Kya: Dark Lineage

The girl may be cute and have some spunk, but she also has her share of blemishes. Kya, the titular character in this actiony, adventurey platformer, is trying to save her brother from a surly band of wolflike beasts. Along with kicking, punching, and throwing a stylish-yet-functional boomerang hair clip, our heroine can hoverboard and free-fall in totally extreme do-the-Dew style. And while these X Games-inspired segments are amusing and control well enough, they often go on far too long and can be frus-tratingly difficult--expect to replay them a few times. Also, the camera can be absolutely maddening at times. But these annoyances don't ruin an otherwise solid game--all the platforming and puzzle segments prove enjoyable and clever. In one level, while scaling a mountain, you use the wind to plant yourself against a wall as you inch your way over a gap. Another has you navigating your Yoshi-esque steed alongside a train before jumping aboard. It's some truly exhilarating stuff. For those willing to give the girl a shot, Kya delivers a good enough time.

Kya, I wanted to love you--with your cute blue dreadlocks, fun bracelet power-ups, and boomerangs aplenty; your pretty worlds and their fanciful flora and fauna; your whimsical story line and its hapless villagers to free. I came to you with an open heart; unfortunately, our honeymoon was cut short that first time the camera fell through the floor and wouldn't show me where you were jumping. And too many hours wandering aimlessly, searching for the next goal, forced me to leave you. Don't ask for another chance, Kya. It's over.

Nobody likes the wind. Seriously, nobody. I mean, it's annoying. It messes up your hair. It basically...blows. Fitting, then, that Kya utilizes the wind as its most "innovative" gameplay element. Free-falling sounds kinda neat, sure, but in practice it's rather dull after the first few times. And when that's the best on offer from this profoundly-mediocre-platformer-with-aspirations-of-greatness, Kya simply doesn't have what it takes to stand out this holiday season.