The Legend of Kay Review (PS2)

I was worried at one point in time for the state of platforming games. I think it was after the Nintendo 64 was released, and many game companies were rushing to get their own equivalent of Mario 64 rushed onto shelves, to take advantage of the "kiddie" market that the system seemed to be aiming towards. Out of all the glut I went through, only one really came close- Rayman 2: The Great Escape. And that got me thinking. Have platformers become a thing in the past, lacking so much in terms of invention and entertainment that they've become a burden instead of a bright spot? Well, some companies still try, so I'll say no for now. And it helps to have Legend of Kay brighten things a little.

Legend of Kay is the latest product for Neon Studios, working alongside Capcom to make an elegant platforming adventure worthy of their name. After you saw my brutal tearing-apart of Beat Down earlier this week, you could probably guess that Capcom needed some good news. Fortunately, Legend of Kay is just the good news that the company needed, although it has a couple of things holding it back from all-out sleeper status.

In the game, you take control of Kay, a young ninja cat who's on an island inhabited by different animal types. These animals rely on magical fountains, with purified water that keeps them tried and true. They also bend heavily on The Way, a way of life that's been deemed to keep the island from falling into a sea of despair. Unfortunately, most of these animals have forgotten The Way, and when invading armies of gorillas and rats begin to take siege all over the place, it's up to Kay to grab a weapon and take the island back, before the fountains are destroyed.

The game is geared towards kids, but I can't help but think there's a bit of maturity included here that older gamers are bound to like. I think one thing that works miraculously well for Kay is its gameplay system. Not only does Kay have typical platforming moves in his arsenal, but he also has some astounding attack methods that he can string together to perform some damaging combos.

For instance, Kay can teleport from enemy to enemy with a press of the triangle button, allowing him to quickly gather up hits instead of moving about in a sluggish manner. Furthermore, Kay also has the ability to choose between three weapons, each of which maintain their own sense of style. The sword is the best general weapon, doling out equal damage all across and doing a little work against armored enemies. The claws are my personal favorite, letting you rip through unarmed enemies with ease through quick, precise cuts. However, they're not so great against larger or armored enemies. That's where the hammer comes into play. With this, your attacks are a bit slower, but much more powerful, and can rip through enemies like a knife through butter.

This mixes up the gameplay significantly, although you also have access to different power-ups and moves. Along with being able to double jump and speed about, Kay can also use a number of attack methods, including aerial, dash, and super moves that come in handy. Kay can also get access to bombs, hornets (which help out to keep an enemy distracted), and more. There's also the occasional riding stage, where Kay races across the land, whether it be on the back of a fiery dragon or racing through the waters on a boat. They all mix together with some occasional puzzles to keep the adventure at hand, instead of drifting off into absurdity.

Sadly, some absurdity still manages to slink it, and many will notice it in the voicework. It sounds like Capcom was trying to go for something cute and smarmy, but here they hit the bullseye with voicework that seems to grate on the nerves instead of soothing the ears. Fortunately, they included an option to shut it off, and this'll pave the way for you to listen to the great music and decent sound effects instead. I think Capcom and Neon should've taken another approach, like maybe with Rayman 2's gibberish. Sigh.

The graphics also seem to be a mixed batch. Don't get me wrong, Neon does some amazing work here, with some very fluid animation and huge, lush environments that really show off the tropical sides of the island, including the obligatory lava levels and some impressive boss designs. But the frame rate is inconsistent at times, especially when the screen gets loaded up with enemies. Neon should've cleaned this up a bit. It may be the PS2, but it can still run complexities with the right touch.

Finally, the game's quest itself runs into a slight snag. It's a good quest that will take many hours to complete, but once it's over, there's really not much to revisit. No versus games, and not too many unlockables (aside from a couple of weapons and the occasional mini-game). It would've been nice to see some kind of two-player battle mode, especially with the gameplay that's included here. Transporting attack ninja madness, I say!

Legend of Kay still manages to rise above the glut and its own harmful issues, though. I can't get over the fact that the gameplay just feels so right, even for a 32-year old curmudgeon like me. The game's design and challenges are worth checking out as well. This ain't Legend of Zelda, but, then again, it's not exactly Legend of South Park either. Sometimes a happy medium is a fine place to be.

Our Final ScoreOK

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