At long last, the enduring wait is over. The Legend of Korra game, made from a show we all know and love so much, has finally been released. Before I start my review, there are a few things I would like to point out. First off, this game is available for the Xbox 360, Xbox One, PlayStation 3, PlayStation 4, and the PC. They’re ready for purchase today, so hop to it, Korra fans. Second, one thing we all have to remember about this game is that it’s a $15 game, not $60 like we’re all used to, so it may not have the same kind of quality. There are many things about this game I enjoyed, but almost every game has something that could be improved, so let’s begin.
At the very beginning of the game, you’ll start out in the Spirit World, where you’ll be attacked by angry spirits. This is basically just to let you get to know the controls of Korra before you actually begin the game. Afterwards, you’ll be taken to a Pro Bending arena, where you’ll see Mako and Bolin almost instantly K.O.’d, leaving Korra by herself to win the round. After that, you’ll see Korra leaving the stadium, and attacked by a strange old man who takes away her bending with what seems to be “Chi-blocking”.
Throughout the game, you’ll need to restore Korra’s bending abilities, and find out just who this old guy is. The only characters from the show besides Korra herself are Jinora, Mako, and Bolin. Jinora serves as an occasional tip giver, while Mako and Bolin only appear in the Pro Bending arena, which comes up two different times. The story’s great, but it could be better; I honestly couldn’t see it being an episode of the series. However, it does give you a sense of purpose as to where you’re going. It’s also canon to the series, taking place between Book 2 and Book 3. Our villain’s name is HunDun and apparently he’s a bad guy a previous incarnation of the Avatar defeated centuries ago. He’s got a bone to pick with the Avatar, and his first step is taking away your bending.
If you’ve played a game like God of War or Darksiders, then you should have no problem adapting to the controls of Korra. It’s your generic third person beat ‘em up style, with a set of light and heavy attacks, along with dodging and countering. It’s very simple when you get used to it, which is exactly what the game lets you do at the very beginning when you start out in the spirit world. After you get to the final level and beat the game, you’ll finally unlock Korra’s Avatar state to use at will (when you build up points for its use). The feeling you get when you first achieve this form is incredible. Korra’s strong, but her Avatar state blows everything out of the water. The bad part is that the time you’re given’s very limited. I could count around 6 to 7 seconds when knocking back hordes of enemies as Avatar Korra. Comparing the time it takes to achieve the Avatar state, it’s not worth the few seconds you get to use it.
There’s also the (kind of) mini game you can play with Korra riding Naga, called “Naga Run”. You’ll have to play this mode throughout the story to be able to progress, so you’ll be experiencing it multiple times. If you’ve played “Sonic Dash” or “Temple Run”, then this mode will be more than easy to adapt to. You’ll take control of Naga with Korra on her back, and run through the levels while dodging obstacles like random walls or small cars.
A unique twist to this is Korra being able to bend while riding Naga, giving her quite the advantage against the environment. Korra’s Airbending allows Naga to temporarily fly and give her a speed boost, while firebending will cause Korra to shoot fireballs that can destroy obstacles. Her Waterbending additionally gives Naga a shield that will take one of most kinds of hits. Finally, her Earthbending will allow Naga to double jump by launching her in mid air with a pillar beneath her.
I actually found this mode really fun and you even get to use it during a boss fight later on in the story. After beating a level featuring “Naga Run”, you’ll can go back and replay it as much as you would like, along with any other level.
I almost forgot to mention the Pro-Bending mini-game. In this mode, you play as Korra with Bolin and Mako in their team “Fire Ferrets” against other teams in a race to take home the gold. Your gameplay is different in this mode, as activating Avatar mode would be insanely overpowered. The game sticks with the show, and restricts Korra to using only water bending. Surprisingly, the AI is pretty smart and make for a challenge the higher you set the difficulty. I found myself losing a match or two in the hardest mode you can play in, “Ace”. I really don’t think this mode has a ton of replay value to it, but once you beat all 3 difficulties, you’ll get an achievement/trophy. However, this mode could really have some replay value if there were some kind of online for it.
The Legend of Korra’s soundtrack is just as beautiful as the music from the television show. Every fight scene, cutscene, and level have very fitting tracks to match the event.
Overall, I think The Legend of Korra is a game almost every fan will adore, despite low reviews from other critics. It may not be a full $60 game like Hyrule Warriors or Titanfall, but you can certainly tell developer Platinum Games put as much as they could into this game with their given budget. If I could change anything about The Legend of Korra before it came out, it would be making the story a little more in depth and interesting. I found it a little bit plain and lacking the show’s episode quality, but if you love Korra, you’ll love this game.