- Theatre review: Queer Contact 2023 - 2 March, 2023
- Preview: Queer Contact 2023 - 25 January, 2023
- Theatre review: The Official RuPaul’s Drag Race UK Series Two Tour - 20 April, 2022
I was out at an odd marked social gathering with my parents last night and at about 10pm my phone alerted me that someone had sent me a picture. I then saw the picture… And if I had an ounce less of control over my bladder I would have peed all over the floor. I wish I was joking.
The title screen of The Legend of Korra was glaring at me and I knew what had happened in less than a fraction of a millisecond. IT WAS OUT!!! OMG! HELP ME! IT’S HERE!
No warning. No release date. No nothing, except a concept trailer I saw accidentally on tumblr a couple of months ago.
I told my mum I immediately needed to leave and called a taxi, then danced around in an odd mixture of glee that the game was released and fury that I wasn’t at home and already playing and/or losing my shit over it.
The only words I could muster were ‘KORRA KORRA KORRA KORRA!’ and those words lasted until I got home, took off my jeans, set the game off downloading from the PSN store and finally heard the title music.
And let me tell you, I was not disappointed! The game is everything I wanted it to be. Bad ass Korra kicking bad ass chi-blocker and Republic City triad ass with earth, fire, air and water. I have trouble forming sentences when I think about it because I’m so excited that it’s a ‘thing’, so I’m surprised I’ve got this far.
The game is set in between seasons 2 and 3 of the TV show, and starts by introducing the Avatar and the four elements that she can bend in a short prologue set in the Spirit World. Jinora’s spirit is flying about being annoying, in a Navi kinda way, but we can let that slide because she’s ‘helpful’, and there are spirits attacking you and in turn getting their asses handed to them by our super butch saviour.
The game then opens in the FRICKIN’ PRO BENDING ARENA! Mako and Bolin have been knocked out of the ring and it’s Korra, the last remaining member of the Fire Ferrets, against three bruisers. After promptly disposing of them and basking in her victory, and a cutscene where Korra chases some Chi-blockers down an alleyway and a creepy old man with a serious case of Kyphosis vanishes in a purple wisp, she is left without her bending. Whaaaaaaaat?!
After fighting her way through Republic City and riding through the streets on Naga, HER FRICKIN POLAR BEAR DOG, Korra arrives at Air Temple Island to learn from Jinora’s astrally projected spirit that Tenzin and the whole airbending family are away on a mission, and she must help herself to the barrels of spirit water around the temple to attempt to get some of her bending back. That’s the first three chapters of the game, but now you get the premise.
You get each style of bending back as your progress throughout the game and I can’t deal with how cool it is! Since Aang flew out of the iceberg, I and every other person who watched the show, wanted to either be a bender or play as a bender – no jokes please – and now this game now gives you the chance! Each type of element bending is based on a different style of martial arts, such as the clunky, thumping movements of earthbending and the flowing and serene moves of the waterbenders, and you can switch between each bending style, levelling up your elements, and learning how to manipulate them to suit your combat style and opponent.
The game is pretty short, but after you’ve completed the main storyline you have tons of replay value, and you can compete in the Pro-bending leagues!! Holy moly, I haven’t had as much fun playing a sport since Blitzball in Final Fantasy X! As well as that extra, there are also alternate outfits to kit Korra in, the option to play the Naga-running levels again and equippable talismans for Korra to boost her attack power, strength and experience.
My only criticism is the difficulty setting. I started playing on normal, as most gamers do with a new game, and Lord Jesus Christ, it was so hard! ‘Normal’ my ass! I’m by no means saying I’m a gamerboy supremo, but it was hard! Really hard! It took me at least 15 attempts to defeat the first Mecha-tank in Republic City! So half way through chapter 5 when triads and blockers shooting electrical cables were joined my mecha-tanks every 10 seconds I gave up and switched to ‘casual’ because I simply couldn’t do it. Yes, it’s a dirty word and a shameful setting to play on but I enjoyed the game a thousand times more! I didn’t have the urge to throw my controller at the wall or put my fist through my TV.
That being said, it’s hardly a criticism, more a learning and skill process. The game was brilliant and I want a sequel! And a prequel! And a sequel to the sequel! I frickin’ love Korra and this game fits in wonderfully as part of her legend. I give it 9 flying bunny spirits out of 10! Just make the next game longer.
The Legend of Korra is available on the PSN store for £11.99.
