If you thought to yourself "What is the Legend of Kay?" when you first heard of the anniversary edition, you weren't alone. Many people I know had to research exactly when the original game was released. A PS2 title in September of 2005 by Neon Studios and Capcom, ten years later we have the anniversary edition from Nordic Games. The anniversary edition is the answer to why we didn't remember the original game in the first place.
In the Legend of Kay, we play a cat named Kay in a fictional China-inspired land of Tenchling. The native inhabitants of rabbits, frogs and pandas have all left their homeland, leaving only the cats to defend it. No match for the overpowered gorillas and outnumbered by the rats, Kay must embark on a journey to defend his homeland at all cost. On paper, this sounds great. As far as the execution goes – not so much. Although Kay is dubbed as a bit of a platformer, there really isn't much platforming to the game at all. In reality, it's a 3rd person action combat game with more flaws than fundamentals.
Unfortunately you can not skip cut scenes in the The Legend of Kay Anniversary, which means we are forced to witness some of the worst voice acting in the history of gaming. Since the game released in 2005 and this anniversary simply provides updated graphics, we are graced with the original dialogue reminiscent of something out of a Looney Tunes or Animaniacs cartoon. Pussy boy and garbage breath are just two examples of the script that bring out visuals of a 13 year old from the 90's.
Both navigation and combat are more difficult than they need to be due to flaws in its design that don't need to bethere. First off is the camera angle which only allows you to pan left or right. Up and down is not an option so forget about seeing what's above or below you. When you do try and move the camera's angle, the delay is sluggish and often goes in the opposite direction the thumb stick indicates it should.
Although the combat offers a variety of items such as magic potions, hornets, bombs, demon potions and more, theyare used more for an aesthetic effect than for real impact in the combat itself. Overcoming the sluggish camera angle is more of a challenge than the enemies themselves. Typically, I found the easiest way to defeat an enemy was your standard X, X, X triple strike to knock them down and follow up with a ground strike. Then, simply back up and repeat the process again once they get back to their feet. Much of the combat is also dealing with enemies in packs. This means not only getting blindsided because you can not adjust the camera fast enough to find your enemy, but also makes the repetitive process more of a pain than a fun challenge.
Races also exist in the Legend of Kay Anniversary. In races, we "drive" the only animal in the game that actually acts like an animal; a boar. In order to proceed, you need to finish within a certain time with no mistakes or you will be forced to start all over. These races, although offering little to the point of game impact, were fun and offer a bit of an escape from the real gameplay itself.
Normally in games like The Legend of Kay, the audio is what pulls you in with high intensity combat tunes mixed in with free roaming soundtracks during exploration. Kay missed the memo, however, as the audio was messed up more often than not. A few times I actually had to pause the game and adjust the levels of the sound and voices as I was unable to hear the dialogue over the music. I also found it ironic that the game takes place in a mythical city in China as the lines are delivered like an old Saturday afternoon Kung-Fu movie. As Kay or anyone for that matter is speaking, the lines do not line up to the characters' mouth movements and makes for an overall sloppy performance. Outside of cut scenes, however, the audio is actually delivered quite well. The best part of the game, coincidentally, is when you aren't actually doing anything. Just walking around and exploring little of what there is was rewarding, simply for the fact that you appreciate what went into its development as a 6th generation title back in 2005 with the PS2. Unfortunately, ten years and two generations of gaming consoles later, that's where it ends.
For the most part, The Legend of Kay Anniversary delivers a fresh coat of paint on a game that reminds you all the way through why you asked yourself "What is Legend of Kay again?" Overall it's not a terrible game, just an average title that's a little fun but would have been better off left undisturbed.
