Parkour Legends Review (PC)

I’m on the verge of hitting a plateau in my adrenaline-fueled career as a fledgling parkour enthusiast, and I’m not about to let it slip between my fingers, either. There’s a bridge ahead of me, and a truck that’s coursing down a highway roughly ten meters below, and if I can time my leap just right, then I might just have what it takes to claim eternal bragging rights amongst the local community. At this point in time, it’s a life or death situation, and if I should fail, then the only consolation is that the footage, unwillingly, will become an overnight sensation. With that said, if these are the feats that budding Parkour Legends must subject themselves to — then consider me a witty crash dummy whose only purpose is to land on both feet, and not, for example, the ever-alluring asphalt that looms on the horizon.

If Parkour Legends taught me anything about the extreme sport and its rather unruly nature, it was that, even when I felt like I had surpassed a feat that no other runner had achieved, nine times out of ten, there was always another obstacle somewhere in the pipeline. Granted, at no point during that period did I ever feel the sudden urge to leave my own home and vault over the six-foot wall that stands adjacent to my local convenience store, but at the same time, I did, weirdly enough, come to an understanding of what goes into such acts, or at least, the muse that drives the runner.

Parkour Legends has just this moment arrived on PC, and so, if you are looking to subject yourself to a few deadly feats, then be sure to read on for a few pre-purchase advisories. Let’s jump in — literally.

Hardcore Parkour!

When I pictured myself playing Parkour Legends, I thought I’d be bouncing around on couch cushions and shouting “hardcore parkour” at any given opportunity, if only to pay tribute to the likes of Andy Bernard and Michael Scott who, to be quite honest, made me want to explore parkour way back in 2009. However, what I found myself doing, really, was trying to figure out how on earth I could execute a barrage of routines without falling flat on my face and losing all of the momentum that I had accrued in my previous attempts. And honestly, that’s sort of what Parkour Legends is: an arcade-type emulation that allows you to experiment with different moves, and seek new ways to rustle up points and perks in an allotted time.

Parkour Legends isn’t an auto-runner, but rather, a timed game that comprises a whopping 250 unique levels, each of which come with their own forms of terrain and layout. In each of these levels, your goal is relatively simple: finish the course, all whilst accruing various pick-me-ups along the way, whether it’s new views, combos, or speed boosts. Sure enough, there are numerous obstacles to tackle along the way, including seemingly “impossible” moves to master, as well as deadly feats that, if not completed correctly, can result in a bit of a grizzly end for you and your career. It’s a 2D game, and so, naturally, the only thing that you really need to do is strafe to the left or right. But there’s a little more to it than that; it’s also gut-loaded with countless multi-tiered playgrounds, too, which means you also have to consider which paths to take.

Winging It

There’s quite a lot to learn in Parkour Legends, which can be a bit of a headache for those who’d soon rather tap the same four buttons thrice over than onboard a wealth of combos and tricks to see themselves through the bulk of the game. It isn’t anything overly complex; in fact, you can learn a solid portion of the moves and string together a line that’s fairly adequate in a matter of rounds. But then, I’m not about to say that it’s an “easy” game to learn; on the contrary, it actually poses a bit of a challenge, especially in scenarios that involve additional layers that are, in all honesty, highly illogical, to say the least. But that’s half of the fun, and if I learned anything about the game, it was that failing, weirdly, was equally as entertaining as succeeding.

It doesn’t come as much of a surprise, but given the fact that the game is, more or less, a two-dimensional representation of real-life parkour — timing here is everything. And I’ll be honest, this is something that I struggled with the most, as I often failed to connect the dots and make all the right split-second decisions in the right places and at the right times. Thankfully, I had over two hundred levels to shovel through, and so, as long as I was willing to adapt to the ever-changing environment and figure out how to execute a well-oiled vault, it was never going to be a persistent problem. And it wasn’t — at least not for the latter half of the batch, anyway.

There’s a good amount of moves to learn in Parkour Legends—so many, in fact, that each run isn’t made to feel the same as the last. Sure, it’s a tad repetitive — but daunting? No.

Running for the Hills

There isn’t a story in Parkour Legends, per se, but where it lacks in the narrative department, it most certainly makes up for in its chosen gameplay style. It’s hard to complain all that much, either, as the choices are so limited when it comes to parkour-centric 2D runners, that playing it is sort of like accepting rations, in the case that, you don’t necessarily want it, but with little else to choose from, you’re sort of left to deal with the portions and just, you know, get on with it. This isn’t to say that it’s a bad game, though; on the contrary, it’s actually a rather good one, and it’s made all the more enjoyable thanks to the tender love and care that the developers poured into the construction of its mechanics.

What draws me to Parkour Legends, really, is its scoring system—a relatively straightforward incentive that allows you to earn better gear and other nifty rewards that stand adjacent to the leaderboard. It’s a small thing, for sure, but I’m a simple being; if I see a leaderboard, and have even the slightest glimmer of hope that I might, with enough practice and patience, be able to ascend it after a dozen or so attempts, then you can bet I’ll be willing to spend copious amounts of hours sharpening my skills and throwing myself into the thick of the action.

Verdict

I’m not going to say that Parkour Legends is a textbook emulation of the real thing, because it isn’t; if anything, it’s an arcade-like love letter to the art of parkour, and it further reinforces this by introducing features like scoring systems, timers, and adrenaline sliders, to list just a few of its core components. With that said, I’m certainly no expert when it comes to the sport, and so, from an outsider’s perspective, I can’t really comment on a lot of the intricacies, much less the technical aspects that comprise the moves or routines, in general. Does that make me an unworthy candidate? I don’t think so. Saying that, I do think that Parkour Legends will definitely align well with other players — especially the target demographic that it tries so desperately hard to attract.

There’s certainty a tremendous amount to love about Parkour Legends—its wide variety of moves and unique level designs, to round off just a couple of its standout features. What’s more, as there really aren’t all that many games that tap into the art of parkour, it gives me all the more reason to recommend it, as, quite frankly, it’s an underdeveloped market that could certainly do with a slew of major IPs. To think, the last time that we really saw a game based around the sport was back in 2016, when Mirror’s Edge: Catalyst made its debut, of all things. It’s a bit of a different story here, but the premise still remains one and the same: you learn moves, and generate slick lines that bear the power to accrue various in-game bonuses.

To cut a long story short — yes, you should give Parkour Legends a whirl, doubly so if you enjoy anything that comes with a pulse. Otherwise, Chess ought to suffice.