“What the world needs right now is a 3D platformer featuring animal based characters with human voices who prance about through forests, swamps and temples.”
So said Robinson Creosote just before he was stranded on a desert island some time circa 1995.
If we were to rescue poor Mr Creosote from his coconut and salt water induced delirium and were to get him to play the Legend of Kay, he would be wildly impressed by its competence, it’s colourful, smooth and solid graphics, the catchy tuneful loops and the varied gameplay elements that are crammed on to one shiny disc.
However, to the jaded gaming cynics of 2005, the game is a veritable checklist of generic, copycat annoyance, imitating every decent platformer of the last decade both in looks and mechanics. You do not need a periodic table and a degree in gaming chemistry to deconstruct the deviously familiar ingredients of this game.
Take one pinch of Jak and Daxter, add a dash of Mario, a hint of Banjo Kazooie and perhaps even a little bit of Starfox as far as the concept of talking animal characters go and you have a sickly mixture which you could label ‘PS2 needs a gaming mascot.’
And of course we have the now obligatory ‘storyline.’ I mean come on - years ago your platformer was a no-nonsense affair uncomplicated by dialogue and cut scenes. It was enough to have a moustachioed plumber doing his thing in a bizarre world or for your knight to prance about platforms with zombies and ghouls until his armour was knocked off leaving him stark naked. We didn’t need to know any more, we simply enjoyed the quirkiness of the world as it was given to us, however stupid it was. Nowadays developers try to deliver us platformers that are the whole package, cut scenes, dialogue and all.
So then, Legend of Kay. The story is set in a world that is oriental in flavour but is populated by a variety of animals who walk and talk like humans. The populations seem to be factionalised and live in their own particular habitats but in harmony with each other. That is until the nasty rats and their henchmen the gorillas take over the place and enslave everyone else. Up steps our hero Kay who happens to be a cute kitty cat trained in the arts of swordmanship, magic and all manner of acrobatics. It’s all very predictable, twee and Beatrix Potter. There are cute helpless bunny rabbits who need rescuing and frogs who rather inexplicably talk a form of Caribbean Creole. It’s all complete madness and I half expected Rupert and his Nutwood friends to make an appearance…..
Initially the Legend of Kay is, frankly, rubbish. It looks like any other half decent PS2 platformer with the same colour palette and detail level although Kay himself is a handsomely animated fellow with plenty of moves. The game also is horrendously compartmentalised. By this I mean that it doesn’t feel as though there is a large world loaded in for you to explore. Epic draw distances are non-existent and everything is pathways and corridors whether you frequent a forest, field, cliff or cave. When you are used to the Jak and Daxter/Ratchet and Clank games you will see little that impresses or startles you here, although things are smooth, tidy and solid.
Worse still, you have to do the old ‘walk up to characters who are standing around like statues doing nothing bit’ so as to find out what needs doing and where. Frankly, I have no interest in yapping to a frog Mayor. It’s surreal and stupid, despite the voice acting being actually half decent. The times I sighed due to a release of tired and unimpressed hormones were countless as I was given missions to ‘find this’ or ‘fetch that from over there’. I actually wrote down a list of what I would be doing on the way before I even encountered the inevitable moments.
Smashing boxes for coins. Check, done this somewhere before I think.
Pulling switches on my way which activate something somewhere else. Check, where would we be without this illogical gaming mechanic?
Racing sections against the clock. Check. How quaint and original! I can ride on the back of a boar and win a prize!
Double Jump. Swing on bars. Moving Platforms. Cheeeeeeeeeeeck.
But as time goes by there is something about the Legend of Kay’s straightforward, unashamed plagiarism that takes hold and delivers a guilty pleasure of an experience. For a start, as an out-and-out platformer I actually found that there were many occasions where it was a wee bit more enjoyable than the more prominent titles on the PS2. Due to its simpler and more linear nature there is an addictive element going on here that puts your mind in focus and forces you to attempt some of the more fiendish platforming sections again and again until you get that damn item! The more epic and diluted nature of the Ratchet and Daxter series often falls down in this respect. Also the coin collection is frequent and somewhat rewarding due to the simple fact that you really do need to keep up on your health potion and armour upgrade purchases in order to progress through tough sections.
But the best thing of all is the combat. Kay is one mean critter with the sword and the way he goes about his business against press gangs of armoured turtles, vicious rats and brutish gorillas is superb. By pressing the directional stick in sequence with on screen arrows during combat you can send Kay leaping automatically from one enemy to another in a fine martial arts flurry. The connectivity of the sword combinations feels just right and the manoeuvre where you can roll behind an enemy to hit him from the rear is excellent. The directional combo system is also used in several other ways such as to leap over great distances or to open ‘combo boxes’ that contain quality items.
The save system too is another piece of polish that enhances the enjoyment of the game. All you have to do is walk past a (usually) conveniently placed save point and it does the job automatically without interfering with your game. No fuss, no interruption to your movement and something that should be in ALL games of this nature. Another special mention should go to the oriental-style ditties that play through the background. They are catchy and tuneful and set the scene beautifully. The sound effects are also chunky and distinct - a small thing maybe but ringing, fat FX are things that make collecting games just that few percent more enjoyable in my book.
It seems perverse for me to say it but I quite enjoyed this game, despite it going against nearly all my critical and style sensibilities of pushing the boundaries and being fresh and original. There is simply too much to do, too many varied locations and it plays too well to be completely dismissed as a poor ‘by the numbers’ game, even though really that’s all it is. But there is something about steering boats down rivers, hopping over dangerous swamps and chasing dragons through caves that appeals to the adventurer in me. If you want a well-realised, solid, straightforward platform adventure you could certainly do a lot worse, just don’t expect it to be a box of ‘Special Kay’ that gets you up in the morning with a fresh spring in your step.
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