deluxe Creation Studios, this game does remind me of Killer Bean Unleashed in its chaotic, over-the-top action. Though it doesn’t quite replicate that same level of nostalgia, Rasta Santa still holds its own in a unique way.

Story

When most people think of playing a game as Santa Claus, they probably picture a cute, jolly figure flying around delivering presents. But Rasta Santa takes a much darker, action-packed approach. In this game, Santa isn’t here to spread holiday cheer with toys; instead, he’s armed with a machete and a pistol, fighting human traffickers to rescue kidnapped children. 

The story begins when Rasta Santa arrives at a local orphanage in Lagos, Nigeria expecting to distribute gifts. To his surprise, the orphanage is abandoned, with no children in sight. After learning that the kids have been kidnapped, Rasta Santa takes it upon himself to infiltrate trafficker hideouts and bring them back, which is where it gets interesting.

Gameplay and Visuals

One thing I immediately noticed was the lack of a tutorial, which isn’t necessarily a deal-breaker, but I do wish the game provided one. There are elements of the gameplay that you won’t fully grasp until later on, and a bit of guidance would’ve been helpful even though most players won't need one. For most parts of the game I didn't know there was a block button just sitting there waiting to be used.

The gameplay has souls-like written all over it and that’s where your patience is constantly tested. There’s no way to refill your health bar and no checkpoints to ease the pain of failure. But I must say that this harsh design choice is part of what makes the game interesting, challenging, and at times, frustrating. The upside is the unlimited pistol ammo, though the one-second reload time can feel agonizingly long in the heat of battle, and that’s also a good thing. 

Rasta Santa also has an evasive ability that lets him dodge enemy attacks or escape when overwhelmed. However, I found that the unlimited ammo made this ability feel somewhat redundant. I rarely used it but still think it's a nice touch and will be useful for many players in some situations.

There are really fun levels that will leave you wanting more, like that one bus chase where you evade bombs and try to escape with the kids. You'd think all is well after getting to your destination but then you're forced to stand your ground and defend your position against dozens of bad guys all coming at you and you just keep shooting at them which feels like facing off against hordes of the undead, now that was quite fun.

Themes and Perspective

One of the standout features of this game is the dialogue (even though there isn't much of it). The voice actor for Rasta Santa during the opening sequence gets a bit of credit but I wish they gave us more of that Jamaican accent. Enemies have dialogues when confronting Rasta Santa, but it would've been great if once in a while Rasta Santa also speaks certain words of his own in that ever-intriuging Jamaican accent after taking down an enemy or two.

For players unfamiliar with Nigerian culture or language, the humour might be lost, but local audiences—especially Nigerians—will appreciate the witty dialogues and comedic delivery. 

However, there’s a bit of a disconnect between the game’s setting and the character of Rasta Santa which is one of the worries I have with the game. While the story is set in Lagos, Rasta Santa himself speaks with an accent that clearly isn't Nigerian, which raises the question: why is a Jamaican-accented Santa in Nigeria? Some explanation of why Rasta Santa is there might have made the narrative feel more cohesive, giving the developer room to explore the character but right now the contrast between the accent and setting is a bit disorienting.

Perhaps the team is fine with what they've built with no plans of any sort of world-building or storytelling depth around Rasta Santa, maybe they want to stick with their original vision for the game as a small-scale production and that's fine too, but I think there's room here to explore the character of Rasta Santa beyond what they've accomplished with this one game.

Issues and Irritations

Rasta Santa isn’t without its charms but it also comes with some issues. Bugs are common in new mobile games, but they seem to be particularly noticeable here. Some bugs cover the screen, blocking essential information like controls and health bars, while others trap you in enemy clutches until you die. At times, I had to restart levels multiple times due to these glitches which can be frustrating.

The game also feels incomplete. After completing most levels, I found that one was still missing which left me feeling like I have serious unfinished business. This sense of incompleteness is further highlighted by some of the bugs mentioned earlier, and I think it’s something the studio’s quality assurance team or testers should have caught during development.

On a more positive note, the game features a couple of puzzles that I found enjoyable and thought, "Why isn’t there more of this?" While hacking your way through enemies with a machete is fun, I’d welcome a better balance between action and puzzles to keep things fresh.

Verdict

Rasta Santa is a mostly enjoyable experience that’s worth your time. However, it doesn’t have a lot of replay value due to a somewhat shallow story that lacks a little more depth. Local players, particularly Nigerians, will get the most enjoyment out of the game, thanks to the humour in the dialogues. 

The game’s incompleteness is a notable issue, but it’s something I believe will be addressed with future updates, especially as the development team plans to release new episodes every January, aiming to turn Rasta Santa into an annual tradition. While that’s something to look forward to, it’s still a while off.