Every once and a while I come across a game that is so well
designed and has so much charm that I just fall in love with it. Rayman Legends
is one of these games. I’ve never been a huge fan of the Rayman series and the
only other game I’ve played in the series is Rayman Raving Rabbids for the PS2.
I have seen a little bit of Rayman Origins but didn’t think too much of it as
it looked like it was simply another platformer. Rayman Legends, however, is
not just a platformer.
Firstly, Rayman Legends is one of the most inventive
platformers I’ve played in a long while. The level design is on point with a
perfect difficulty curve lasting the entire experience with a variety of bosses
and extra modes to keep the player engaged. From the beginning you have the
choice between Rayman, two of his friends from Origins, and a new character
named Barbara who is a barbarian. Though these four characters play exactly the
same it is nice to have that variety. You also have a bunch of abilities that
you are able to freely use at your leisure in the first world with no level
requiring you to use them. These include running, a variety of attacks to
destroy your foes, and hovering which I didn’t realize you could do until world
two. The level design is very well done. In every stage there is a linear path
that is where your destination lies but if you do some exploring you can find
collectibles and lums to help you out in unlocking new costumes and characters
or even new levels in different game modes.
As previously stated, the level design in Rayman Legends is
very good. The game presents a new gameplay mechanic then tests you on it, the
game presents another new gameplay mechanic then tests you on that, then
finally it puts the two mechanics together that really tests your skills in
using them effectively. The only mechanic that I feel is overused are the
levels where you control Murphy. Murphy is a tiny sprite that you can control
using the touch pad on the Wii U or with a controller on any other console. You
can use him to help guide an AI player, or your friends in co-op, to the end of
the level. It isn’t that these sections aren’t fun and unique. They are and it
provides a different type of game where the pace of the level isn’t dictated on
you; rather on the AI and your ability to help them. My problem with this is
that there are too many of these levels in the game. Rayman Legends is a
platformer, not a puzzle game. If they restricted it to only one every world
than I would be fine with it but sometimes there can be up to three for a
world. I would have enjoyed this much more if it were a separate game mode or
were incorporated into separate challenge levels. Besides this small nitpick
the gameplay is fantastic and extremely well designed.
The music and visuals are both amazing. The game boasts a
fully orchestrated soundtrack with an abundance of memorable tracks and
rhythms. It isn’t just plain orchestral stuff, though. Every world has its own
theme which the music compliments perfectly. Also after the final boss of each
world there is a bonus level where you run, jump, and destroy enemies to the
beat of some famous songs of the past. The visuals are really something to
behold. From grandiose and large sky islands in the background or an Olympic
hall filled with cartoony enemies in the foreground, Rayman Legends always has
something interesting to look at and listen to.
This game has a lot of unlockables and game modes. There are
game modes like the Kung Foot which is a soccer minigame, a helping of HD
remade Rayman Origins levels that you can unlock throughout your journey, and
even challenges that are updated every week and every day. In every level there
is a set amount of Teensies that you can find. These collectible critters are
used to unlock levels and characters. Though the characters that you can unlock
are given different names they are just costumes of the four characters you
already have. I would wish that there were more characters but there are an
overabundance of costumes to unlock. When you beat the final boss of a world
extra challenge levels called “invasions” will be unlocked. In these you play
short time trial versions of your favorite levels with enemies from some of the
later worlds. These don’t give you anything particularly special but they do
grant you more Teensies and Lums you can use to unlock more characters and
stages.
Rayman Legends is a fantastic platformer with a lot going
for it. Though it does have problems, it is worth any price tag that is slapped
on it. It has beautiful visuals and music, great platforming design, and a
whole lot of character.
Rayman Legends is legendary.
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