Legend of Kay

"This Cat's a Tiger."

It appears that videogames are forever taking a more mature approach to delivering entertainment. Violence, gore and fear were seldom found in games of old, yet they are commonplace today. Which is why Legend of Kay makes such a refreshing change. It is a game full of simple and wholesome pleasure, with enough ideas to make it stand out against its competitors, yet with all the hallmarks of classic old-school gaming, wrapped up in an irresistible package which will satisfy the whole family.

Plot - The plot is relatively simple - you're Kay, a cat who trains in the martial arts, who decides to leave his village to fight the evil rats and gorillas who have taken over his homeland. It's a pretty basic tale, but is is told with such aplomb that you won't mind as you are slowly but surely suckered in to the charming narrative.

Graphics - Legend of Kay's graphics compliment the plot well, with the well realised and inventive locations. From the simple and unassuming beauty of your village, to the mist covered, mud filled brown swamps, the graphics recall the locales of retro games and syrupy-sweet early 90's animated films, while retaining a uniqueness about them. The game world is full of idyllic locations, and while there are no jaw dropping, stop and stare moments, you just can't help but think about how nice the graphics are. Also there a no frame-rate issues, and no matter whats happening on-screen, the humble PS2 manages it without complaint.

Gameplay - Legend of Kay uses more traditional platforming and adventuring aspects, which give a sense of instant familiarity, and also factors in a few new ideas that that allow the game to grow on you. The platforming itself is pretty simple, you jump to platforms, swing on ropes, climb ropes and make use of your environment to reach where you need to go. It's simple, uneventful stuff whose execution is perfect. Elsewhere, you do some other interesting things as well, such as ride wild boars, or steer boats across swamps and participate in a few races. Again this is pretty simple, yet still challenging. The boar riding in particular - its a test of timing which appears easy until you have to do it, whereupon you will undoubtedly fail the first few times, but perseverance will always reward you with success before it becomes too tedious. The most inventive part is the combat, owing to an interesting and rewarding combat system which actually works. The basic premise is this - you kill an enemy to gain a combo point. Having a combo point enables you to, with the touch of a button, to go to the next enemy within the blink of an eye to attack him, which will lead to more combo points and so on. The "jump to" dynamic makes combat more fluid, and allows you to reach high enemies, such as birds, or enemies on a ledge, without having to wait for them to come to you, or taking ages to reach them. Another bonus of the combo system is that the higher your combo, the more powerful your attacks, enabling you to deliver one hit kills to very powerful enemies and strong materials, which is essential for solving puzzles. The gameplay is nothing short of brilliant not because it is nothing but original ideas, but because it is constantly fresh and interesting.

Sound - The background music is full of familiar oriental themes which cement the atmosphere and, while nothing to write home about, are a pleasant compliment to the action. The sound effects in the game are very cartoony, and compliment the action well, but they are a little too repetitive and could have been improved with a few more. The games fatal flaw, however is in the voice acting. The voice acting, especially for Kay, is truly dire. It all sounds too "Goody too shoes" or otherwise is so over dramatic that it detracts from the relatively serous themes of the game. While everything else about the game is reminiscent of the great cartoons of yesteryear, the voice acting reminds me of the rubbish ones.

Overall, Legend of Kay is a great contrast to te darker games of the moment. It is a light hearted game with an interesting premise, which despite a few minor flaws, manages to enthrall you with its wonderful execution and great little touches. A great family game that is guaranteed to bring a smile to your face and make you feel good about the world.

Reviewer's Score: 9/10, Originally Posted: 06/25/07