Fans of The Legend of Korra animated series will be happy to know that Osaka-based PlatinumGames is developing a Korra video game. Known for fast-paced action games like Metal Gear Rising and Bayonetta, PlatinumGames is the perfect developer to create this game.
I got a chance to play an early alpha build of the game, and I can already tell you it’s going to be awesome. The creators of the Avatar series are extremely protective of their IP so it’s nice to hear that Platinum is working closely with them.
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The game takes place immediately after the events of Book 2 of the animated series. Don’t worry, there aren’t any spoilers for the upcoming season of the show. In fact, the show will debut before this game. The Legend of Korra game is meant to be supplemental, not crucial, to the story.
Without giving too much away, Korra finds herself confronting a new villain after her bending is taken away by Chi blockers. You’ll have to progress through the game to regain your bending and to find out more about the mysterious crime organization in Republic City.
It’s interesting to see how Avatar creators have a unified story throughout each medium. There are comics, shows, and now a game, and they all share a consistent lore.
While The Legend of Korra is big in the United States, it is relatively unknown in Japan. This meant Platinum had to do a ton of research before beginning development. They quickly fell in love with the game for its deep story and beautifully crafted universe.
I saw just how passionate Platinum is about creating this game, speaking with Atsushi Kurooka, a producer on the game.
“We wanted to make sure to stay faithful to the TV show but to also bring our own style of combat to the game. We wanted to make sure we didn’t disappoint [Korra] fans,” said Kurooka.
I’m a huge fan of the series and what I saw did not disappoint. The original voice cast returns for this game and the excellent soundtrack by Jeremy Zuckerman and Benjamin Wynn is lifted right from the show.
One of the most impressive things about The Legend of Korra game is its fluid combat. As the Avatar, Korra can bend all four elements: Air, Earth, Fire, and Water. Each element focuses around a different martial arts style, which is shown in the game.
Each bending style is useful for different situations. For example. Fire bending allows you to perform lightning quick moves while Earth bending is slow but powerful. You’ll have to figure out which type of bending to use against various enemies. You can switch bending styles quickly with the left and right shoulder buttons.
Animations are smooth and you can pull off ridiculously long combos like you can in Metal Gear Rising. Platinum went to great lengths to make sure the game runs at 60 frames per second. As a result, everything looks buttery smooth.
Art in the game is a mix of cel shading and hand-drawn art. Characters in the game are cel shaded while the backgrounds and level textures are hand-drawn. The early build I saw was missing some textures but the ones I did see were gorgeous.
Enemies in the game are a bit repetitive but Platinum makes sure to mix it up with some boss fights. In the demo, I got to fight against a Mecha Tank, which fans were introduced to in Book 1 of the show.
So is there anything bad about the game? Well for one, the game will be short. Expect about four hours of gameplay, though Platinum is also including a Pro-Bending mode. You can also replay the game to try and find all the items.
The Legend of Korra game will be released sometime this fall for $15. You will be able to download it for PlayStation 3, PlayStation 4, Xbox 360, Xbox One, and PC. There will also be a Nintendo 3DS version of the game as well, according to Destructoid.
