Legend of Kay Anniversary Edition – Nintendo Switch

A few years ago, we reviewed the port of The Legend of Kay on the Nintendo Wii U, and while I enjoyed the gameplay, some poor voice acting and a shoddy camera made the experience feel exactly like the 90s platformer it was based on. When it was announced the game was coming to Nintendo Switch, I hoped a few extra improvements would be made? Did it happen? Let’s take a look!

Our compete review of The Legend of Kay can be read here. This review will focus on the improvements to the Nintendo Switch version.

The biggest change to this edition is the option to have a different camera option when playing the third person platformer. Although this doesn’t make the camera work in the game good, it definitely makes it better than the versions released previously. What is unfortunate, however, is that this new camera mode which is light years ahead of the basic camera used previously, is not set as a default. You will need to enter the settings and manually change this, which seems like an oversight since the game doesn’t really direct you there.

Graphically, this game is almost identical to the one many Nintendo fans played a few years ago on the Wii U. This is definitely a disappointment, but at the same time, those going from the original title to this will see a drastic improvement. It’s hard to fault THQ Nordic for porting this Wii U game to the Nintendo Switch without many improvements, mostly because of the small base of Wii U owners.

Still, the strongest thing going for The Legend of Kay is the combat. Regardless of how easy fights are – including the many boss fights – the combat itself is fairly deep and incredibly rewarding. I always had a blast wacking my way through hordes of enemies, and taking down rats, gorillas, and even a hog were incredibly satisfying. While the poor aspects of 90s and early 00’s platformers persist, so also to the highlights, and combat in The Legend of Kay is on point once again.

While the game is helped by a fantastic soundtrack that uses subtle tones of Asian influence, the voice acting is something you wish you could forget. Thankfully, the presentation of the cut scenes using comic book inspired panels is brilliant, and was motivation to see the entire game through.

While The Legend of Kay has its weaker points, its still a great trip for those familiar with the original, or looking for a 90s and early 00’s platformer to dig their teeth into. There are moments that feel unfair to be sure, but that is part of the nostalgia of these types of games. For a good price, The Legend of Kay is worth the time and money, and so we maintain our score of 7.0/10!