On the island of Java, a new power is rising. Gajah Mada, prime minister of Majapahit conspires to build an empire to rule the waves and islands of the archipelago. Will he be able to balance his unconditional loyalty to the king with his growing ambitions?
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—In-game campaign description
The Gajah Mada campaign consists of 5 scenarios. The player plays as the Malay, and the player color is red.
The campaign is narrated by Gajah Mada himself, who had been exiled in the aftermath of the Battle of Bubat.
Unit[]
Gajah Mada is an infantryhero found in the titular campaign and in the Scenario Editor. He is displayed as a two-handed-sword-wielding infantry with his own unique sprite. Boasting massive amounts of hit points and attack damage, he is one of the strongest heroes in-game. He makes two appearances in Unconditional Loyalty and The Pasunda Bubat Tragedy. If he is killed during the campaigns, the game is not lost. As a hero, he cannot be converted and can regenerate health.
At its zenith, the Majapahit Empire had controlled roughly what would be part of Indonesia today. He is also famous for his Sumpah Palapa ("Palapa Oath"), where he vowed to not consume any food with spices until all of the Indonesian archipelago (then known as Nusantara) belongs to the Majapahit Empire. Today he is remembered by the people of Indonesia as one of their greatest heroes.
Trivia[]
Despite the campaign being named after Gajah Mada, the first scenario actually focuses on the foundation of the Majapahit Empire by Raden Wijaya.
The outro of the second scenario only hints at the danger that King Jayanegara is in due to his advances towards other women of the court, and the intro of the third scenario simply proclaims his sudden death, with neither directly mentioning Gajah Mada's involvement. The outro of the last scenario, on the other hand, explicitly has Gajah Mada admit that Jayanegara's death was his scheme. In reality, it is unknown why Jayanegara died, although assassination by his doctor or a member of his court is the leading suspicion.
The campaign map features a Borobudur ship as the scenario icon, which was about 500 years older and was not used by the Majapahit Empire. The main Majapahit ship was the jong, a type of large ship, armed with guns (bedil / cetbang), with crew equipment including bows and arrows, shields, javelins, long shields, and chainmail.
Gajah Mada's depiction in the game is based on Mohammad Yamin's illustration from 1945, which was then used in numerous depictions of Gajah Mada in the form of statues, paintings, and popular media. The in-game unit sprite shows a bare-chested, muscular man, wielding a two-handed longsword and wearing a fabric (sarong) at the waist. While this may have been true on civilian duties, his official outfit might have been different: Kidung Sundayana stated that in the war, Gajah Mada wore a golden embossed karambalangan (breastplate), armed with a gold-layered spear, and with a shield full of diamond decoration.
Throughout the campaign, the term Indonesia is used to refer to the eponymous archipelago. It's an anachronistic term as it dates to the 19th century. The Indonesian archipelago was known as Nusantara during the Majapahit era, as attested in the Nagarakretagama and even the Palapa Oath itself.
Along with Bayinnaung, this is the first campaign that is self-narrated.
Gallery[]
Gajah Mada in the Scenario Editor.
Rise of the Rajas box art. Gajah Mada is the person to the center, one on the right is Bayinnaung, and in the left end is Suryavarman I.
A statue of Gajah Mada in front of the Telecommunication Museum on Taman Mini Indonesia Indah, Jakarta.
Gajah Madah in the Definitive Edition.
An old Gajah Mada in exile, in the campaign artwork of the Definitive Edition.
Gajah Mada as he appears in Rise of the Rajas.
In-game artwork of Arya Wiraraja, the general who defeated the Javanese and the Mongols.
King Jayanegara, the first ruler under whom Gajah Mada served.
Tribhuwana Wijayatunggadewi, the second ruler under whom Gajah Mada served.
Hayam Wuruk, the third and final ruler under whom Gajah served, banishing him after the tragedy at Bubat.
A Kancil, the tiny animal that the people of Majapahit revere for its cunning and bravery.
The various kingdoms of Nusantara (the Indonesian and Malaysian archipelago) at the start of the Majapahit dynasty.