The Legend of Korra Hands-On Preview

What kind of developers would you choose if you wanted to make a game based on a Nickelodeon franchise? Why, the creators of Bayonetta, obviously! It might seem like an odd choice on the surface, but it makes more and more sense once you see what this game is all about.

For those unfamiliar with The Legend of Korra, it’s an animated series that takes place in the same world as Avatar: The Last Airbender. Taking place 70 years after the original series, the world’s four separate nations are now joined in peace as the United Republic of Nations. This new story follows a strong, stubborn, and rebellious teenage girl named Korra, who is the embodiment of the new Avatar reincarnate. 

Korra, being the only person to posses control over “bending” the four basic elements of earth, wind, fire, and water, is now the designated peacekeeper of the world. With plenty of new responsibilities, an intense training schedule, and trying to maintain a somewhat normal life, Korra finds herself with a bit more on her plate than she can handle.

Admittedly, I knew nothing of the story when I first heard about the game coming into existence. However, after getting my hands on a recent alpha build, I’m eagerly trying to catch up to where it fits into the storyline; coincidentally, just before tomorrow’s premiere of Season 3. Although the game itself won’t release until Fall 2014, it will serve as a way to reveal the consequences of an important decision made by Korra at the end of Season 2. 

The first thing I observed about the game was how strikingly similar it looked to the show itself. The cel-shaded art style and beautifully hand-painted backgrounds made it an almost seamless transition from television to video game. Although they mentioned that the art design wasn’t anywhere near the final stages, it was hardly noticeable that it wasn’t.

After being recently kidnapped and stripped of her bending powers, the game begins with Korra on a desperate journey to the Air Temple in hopes of restoring her lost abilities. The first main objective is to collect healing Spirit water in the form of glowing water droplets scattered in the area. With no abilities just yet, Korra can only rely on her basic kung fu training of light and heavy attacks. In addition to her dodging and counter techniques, she also has “finishing” moves that can be executed when ending a quick combo with a heavy attack. There is even a button for contextual finishing moves for when an enemy becomes stunned. 

The combat felt very fast, fluid, and incredibly problem-free this early on. Not surprising, considering this is what Platinum Games is largely known for with their work on Bayonetta. However, this was just the tip of the iceberg. Combat opens even further once Korra regains her bending techniques through natural story progression. Although once she relearns each technique, you don’t get back to her full potential right away. 

Each of the four bending styles will increase levels just by being used, and according to Robert Conkey, Producer at Activision, they can all be increased progressively based on your play style. “Maybe you just love Waterbending. You get level 10 on Waterbending, and everything else is level 1. That could work. It might be hard, but it can still be done. But if you like to do it more balanced, there’s a lot of different ways to go about it.”

The pause menu will list any combos you’re able to execute, which will feature any number of your light and heavy attacks. This will make things interesting in light of the fact that players can quickly swap bending styles at the push of a button. It leads to a multitude of combo chains when mixing different styles, and works incredibly well once you get the hang of what each element is capable of. 

Long combos can also be achieved by synergizing different techniques. Earthbending and Waterbending, when used in conjunction, can launch an enemy upwards and juggle them in the air for a significant amount of damage. Throw Airbending in the mix, and players can dash past an enemy to continue the barrage from behind. There are a slew of ways Korra can use her powers in unison. Conkey also pointed out that, “As you level up your bending style you gain more and more (light) attacks. And to unlock new (heavy) attacks you need to buy them at the store.” This is where collectibles come into play.

Scattered throughout the world are treasure chests containing various items. These chests can be out in plain sight, but there are some in more hidden locales. Each area in the game is designed in a way so players can see the objective off in the distance. Despite the fact that the level design is linear, you still have admittance to come and go as you please when exploring branching paths. 

These harder to find chests also require the use of a specific bending style in order to unlock. In regards to how the chests might work later, Conkey noted, “We’re not sure if it’s completely final yet, but the idea right now is that you can hit them, and the more damage you do the better the item you will get.” These can be anything from health, buff, or junk items that can be translated to currency, or “Spirit energy”, to be used when purchasing new moves.

My short time with The Legend of Korra barely scratched the surface of this game. Combat gets even more complex with Korra’s ability to execute charged attacks in the midst of combos. Fans will also recognize the Avatar State, which unleashes total devastation while looking phenomenal in the process. Naga, Korra’s adorable polar bear-dog, also makes an appearance during what Conkey described as “endless runner”-type sections in the game. There is also an entirely separate Pro-bending mode, which is a competitive sport featured prominently throughout the series. 

Platinum Games is one of the last studios I would guess to helm a project like this, but from what I can tell they seem like the right team for the job. Even in such an early stage everything looked surprisingly polished. Which only makes it more surprising that the announcement trailer didn’t feature any gameplay. 

Rest assured, Platinum Games made it quite clear they intend to make The Legend of Korra with their brand all over it. They even created the endgame boss, in conjunction with the folks at Nickelodeon, to include the type of crazy action they’ve always been known for. However, this was also the first time they’ve had to consider game design for a “casual” audience. Even so, I was also guaranteed they’ve made a difficulty level specifically for fans of their studio.

I can’t imagine there being much overlap between Bayonetta and The Legend of Korra fans. Nonetheless, if you fit snugly in that demographic this might be a game to watch out for when it releases later this year.