It took me a while to appreciate The Legend of Korra. I was late to the Avatar party, first watching The Last Airbender in its entirety after The Legend of Korra’s first season had already started airing. After a couple of viewings of The Last Airbender, I decided to give The Legend of Korra a try. The noir feel of the first couple of episodes stood in stark contrast to the lighter, fantastic feel of The Last Airbender, and so I let it be. Shortly before the end of Korra’s third season, I decided to try again, and found myself marathoning through the seasons with far more vigor than my first attempt.
That said, I was both hesitant and cautiously optimistic upon hearing the news of a Legend of Korra downloadable game; hesitant because the franchise has such a hit or miss record on adaptations, and cautiously optimistic because Platinum Games had yet to make a major misstep, earning my accolades and trust many times over.
Until now.
The Legend of Korra isn’t a terrible game, but it is a forgettable game. It has strong elements, primarily due to Platinum Games’ close work with the show’s creators and staff, but it has amateur mechanical and functional failings that you would never expect from a studio with the reputation and track record that Platinum has developed. It feels lazy.
First, the positives. As I said, Platinum worked closely with the creators of The Legend of Korra to ensure a consistent visual style and a story that would make sense within the greater context of the Avatar universe. In this, I feel that they succeeded; The Legend of Korra (game) looks and feels like it is a part of The Legend of Korra (series). The character models aren’t the only visual element of the game that tie it closely to the franchise, however, as segues and exposition are handled through animated sequences. The transition from game models to animation is nice, and allows the player to feel like they’re part of the show.
Mechanically, the game is a classic beat ’em up, similar to Bayonetta (but only in the most superficial of ways). Combat is primarily a combination of light and heavy attacks, with counter-attacks prompting quicktime events. Where The Legend of Korra shines is in how fluidly it allows the player to switch between the various elements available to Korra in combat, allowing for some fantastic mixed-element combos. The other strong gameplay feature is Pro Bending. Unlockable in the main menu after completion of the game’s story, the Pro Bending matches are very entertaining, and well done.
Now for the negatives; the things that make the game flawed and, ultimately, forgettable. First, the camera is not intuitive. You’ll take a lot of damage because you’ll be struggling to dodge, attack, counter, and make sure that the camera is actually pointed at everything you’re dodging, attacking, and countering. More often than not, it isn’t. You can combat this slightly using the game’s lock-on feature, but while it does lock you on to an enemy, switching your lock to a specific target is an abject lesson in frustration.
Finishing up the major mechanical flaws comes the Naga sequence. The Naga sequences are essentially on-rails races where you can switch lanes of travel, take a turn, slide, or jump. Using all four, you have you make it to the end of the area. It is very linear, with a few opportunities to take a turn and adjust your path, but it has a very different mechanical feel than the rest of the game. It feels like a distraction.
Finally, the game is so very repetitive. 95% of the enemies you fight will be variations on the first season Equalist footsoldiers. You run into an area, the area gets closed off by magical barriers, and you fight some combination of footsoldiers and occasional higher level henchmen until you’ve beaten them all, at which point you move into the next area. It’s a similar formula to other action-adventure/beat ’em up games, but at least most of those other games provide more enemy variety.
Like I said, it’s not a terrible game, just a forgettable one. For fans of the franchise, being able to feel the power of the Avatar as you flow through the power of the four elements is actually quite entertaining for a period of time. The animated sequences and the Pro Bending games are also well worth the time. Unfortunately, the bad camera, poor lock-on feature, disappointingly distracting Naga sequences, and nigh unbearable repetitiveness really make the game feel lazy and unfinished.
