Legend of Kay – Review

The Story in the Legend of Kay is straight out of a storybook of good vs evil or dark vs light. Essentially the world of Yen Ching was a peaceful place where all creatures believed in ‘the way’, life was good and the rabbits, cats, pandas and frogs all lived in peaceful harmony, until complacency set in. Having strayed from the path of ‘the way’ and losing vigilance the springs that feed the villages spiritual energies dry and turn to dust and gorillas invade the once peaceful towns. You know where it goes from here, it’s up to you to set things right, even though you don’t know that yet.

Gameplay is a fairly simple affair, this is a cute ‘third feline’ platform title that involves the usual, exploration, puzzle solving (to a degree) and fighting. You play Kay, a male teenage cat with attitude and it’s essentially a case of training and then getting objectives, following them through in the lead up to bigger adventures that lay ahead. Things are interspersed with various mini game styled sections which involve riding animals (which can at times be frustrating given the hit and miss controls of these sections) or collecting specific items; this adds variation and helps to break up the usual run around style of play.

Controls are straight forward and simple to get to grips with and Kay can pull off some lovely moves, most of which involve martial arts (including sword skills) and spectacular jumps. It isn’t all go however, speaking to other characters is as important as the action aspect because it’s here you learn objectives and also get a greater understanding of the story, for some the stop start nature and long conversations may slow the pace of the game but I found it relatively painless and of similar ilk to the Zelda series of games.

Graphically speaking the Legend of Kay is a surprising title, it is beautiful in its splendor and slightly reminiscent of titles such as Jak and Daxter and Legend of Zelda but with qualities all its own. Colorful backdrops and nicely detailed settings bring the worlds of Yen Ching to life starting with the beautifully crafted comic book style opening sequences to the most basic things, be it a pond or whispering grass that sways in the breeze. Character models are gorgeous and despite it having a cartoony look it is not at all childish, it’s a mature and thought out appearance that any gamer will be happy to take in, a true delight to the eye.

Sound in the Legend of Kay is also of a very high standard, again it all seems a little cartoony but in a mature manner, like a quality cartoon or anime title. Voice acting is extremely well done with Kay sounding like an obnoxious teen, which, is what he is essentially despite his cat appearance. The other characters in the title are also well ‘acted’ and certainly lend a huge degree of characterization to the populace of the game world. The music too is lovely and has a sort of eastern wonder to it, particularly the gentle tune that repeats as you wander around the game world, given the gentle nature of the music even the repetitive nature of it didn’t distract from the game. The music also changes dependent on the situation at hand, all in all I can’t really find fault in it other than to say Kay himself said some things that were a little cringe worthy and certainly NOT for the young gamer, with the word ‘barsteward’ seemingly thrown in here and there for reasons unbeknown to me since it seems very out of place. For the deaf gamer Legend of Kay features subtitles.

Female Gamer Angle is a tough one. At the beginning of the game you’re introduced to the strong willed and forthright Su Ling and I couldn’t help but feel it was a shame you didn’t get the choice to play her or Kay from the offset. The game however is not called Legend of Su Ling, it’s called Legend of Kay so no brownie points for knowing what character you will be playing, that being the usual male heroic figure. That’s not to say Su Ling doesn’t appear again however and it was a nice touch to have her suggest what is right and good at the beginning anyway.

It’s not a case of this game will appeal to the female gamer because it’s pretty, this game will appeal to anyone, regardless of gender, but if you do have one of those annoying girly girls with you who paints her nails whilst you play FPS titles, maybe seeing this little guy in action may sway her to want to have a go. All in all however, for the seasoned female gamer this is a good title the boys and girls will equally enjoy.

Overall Legend of Kay was a surprising title because I was under the impression it was going to be just another run of the mill platform title but this is something special so don’t be fooled into thinking otherwise, this is one of those sleeper titles that seemingly the media hype and lays dormant whilst recruiting a cult following.

Graphically speaking this title is lush, colorful and stunning. Sound too is filled with eastern charm and although repetitive to a degree it never seemed to interfere with the gaming experience. My only complaint would be not getting the choice to play Su Ling as a playable character from the beginning, but that is essentially me being a picky female gamer pouting because yet another class title has left this option out. All in all however this is a wonderful and mystical surprise. Delightful.

Review by Angela

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