“Legend of Kay” is Ready to Strike – Puss in Boots Beware!

by Louis Bedigian

“Simply hitting the attack button won't lead to victory – only when you play smart you'll have a chance to defeat your enemies.”

Dogs may be king of the home, but in the wild it’s the felines who reign supreme.  Lions, tigers, cheetahs – no living canine could take them on and win.  Not even a Poodle in Purse.

In Legend of Kay, gamers get the chance to step into the shoes of a ferocious feline.  He’s a very skilled warrior, and will stop at nothing to defeat his enemies.

How did this cat acquire his tight skills?  The Legend of Kay Web site provides some hints, but my canine senses still tingled.  I could sense that Kay, the star of this mysterious legend, was getting closer.

Sniff, sniff.  (I quickly turned around, grabbing the figure standing in the shadows.)  Now I’ve got you!

“Hey, let go!  It’s Antony Christoulakis, Game Designer of the Legend of Kay!”

Oh, my apologies.  I saw that stuffed animal you were holding and thought it was a real cat.  You can never be too careful these days.

Antony looked at me like I was crazy, then sat down for a Legend of Kay C&A (Claw & Answer).

It's not easy to compete with the superstars of the genre.  When development began for this title, what did you hope to accomplish that other games hadn't?

Antony Christoulakis: When we started development on Kay we had a close look at our competitors. One thing that we saw as a weakness of other titles in this genre was fighting, so we set our focus on creating an action adventure with cool and thrilling fights, intelligent enemies, a strong set of characters and an intense atmosphere.

Legend of Kay is said to be an RPG, but the screenshots showcase action/adventure-style gameplay.  Are both elements present in the game?

AC: In fact Kay is not an RPG – it is an action adventure :)  But there are several elements in the game that are used in both genres, like the shop where Kay can buy various magic items, weapons and armor – or the aspect that Kay’s powers will grow as he progresses through the game.

Puss in Water.

Kay is one cool-looking cat.  Did Puss in Boots have any influence on his design?

AC: Although there are certain similarities, Puss in Boots wasn't a direct template for Kay. When we started out we thought about what kind of animal would fit best in our martial arts setting - so we thought agile, dangerous and charismatic and we ended up with the character of a cat.

Are those adamantium claws he's wearing?  How are they used in combat?

AC: He is a cat, not a wolverine ;)  Kay will find three kinds of claws in the game: the steel claws, claws of the praying mantis and the tiger claws. The claws are the fastest weapon in combat, but wont break armor. They are the weapon of choice when an enemy is without armor. Claws are ideal in air combat as enemies won't escape Kay’s lightning fast blows. They are also the only weapon that can be used while swimming.

This would be a Puss in Flame.

Does Kay have any other attack or defense items to aid him in his quest?

AC: First of all he has his three weapons at his command: the sword, claws and hammer. all weapons have two upgrades in power. on his way across Yenching Kay will also get different kind of armor and a lot of magic potions to help him - like the berserker potion for example that will set his weapons on fire, dealing double damage for each attack.

Given the furry star of the game, it's likely that Legend of Kay has some comedic story elements.  Is that a correct assumption?

AC: Sure, we have a lot of different kinds of animals in the game, each having their own style of behavior and a very unique way of talking. There are a lot of fun parts to discover and we tried to have light-hearted dialogue to offset the grimmer aspects. At the moment all dialogue in-game is dubbed with voice actors and that boosts the character and originality of all the inhabitants of Yenching even more.

Puss in Haste.

Who is Kay's nemesis?  What kinds of monstrous enemies will he have to take down?

AC: First of all there is Shun, leader of the gorilla clan and high alchemist, who is our main opponent. Then we have Tak, the leader of the rats who collaborate with the gorillas to invade the island of Yenching. But before Kay will get a chance to battle the main villains he will have to fight his way past several monstrous bosses – like Boarax, the huge wild boar in the woods... or Quian Bei, the giant stone guardian of the emperors tomb deep below the ancient city and a lot more...

Were the locations designed to reflect Kay's feline heritage?  Or do they have some other meaning?

AC: We also have a lot of acrobatic platformer elements in Kay that make use of his cat like agility - long and high jumps, climbing and reflection jumps on walls etc.

Are there any puzzle elements in Legend of Kay?

AC: There are a lot of little puzzle elements and secret areas in Kay.  For example there is a room in the crocodile temple which has its exit high up in the rear wall, so Kay can’t reach it.  There are some wooden boxes in the room, which can be moved on the ground, but they are not big enough to reach the exit. on the side wall there is a ladder to a small platform with two buttons - one will flood the room to a certain level with water – the other will remove the water again.  The water is electrified, so Kay can’t just swim through the flooded room to reach the exit.  The player will first have to move the boxes on the ground to suitable positions so that he can jump from box to box across the room - then he can flood the room – the boxes float on the water and Kay can jump to the exit.

Puss in a Purple-y Environment.

Lastly, what is the coolest thing about this game – the one thing that will make players want it above all other titles when it's released?

AC: The fighting.  We have some really challenging fights with lots of enemies in the game that can only be won when you master your skills, combos and weapons.  Enemies are not just dumb cannon fodder and attack with specially designed AI driven group behaviors.  Simply hitting the attack button won’t lead to victory – only when you play smart you'll have a chance to defeat your enemies.

Thank you for your time.