Reviewed on: Nintendo Switch

A breath of new life into a world of talking animals and great adventures

Legend of Kay is a title from a golden age of 3D platformers. Crash and Spyro fans found in Kay a new icon for the genre on the Playstation 2. Now, more than 10 years after the launch of the original, the remaster comes to the Switch to revive the veterans’ nostalgia as well as to present newcomers with an important step in the history of platforming video games.

Narrative: 7/10

Legend of Kay follows the adventures of Kay, a young cat who rebels against the rule of gorillas and rats, while the rest of his village submissively accepts their new rulers. While the story itself is somewhat simple, charismatic characters help players stay motivated to progress, and the game presents an atmosphere that excels at keeping you interested and immersed. The general theme of the game is inspired by ancient Chinese culture, particularly in terms of architecture, martial arts and soundtrack.

Instead of standard cutscenes, the game uses images akin to those of comic books for its narrative moments. The format works well, and stands out in comparison to scenes that use the engine itself and dialogue to move the plot forward.

Mechanics: 7/10

For a decade-old game, LoK presents an impressive array of movements, attacks and other gameplay ideas. You can jump, double jump, crouch, super jump (from a crouch), swing on ropes, hang from ledges, ride wild boars… And we haven’t even touched on combat, which is fast and satisfying. There are a number of items Kay may use to deal damage or to alter the properties of his sword, adding depth and allowing players to express their play style.

Legend of Kay really takes advantage of the graphical enhancements of its Anniversary Edition. The game runs at 60 frames per second, making the experience more pleasant and the controls more precise. The standard camera is not that great, but the game hides in its settings a new camera option, which should be the default – be sure to fix this as soon as you start playing!

Being a recreation of the original, LoK:A ends up showing the same issues as the original title – and so many other games of the time: pacing. Despite being a linear experience, many times you won’t know where to go or what to do. Also, some platforming challenges can get frustrating because they require you to redo long, time-consuming stretches multiple times.

Presentation: 9/10

Legend of Kay Anniversary does an excellent job of recreating the classic with a modern presentation. Beyond the aforementioned 60fps, the game offers rich colors, textures and models, which help bring the world to life.

The soundtrack is excellent, on par with that of the most acclaimed games in the genre. Not only do the songs reinforce the mood and environment, they are genuinely good, and you will find yourself humming the themes even after you turn off the console. Unfortunately, over the hours of play you notice a certain poverty in the variety of the music… And, if you manage not to get tired of the soundtrack, you will still be sad about the missed opportunity to hear more work at this level of quality.

Final Considerations

Legend of Kay Anniversary is a history lesson for a new generation of fans of platforming games, but it is also a gift to diehard veterans. Giving a new, fresh coat of paint to a classic from the past, it becomes accessible for everyone to learn about the game and discover its contributions to the evolution of the 3D Platformer genre.

Scores

Narrative = 7
Mechanics = 7
Presentation = 9
Worth 30 dollars? In general, no. Despite being a good game, there is nothing that justifies a price close to that of a full, new game. Unless you’re a diehard fan of the game, wait for a sale… 20 dollars sounds a lot more reasonable.

Final: 7.6/10

Reviewed with the Nintendo Switch version.