Kung Fu Panda: The Bodacity of Hope

By Brad Cook

“Let’s try to make it a real martial arts movie, albeit one with a comic character, and let’s take our action seriously,” Kung Fu Panda co-director John Stevenson says in an interview with ComingSoon.net. “Let’s really make sure that our kung fu is as cool as any kung fu ever done … and make sure it’s a beautiful movie … and then let’s see if we can imbue it with real heart and emotion.”

As it was in the movie, so shall it be in Kung Fu Panda the videogame. As in the movie, our hero is Po, a panda living in the Valley of Peace. He’s destined to become the Dragon Warrior — “a fighter of extreme skill and bodacity” — but for now, he finds himself working in his goose father’s noodle restaurant and dreaming of bigger things. Given the opportunity to learn kung fu, however, Po rises to the occasion, increasing his repertoire of skills as he battles the evil forces of Tai Lung the snow leopard and other enemies.

During Po’s adventures, you’ll meet the red panda Master Shifu, who takes Po’s abilities to the next level, as well as the Jade Palace’s martial experts, known as The Furious Five: Master Tigress, Master Monkey, Master Mantis, Master Viper, and Master Crane. You’ll unlock The Furious Five as you progress through the game, giving you access to their unique powers in a variety of multiplayer battles that expand the action in new ways, including all-out brawls, target practice, and more.

Stevenson explains: “The Furious Five are based on the original five animal fighting styles in kung fu — tiger, crane, monkey, mantis and snake-style — so our big conceit was, ‘Well, how does it look to see the original animals that inspired the kung fu moves that shaolin monks adopted? How does an animal do that as opposed to how a human being imitates that animal?’” Patience, panda cub: you’ll soon learn the answers.
Expanding the Movie World

As you learn new fighting styles and explore the game’s 13 levels, keep your eyes open for coins that you can collect and cash in to increase Po’s health and chi (the latter lets him execute special moves, such as the rolling attack known as Stumbling). You can also spend the money to enhance Po’s attacks and obtain special outfits, including the legendary Dragon Warrior attire. Find rare coins and figurines of The Furious Five to unlock special prizes, including video clips and new multiplayer levels and characters.

The game expands on the movie’s vision of ancient China in many ways, introducing new places for you to explore and new enemies to defeat, such as Great Gorilla and the Wu Sisters. You’ll also encounter new characters who need your help, like a mother turtle who needs you to save her hatchling from the Imperial Golden Croc Gang. While many tasks are optional, completing all of them will grow Po’s powers.

You’ll need all the help you can get for the final battle, which features the fearsome Tai Lung. You’ll need to bring all of Po’s skills, including his prowess with weapons, into play, proving, as he says, that he’s not “a big fat panda,” he’s “the big fat panda.” Skidoosh!