The general reaction of a game critic anytime he finds out he’s being assigned a game based on a movie is something along the lines of, “Great, this is going to be awful. I wonder if there are going to be any nice things to say about this title, or if I’ll just spend three pages ranting about how every aspect is broken. I’ll never get those ten hours of my life back; curse whoever first thought it would be a good idea to release a game alongside every single ‘family friendly’ movie ever produced.” Surprisingly, that has not been my reaction with Kung Fu Panda. The game looks great, plays very well, and would be a fine title for any young gamer looking to enjoy the adventures of his or her favorite fighting mammal for just a bit longer.

The story of Kung Fu Panda centers around Po, a rolly-polly bear whose twin loves in life are martial arts and making his already rotund belly slightly more so. One afternoon, Po sneaks into a tournament to watch the Furious Five, the greatest warriors in all the land do battle to determine who will be named the mythical Dragon Warrior. After causing a bit of a commotion, Po himself is named the Dragon Warrior, much to the chagrin of the Five, and the confusion of everyone in attendance. Po then sets forth to prove himself to the doubters and also take on the fierce Tai Lung, who has escaped from prison and is returning to claim the mantle for himself.

While the game mostly follows the plot of the story, new missions and subplots were added so that the team could produce a game more than an hour-and-a-half long. It works though, as the new missions and stories make sense in the Kung Fu Panda universe, and there aren’t any moments where you will find yourself scratching your head and wondering why on earth Po is doing something like this; it all actually flows together quite cogently.

As you might guess from the subject matter, Kung Fu Panda is mainly a brawler, with Po taking on a number of foes using an impressive variety of moves. The game breaks down Po’s attacks into the basic light and heavy moves, and actually requires you to use both styles fairly regularly to defeat your enemies. For example, small enemies are quick, and can easily dodge strong attacks, so you have to pepper them with light strikes. Conversely, larger baddies are all but immune to your sissy slaps, and require some serious muscle to overcome. Further augmenting the battle mechanics are combos that more advanced gamers can use, as well as special attacks Po can unleash whenever he has enough chi available. Finally, as you progress through each level, you will find coins which can be used to improve all your skills in whatever manner you wish. If you find yourself relying on a particular attack or combo, jack it all the way up to its top level and watch Po do some real damage.

When Po isn’t fighting, he’s engaged in some pretty heavy platforming, the sort of thing you’d see in the original Jak and Daxter or just about any Crash Bandicoot game. This is likely the weakest gameplay element, as Po’s jumps can be a bit sluggish, and the camera likes to work against you in certain situations. While it can be rotated to a point, it still has the nasty habit of getting stuck from time to time and sometimes locking into a position that isn’t all that helpful. Still though, it’s a minor annoyance at most, and one which can quickly be overcome.