Rayman Legends - When Platformer is Just Right

Rayman Legends - When Platformer is Just Right
Mato Filipovic

By: Mato Filipovic

May 22, 2019

  • Share Count 12
  • Comment Count 32
  • Share on Twitter Share on Facebook Mail

Back when video game mascots were everywhere, it took a bit of imagination to make them stand out. Super Mario started the whole craze, Sonic had his speed, Crash crashed with a spinning attack – but what did Bubsy have, or Croc? See, it wasn't enough to have a cute mascot to grace your cover, it had to be memorable, usually by giving them a unique spin on gameplay.
That is exactly what Ubisoft did with Rayman.

Way back during PSOne era, we got introduced to Rayman in his first 2D adventure.
There were many selling points to the game, like a very detailed and colorful world, but the thing people wanted to try most is throwing that fist. Indeed, Rayman's main weapon was his fist that he could throw like projectiles for purposes of defeating enemies or grabbing things from afar. His disjointed limbs weren't only for show but were the main part of the gameplay as well.

Since then, Rayman visited the third dimension and many consoles until Rabbids spin-off took on a life of their own and Rayman was kinda put aside – until Rayman Origins.
Rayman Origins took a simple approach – what if first Rayman was made today and was 100 times better. It was truly a gem of the game and it was hard to imagine it could get any better until Rayman Legends came out, and that is what we are going to talk about today.

Released in 2013., Rayman Legends took everything Origins offered and improved on it, adding a ton more content in the meantime.
Rarely is there a static moment. Do you know all those games where you stop and enjoy the scenery? Rayman Legends is enjoyed the best in non-stop movement, and no better is that seen than in musical stages. Music plays a big part in the game, giving every stage a unique atmosphere and kind of rhythm, but handful of stages, the aforementioned musical stages, are designed specifically to follow the beat of the music while jumping and punching through enemies, remixing classics like Ram Jam's Black Betty.

Where Rayman Legends truly shines is multiplayer. The concept of 4-player platformer that was popularized by New Super Mario Bros. Wii, but it was perfected in Rayman Legends.
Despite the erratic and goofy movement of characters that will immediately win you over, and truly mind-blowing detailed background, rarely does the game feel crowded and the characters are hard to lose the track of. It runs smoothly all the way.
The controls are easy to learn and you can find yourself a party of four in no time.

It is not the main adventure where the party ends. The Kung Foot mode that lets you play a wacky version of soccer is so simple but so brutally addictive it could easily be seen as a game on its own.

The visuals can't be praised enough, but it would be nothing if it weren't for the great stage design that offer puzzle and even stealth stages among pure platforming ones. Both in single and multiplayer the levels feel fun, never overstay their welcome and with so many secrets to find they offer great replay value.

Overall, Rayman Legends is one of those games that casual gamer would believe you if you told them it was released today. It is fantastic in single player but get it for multiplayer and it will stay on your screen for a very long time.

 

 

Loading...
Please wait...