Legend of Kay Anniversary

Completely overlooked by most on the PS2, Legend of Kay Anniversary is definitely one of the better action platformers to release over the last few years, with fast paced combat that delivers hours of fun for those that missed out on this cult classic.

It's clear from the get-go that Legend of Kay was a labour of love, and this shines through in this re-release; despite showing a few wrinkles here and there the game stands up surprisingly well by modern standards. If you're a fan of the ever-broadened 'action-adventure' genre this is something you should seriously consider. Think of it this way: bad games don't often get HD re-releases (with notable exceptions such as Night Trap).

Over the past few years, many games have received the HD treatment. It’s a trend that continues with big titles like Final Fantasy VII and Gears of War, so it was a bit confusing to hear that Legend of Kay for the PS2 was being redone and re-released on current gen consoles and PC. While not a bad game for its time by any stretch, it never really did anything remarkable, so it seemed strange that developer Neon Studios decided to give it a facelift.

Overall, even though Legend of Kay Anniversary is a flawed game, I still found myself enjoying it a fair amount. Yes the combat is substandard, and the camera is generally awful, but it just has some of that old-school 3D platformer charm that is missing from a lot of the more modern entries in the genre. Whilst its issues mean that it’s certainly not a game for everyone, those that harbour nostalgic thoughts of the original or are just looking for a lengthy adventure may want to check this title out.

The most peculiar HD remaster so far, that offers no obvious reason for its existence or why the original was though worthy of resurrection.

Legend of Kay Anniversary's polishing can't hide the game's shortcomings. Bringing this game back only shows how poorly it aged.

The game has four difficulty settings ranging from easy to nightmare mode, with each increasing difficulty means taking more damage from enemies and dealing less as well. Nightmare mode is truly a test of skill for people who are willing to give it a shot. There are collectables hidden throughout the levels along with demon portals, which are only found with a special potion. Though it doesn’t require multiple playthroughs it, it is a game that has some replayability.