The Legend of Korra for the PS3: this game isen't anything like the series but it never tries too be.

Note: all footage for the video and pictures for this review were captured by me using a capture card device.

Now if you want to know my feelings about the Legend of Korra TV show you should know I hate it. With its well-crafted characters, deep philosophy, and just plain awesome animation watching one episode of that series usually means binge watching a season. No show should be this good. Fortunately the game doesn’t have a lot of the problems. I got the game when I saw it half off several months ago, so let’s take time to take a quick look at The Legend of Korra for the PS3.

What a lot of criticism of this game comes from its story or lack thereof. The TV series has just in-depth characters, thick stories, which don’t feel like they come from a kids cartoon. The Legend of Korra the video game feels like an average video game story. Basically set between season 2 and 3 we find Korra getting attacked by an old man who now controls Republic City triads and has all her bending taken away (so that the game can hand them back to you one at a time so you feel like your progressing) and now Korra’s out to get her bending back by beating up every goon in the city. Yes it’s pretty basic story and most of the side cast does not appear. Bolin and Mako only have cameo appearances at the beginning of the game. Tenzin and Beifong don’t appear at all. And we do have Tenzin daughter appearing just to speak out necessary commands to get a power back and then leaving. So yes the story is not has good has an arch in the show but I will forgive the developers for this.

You see the Legend of Korra is a breezy action game and the types of games Platinum made (like there classic DMC for Capcom) aren’t always big on narrative keeping it light allows me to enjoy the gameplay more. Would I have liked a better story? Yes, but the way it is doesn’t sink the rest of the game for me either.

The graphics in the game are cel shaded and try to look like the TV series and it does a good job. Republic City looks like Republic City for the most part. Of course like a lot of cel shaded games sometimes the character’s don’t look right close up and Korra unfortunately suffers from that especially from the minor character’s. The camera control is ok most of the time but there are times when fighting larger opponents that it gets in the way. Over all the graphics aren’t going to win the best ever reward in cel shading from me but they are serviceable.

We get some pretty good voice acting from the person who plays Korra in the series plus Steven Blum playing the old guy. Pretty much every one else is kind of forgettable. The music is also unfortunately forgettable but some good action sound effects are in there as well.

The gameplay in the Legend of Korra is for the most part a simple brawler but the action knows how to keep it fast pace. It’s hard but never too hard (after all it’s a ”kids” game) basically the idea is to beat people up using bending. You start off not being able to really bend and you have to use your basic fists in the opening area. Teaching you the basic attacks and that one of Korra’s best offensive abilities, is she has a good defense. No I am not kidding you there are a lot of areas and enemies you’re going to beat by countering there projectiles by well-timed presses of the defense button But has you progress you will be informed when you have learned a new bending ability and will have to play a mini game. Get a combo, dodge enemy attacks whatever to get that ability unlocked.

Each type of bending has its own combos and uses. Fire is fast, water is long range, earth is powerful but slow, and then air bending is wide range and can just take out a lot of people at once. (I seriously have to ask how all the air benders were killed by the fire nation they were all bad ass versions of Ryu from the street fighter series who knew how to fly). Each bending ability has its own combos and even unique techniques to be learn by powering it up by leveling it up through combat.

And towards the end of the game Korra will also unlock the Avatar mode. This is very similar to Devil May Cry’s devil trigger ability. For a few moments Korra will be super powered and her attacks will destroy any enemies including large tanks and it only last for a short period of time but using it well will clear out enemies fast. But it happens so late it’s useless unless you plan on replaying the game again.

The game is also kind of short clock in about 5 hours, but this isn’t a bad thing with it’s simple brawler game play any longer and the game would start to seriously drag out.

If you’re expecting some sort of hidden season told through video game mode then Legend of Korra the game will disappoint you. The developer’s from the get go had no intention of giving us a narrative base game, what’s there is adequate but definitely not up to the Legend of Korra’s story telling. The gameplay is solid enough to be fun and entertaining while it lasts though, Korra was meant to be a simple downloadable action game and what’s there comes out quite top notch.