Legend of Kay
A cat martial artist fights gorillas and rats in Yenching.
Legend of Kay is an action-adventure platform game from 2005, developed by Neon Studios and published by JoWood Productions for the PlayStation 2. A shorter version for the Nintendo DS, created by Firehazard Studio, came out in 2010. After acquiring JoWood's assets, Nordic Games (now THQ Nordic) released an enhanced edition called *Legend of Kay Anniversary* on modern consoles and PC, featuring visual and gameplay upgrades.
The story takes place in the land of Yenching, long inhabited by cats, rabbits, frogs, and pandas. These four races once thrived under a religious code called The Way, each in their own towns. Over time, younger generations abandoned The Way, leaving Yenching vulnerable to invasion by Gorillas and Rats—collectively known as the Din—led by Gorilla Minister Shun and the Rat Alchemist, Tak. Shun now rules most of Yenching from the volcanic mountain of Waa-Lo.
The protagonist is Kay, a hotheaded young cat and the finest martial arts student of his Master. Like many of his people, Kay rejects The Way, favoring physical strength. This causes his friend Su Ling to leave town in disgust, seeking others who believe in reviving The Way. One day, Shun's gorillas and the mayor force Kay's martial arts school to close to make way for new "Din schools," likely to prevent threats. Outraged when his Master agrees, Kay sneaks into the Master's house at night, steals a mystical blade while the Master sleeps drunk, and escapes into the wilderness.
Kay's journey takes him to the Haretree (the rabbits' secret home), Frog City, and the Forbidden City (the pandas' plateau city), befriending a dragon and battling rats, crocodiles, turtles, bears, ladybugs, and gorillas along the way. In the Forbidden City, he reunites with Su Ling, now leader of the Avalanche—a panda group dedicated to reviving The Way and stopping Shun and the Din. After helping them, Kay joins the Avalanche on a voyage to Waa-Lo. Exploring the volcano's caves, Kay defeats Tak, then faces Shun in a duel. Wounded, Shun uses a machine powered by Waa-Lo's fires to fuse with a bodyguard into a monstrous ape. Kay defeats the monster as the volcano erupts. The Avalanche rescues Kay and Su Ling via hot air balloon. Back on the ship, a merchant tries to sell souvenirs; Kay pulls off his rice hat to reveal the Master.
Quick Facts
- Title
- Legend of Kay
- Developer
- Neon Studios / Firehazard Studio / (DS) · Kaiko (Anniversary)
- Publisher
- PAL · JoWooD ProductionsNA · Capcom Entertainment / (PS2) / NA · DreamCatcher Games / (NDS) / WW · Nordic Games / (Wii U, PS4, PS3, Xbox 360, PC) / WW · THQ Nordic / (Switch)
- Director
- Jan Jöckel / Pete Walentin
- Producer
- Neil Soane (original) / Thorsten Röpke (Anniversary)
- Designer
- Antony Christoulakis
- Writer
- Noah Falstein / Kenneth Melville / Pete Walentin
- Programmer
- Peter Thierolf
- Artist
- Antony Christoulakis / Jonas D / Christian Wagner / Yu-Chung Chen (original) / Daniel Amend / Stella Behrendt / Benjamin Sauer (Anniversary)
- Composer
- Jake Kaufman
- Engine
- RenderWare
- Genre
- Action-adventure, platformer (PS2) / Stealth, platform (NDS)
Facts from the source article.
Lore & Background
The game is set in the mystical land of Yenching, inhabited by cats, rabbits, frogs, and pandas who once prospered under a religious code called The Way. When younger generations defected from The Way, the land was invaded by Gorillas and Rats (the Din), led by Gorilla Minister Shun and Tak the Rat Alchemist. The story follows Kay, a hotheaded young cat and the Master's finest martial arts student, who steals a mystical blade and ventures into the wilderness after his school is shut down by Shun's forces.
Kay's journey takes him through various locations including the Haretree, Frog City, and the Forbidden City, where he reunites with his friend Su Ling, now ringleader of the Avalanche—a group of pandas dedicated to reviving The Way. After defeating Tak and then Shun, Kay battles a monstrous fused entity created by Shun and Tak's machine, powered by the volcano Waa-Lo. The game ends with Kay, Su Ling, and the Avalanche escaping the erupting volcano, and Kay's Master revealing himself as the merchant.
Reader's Guide
Legend of Kay is notable as a mid-2000s action-adventure platformer that attempted to blend martial arts combat with traditional platforming elements. The original PlayStation 2 version received an average aggregate score of 72/100 on Metacritic, while the DS version received 'unfavorable' reviews on GameRankings. The 2015 remaster, Legend of Kay Anniversary, scored 54/100 on Metacritic, with critics noting that while it was graphically the best version of the game, camera issues from the original were not fixed, and the game featured 'abysmal' voice acting with dated gameplay compared to competitors like Super Mario Odyssey. The remaster added online leaderboards for score comparison and was released across multiple platforms including Windows, OS X, Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, PlayStation 4, and Wii U in 2015, with a Nintendo Switch port following in 2018. The game's legacy is primarily as a cult title that received a second life through its remaster, though it failed to achieve critical acclaim.
Did You Know?
- An abridged Nintendo DS version was developed by Firehazard Studio and released in 2010.
- The remaster, Legend of Kay Anniversary, was released on July 28, 2015, for Windows, OS X, Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, PlayStation 4, and Wii U.
- The Nintendo Switch version of the remaster was released on May 29, 2018.
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