Rayman Legends Review

Rayman was but a blip on my radar filled with static and dust before Rayman Origins showed its face. Growing up in the Playstation era, Crash and Spyro eclipsed his cartoon charms, with Ratchet soon masking his efforts to leap into 3D. Then, Origins dared to rise amidst some of the biggest games this generation has ever seen and leapt straight into my heart, fun lobe and other various body parts I’ll leave ambiguous for the greater good. Its endorphin encouraging greatness meant it was the only platformer that left me rocking back and forth in the corner of each room I occupied pleading for more, and now more greatness has finally returned in the form of Rayman Legends. ABOUT TIME.

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In Rayman terms, we call a situation like this an ‘insta-retry’ moment.

It has felt like a century since I got my last colour coated fix of joy from the plucky leper. For Rayman and his crew, it literally has been. A 100 year long nap has left the Glade of Dreams severely lax in the home security department.  Nightmares have multiplied, evolved into more grisly (but not psychologically damaging) monstrosities and the occupants known as the Teensies have been caged up to make room for the grim beasts to move in. And with grim beasts comes the inevitable platforming magic that ensures a ridiculously fun journey to banish the sods.

Has a lot changed since our last visit to the Glade of Dreams? No. Good. Nothing was broken, nothing needs fixing. The only thing that differs is there’s more of everything. Rather than a couple of secret doors nestling off screen, ten Teensies are scattered throughout entire levels, nestling in the most obvious open spaces to teetering towards the most dastardly obnoxious death traps. There’s more Lums to gather in more dynamic ways. And most of all, there’s more bloody fun to be had.

Whereas the Teensies are treasured collectables that should probably take priority in obtaining as lives are at stake, the Lums that litter worlds are a more subtle means of giving you an excuse to launch into the air, pump your fist upwards and freeze in victory. Lums act as a currency which when gathered, can unlock more characters for you to fail with. Subconsciously, however, their layout subtly guides you through the coolest path to victory. From a pessimists view, it’s just another perfectionists’ nightmare…and another reason to give each level another shot should that one odd Lum you missed taunts you for your lack of brilliance.

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“OhcrudOHcrudOHCRUD!”

Run. Jump. Run. Jump. The occasional thwack of a minions head breaks up this skill filled rhythm of adventure. Yet Legends constantly finds new ways of surprisingly delivering new ways for you to do the same old jazz with. The most pro-active alteration here is the addition of Murphy, a floating green manipulator of space. The oddest transition, a feature that was primarily controlled by a Wii U gamepad back in the days of exclusivity, Murphy is controlled instead partly by the forces of intelligent programming, partly by simple button taps. Murphy cleverly pre-empts future obstacles and perfectly times himself to move into a position where he can affect it. Then, with a simple button flick, he can aid you by demolishing traps or shifting platforms your way. As his actions are so smoothly decided upon automatically, his inclusion never interferes, and almost feels like you’ve developed some form of ESP with hardware. It lacks the interactivity of its Wii U counterpart, but it’s by no means a hindrance, just another simple mechanic that’s satisfying to master.

Rather than escalating into sheer lunacy when it comes to challenge, Legends has a much more forgiving difficulty curve. The Lum flightpaths not only acts as pocket filler, but as guidelines and recommended routes to follow. Even the most dastardly of obstacles become deceptively simple when tackled with gusto and flair, and it’s these qualities the game slowly builds up in you over time. There’s still the odd psychopathic surprise dwelling here and there towards the finish line, but when you reach that point, you’ll be both skilled and sociopathic enough to dominate them.

Whereas the Lum trails give short injections of sheer ‘YAY!’ whenever they’re collected in a particular order, there’s a slightly more on the nose approach to knowing you did a swell job in latter stages. Each world finishes off with a special treat, a musical level where survival is rewarded with bizarre cover songs. Want to hear a full version of ‘Eye of the Tiger’ with punchy guitar replaced with mariachi band acoustics? You’ll have to jump and thump your way through enemies to the beats of the catchy tune. If stuff like that struggles to motivate you, consume yourself a soul you fiend.

…the standard soundtrack pretty darn swell as well.

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Eye of the Tiger accompanies this harsh thwacking. I know that’s hard to imagine…so just buy the game.

Those who honed their instincts in Origins will know that Rayman’s world is wonderfully animated and that you could potentially interrupt Saturday morning cartoons with gameplay and kids would be none the wiser. Legends glosses things up with shinier surroundings, 3D touch ups and a tonne more flair. 3D elements don’t interfere with the game enough to staple a .5 to the 2D spectrum, but give lands that extra pop they need to grow from the screen and really add a vain dose of good looks to already charming levels.

Am I making you feel a tad guilty or uncultured for not giving Origins a shot? Good. You’re an idiot if you haven’t. However, I will reserve judgement and mallets to the face if you snag Legends. During the big delay and drama in the Wii U department, it seems the team was given the chance to remake levels from the last game for the purposes of slotting it straight into this one, with all the Legends bells, whistles, trumpets and chellos strapped on.  The new art style glosses straight over the old assets. The new Lum collecting system replaces the old. More and more Teensies moan about their lack of freedom from all around these reminiscent ruins and, even in repetition, these levels are a joy to play through.

Although Legends allows you to drag three more uncultured platforming swines into its warm, inviting arms, it neglects to let online strangers to invade your game. As sofa-bound players can freely thwack each other into paralysis and halt progression, I’m fine with not sharing screen time with trolls. However, you can still face off against your so called friends via an arrangement of daily and weekly challenges. A random jumble of level segments swiftly stitched together, challenges can comprise of anything from surviving chases from flaming walls of death to accumulating Lums as quickly as possible. It all goes towards increasing your reputation of ‘Awesomeness’, and though lands have a habit of repeating themselves, quick dives in and out of the challenges mean that they never last long enough to dull.

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Edible levels! This truly is a great time to be alive!

I have played Origins so much that I know every little trick Legends attempts to play on me when it comes to stashing away secrets. Yet every world it chucks my way comes with new and imaginative ways of getting from point A to point B, with a few jovial diversions in between. This super fun successor feels like a more tamed beast in places, but still retains every bit of challenge, every bit of joy and every bit, if not more charm than the original. Rayman Legends stands tall and shines brightly on a pedestal that probably won’t be seen, but there’s no excuse for anyone not to at least try this whimsical piece of platforming. Unless… you want to gamble and wait for the next one…and see if they remake Legends in it. You could do that. You selfish monster.

Gold Y AwardGold Y Award
4.5 4.5 / 5

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