Gajah Mada is a campaign in Age of Empires II HD: Rise of the Rajas. It is based on the exploits of the real-life Gajah Mada (ca. 1310 – ca. 1364), the Mahapatih (equal to a viceregent) of the Majapahit Empire known for bringing the empire into the peak of its glory.
Campaign[]
| “ | 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? | ” |
| —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 Story of Our Founders
- Unconditional Loyalty
- The Oath to Unify Nusantara
- Serving the New King
- The Pasunda Bubat Tragedy
The campaign is narrated by Gajah Mada himself, who had been exiled in the aftermath of the Battle of Bubat.
Unit[]
| “ | I would not indulge in any pleasures until I had conquered the entire Indonesian archipelago for the glory of the Majapahit! | ” |
| —Intro of The Oath to Unify Nusantara | ||
Gajah Mada is an infantry hero 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.
He is one of the starting units in the Battle Royale Majapahit Empire map.
Campaign appearances[]
Gajah Mada
- Unconditional Loyalty: Gajah Mada leads Majapahit forces attempting to lift the siege of Trowulan and evacuate King Jayanegara from the city.
- The Pasunda Bubat Tragedy: Gajah Mada's troops attempt to force the Sunda Princes in Trowulan to submit, while he commands the southern army prepared to invade Trowulan and kill the princes.
- The Old Tiger: Before the Definitive Edition, Gajah Mada is stationed in the westernmost Rakhine fortress.
History[]
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.
- 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[]
Views of the unit in the Definitive Edition
Views of the unit in the HD Edition
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
Modern artist's impression of Gajah Mada, based on Mohammad Yamin's illustration from 1945, which was then used in numerous depictions of Gajah Mada in various media
An old Gajah Mada in exile, in the campaign artwork of the Definitive Edition
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
Gajah Mada as he appears in Rise of the Rajas
The cutscene background in the Definitive Edition
The cutscene background in the HD Edition
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