The Legend of Korra: The Video Game Review

-Gregg Dietz
Reviews Editor

This game is based off of the immensely popular animated series of the same name. If you haven’t seen the show or its predecessor, I highly recommend you do. This game is made by Platinum Games, they’ve made such games as Bayonetta, Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance and The Wonderful 101. The game was announced in July this year, right before season 4 had begun airing. Having Platinum Games work on this adaptation is an interesting choice since anything from either Avatar series has yet to have been aired in Japan. The studio had viewings of the show with translated scripts and said the show had "interesting action, a really good story, comedy, and romance". They wanted to emulate that as close as possible and towards the end of the production, The director Kurooka said that screenshots of the game were indistinguishable from those of the series.

The plot of the game takes place within the 3 weeks between season 2 and 3. As Korra is leaving a pro-bending match, a chi-blocker by the name of Hundun removes all of her bending abilities. As Korra, you are tasked with finding out who this is and regaining your bending. This plot was interesting in that it was never fully explained anything, you had a villain you needed to defeat and no real connection to him like with all the other villains Korra had fought. He is a very fun and interesting final boss to fight but with no substance to him, his defeat wasn’t as satisfying as I would have liked. One of the coolest things about The Legend of Korra series is how well written all the characters are that inhabit this world. The game has no one but Korra and Tenzin’s daughter, Jinora as Korra’s spiritual guide. This is understandable since the game is a single player experience but felt a bit lonely.

The gameplay is that of an action brawler. It’s very apparent that Platinum Games used their expertise from Bayonetta to make the action flow as well as it does in the game. The thing about beat’em ups I am not a fan of is the monotony of pressing the same button over and over again to win. This game does a great job of making you assess the situation before you attack. You must understand what the bending you have activated can do before you make your move. Throughout the game, you will unlock a new bending per level and need to use it on a boss. This is a great feature since it makes the game feel different with each level. Each new bending is different enough that it breaks up the monotony. I also love how this game isn’t just a one button brawler, you must use block and dodge as much as attack to survive.

The visuals are very well done. Everything feels like it was pulled right from the show. Titmouse did a great job making the cut scenes to look as close to the show as possible but it’s quite apparent that it’s not the same studio. The levels can look a bit bland in the grand scope of things. Many times it’s just the same wall spreading the length of a full level. However, when the level gets to a place where your get an animated background, you can tell they did put some thought into the ambiance.

I do have a few gripes with the game. As stated above, I’m not a fan of “Korra Alone”. I understand that for what budget they had, they did what they could but imagine a game where you always have 2 other benders fighting alongside Korra. They are controlled by A.I. and will be different each level. This would make moments where Korra is truly alone have real weight. The combat, as varied as it may be, does eventually become monotonous. This is more of a nitpick because I have to way to suggest a solution to this issue in a constructive manner. The worst thing about this game are the Naga Running sections. These should never be part of a game or any game. If I wanted to play temple run, I would play temple run.

My overall opinion of the game is that it’s okay. At its best, its a fun brawler you can get lost in, and at its worst, it’s a boring button masher. I wouldn't recommend this game unless you are a super fan. If you are a casual watcher of the show and enjoy it, completely pass on this. I would have liked to see a lot more from this game had the budget been bigger. Playing in the pro-bending league after game completion is a fun bonus though. I give The Legend of Korra the video game a 7 outta 10.

What did you think of the game? Are you watching the show, and if so, what are your opinions of the series thus far? Let us know in the comments below, on our facebook fan page, or tweet us @MissionStartP.

Thank you for reading