There are many games like Kung Fu
Panda: Legendary Warriors. So many, in fact, that there’s no need tell you about
its beat-‘em-up mechanics that replace button-mashing with non-stop Wii remote
shaking. Most players are already aware that when an attack-heavy,
fight-an-enemy-every-second action game is introduced – and a license is
attached, as there is here – a certain amount of repetition can be expected. The
world surely knows that attack-driven power-ups – those earned by pummeling an
unspecified number of enemies – will always make an appearance.
That is precisely why the bulk of
this review will be dedicated to the few areas where Kung Fu Panda becomes its
own game within its own license. Granted, you’ll have to look hard to see it,
and being a huge fan of the Jack Black comedy couldn’t hurt. But if you enjoy
beat-‘em-ups, if you want something to bash (or in this case, a reason to flail
your hands in front of the television) or know an eight-year-old who might, read
on – we’re about to see if these warriors are truly legendary.
Characterization
If a game is going to make us
perform the same mechanic over and over (aimless Wii remote shaking), the least
it could do is provide a bunch of unique and/or charming animations that make
the visual aspect less boring. In that area, Legendary Warriors delivers a fair
selection of movie-inspired animations that bring the essence of these
characters to this Nintendo Wii brawler.
Among swift and poetic cat-like
movements, few can argue that Tigress is the leader of the pack. With expert bo
fighting skills, Monkey is the first to hit, the first to evade, and the last
one to go down. Shifu is a bit simpler with mechanics that are physically the
same as the others (all four characters control the same) but visually
different.
Po’s weight is a major factor in how
he performs. His round figure (some might say plump) sways with every move. When
leaping into the air, you almost have to ask yourself, “How’d he muster the
strength to jump that high?” On his way down, Po can spin-kick for multiple hits
to one enemy or slam down – belly first – for a multi-enemy attack. The body
slam is generally more effective, as it can eliminate the threat of being
overwhelmed with too many enemies (this isn’t a hard game but that can still
happen).
Interestingly, the developers were
smart enough to realize that, if we were allowed to jump and slam our way
through the whole game, it’d be over faster than the movie it’s based on.
Technically you can do just that – but not if an enemy jumps up and attacks you
before the move is fully executed. This not only differs from the average
brawler, but is reminiscent of fighting games that emphasize aerial attacking
(Mortal Kombat instantly came to mind). It would have been cool to see the
developers head further in this direction, with other inspired elements that
break up the repetition. But this is all you get.
“Are you actually trying to fight
us?”
It seems that Legendary Warriors
doesn’t want us to forget its movie heritage. After every mission, a minimum of
two story sequences will follow: one in real-time (with the same character
models you see on screen), the other with basic drawings and what could be
described as a Flash animation presentation (with fewer animations). The latter
features intriguing commentary from Jack Black; the former is mostly comprised
of lame villains and allies talking about how much they’d like to take over the
world or how they’re desperately trying to save it. These boring moments were
hardly welcomed, so whenever they arrived, it felt like a good time to grab a
drink, go to the bathroom or write down some thoughts for this review.
Upon returning after one of those
times, I was worried to see that the sequence had ended and the next level had
begun. (The real-time sequences cannot be skipped, hence my eagerness to leave.)
But there was nothing to worry about: though a small amount of health had been
reduced, the enemies weren’t attacking much. One of them was mumbling, “Are you
actually trying to fight us?” even though there were five of them, only one of
me, and they could have easily finished the job before I came back into the
room. Definitely not the smartest case of AI development.
Legendary For Some
Like any brawler, beat-‘em-up, or
any other term used to describe a game that is little more than an enemy-bashing
free-for-all, Kung Fu Panda: Legendary Warriors won’t be loved by all Kung Fu
Panda fans. It speaks to a certain audience – primarily the 6 to 12 crowd – and
will mainly appeal to gamers who enjoy a good button-masher, even though most of
the mashing has been replaced by excessive hand-flailing.
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Gameplay: 7.0
Simple and straightforward beat-’em-up gameplay.
Graphics: 6.0
The animations are terrific but the rest is very weak.
Sound: 6.0
Jack Black is good, but who invited the D-list actors voicing the other
characters? Someone wake me when the cut scenes are over.
Difficulty: Easy
Shake-based simplicity.
Concept: 5.0
The lead characters are great but they came from the film. The game itself
comes straight from the early 90s without much new to form a lasting memory.
Multiplayer: 6.0
Two-player co-op and four-player versus.
Overall: 7.0
There aren’t any distractions outside of a few mini-games (which involve
little more than hectic remote-shaking); no environments to explore, no
ridiculous puzzles to solve. It’s just one big game of
wave-the-remote-defeat-the-enemy. Fun for fans of this kind of experience
– boring for anyone else.
