Rayman Legends Review!

Rayman is back for another adventure in the 2D side-scroller, Rayman Legends. Ubisoft announced earlier this year that the game would be delayed and pushed to a later release date which upset many people, but now the adventure has been released on Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, Wii U, Vita and PC via Steam. Adventure through worlds like Living Dead Party, 20,000 Lums Under the Sea and Toad Story, change up your character in Heroes and add friends to go against each other in challenges. This adventure takes jumping, leaping and swinging to a whole new level.

Story:

Rayman Legends lacks a storyline but in this 2D side-scroller, the main idea is to rescue the princesses from the hidden doors and caves within the levels, unlock as many Teensies as possible and collect the Lums. Both will grant you Awesomeness after completing so much.

Gameplay:

Gameplay is just like Origins with no major changes. If you are looking for a refresher on controls or new to the series all together and jumping right in, the first level in the first world walks you through the mechanics, making it easy to learn how to play. As you progress in the levels and other worlds, they increase in difficulty. New characters are unleashed as you run through certain levels and when you play a new character, each add something special to the table.

Play as Rayman, Globox or amped up versions of them like Sir Globox or Knight Rayman as well as other characters like Murphy (a Wii U exclusive) and Barbara. In your adventure, rescue the Princesses from the different worlds, collect the Lums and save the Teensies as they will help unlock features for the player to enjoy. You can access your many characters in the Heroes room, so pick wisely. Collecting Lums opens access to the characters, so be sure to pick up as many Lums as you can in each round. Finding those Teensies will open up the worlds as well and the next level or a couple depending on how many you can scope out and rescue.

There are a few levels that as you progress, you will die often and become frustrated. But never fear! Thanks to Ubisoft, the unlimited death count helps instead of having to back-track and start at the beginning. Some levels take a minute to figure out and take a slight of the thumb to move from one button to the next. Be sure to stretch those thumb muscles for the workout they get.

With each successful day you play, you unlock scratch tickets. These tickets will give you chances to unlock creatures. Each shelf in the creature’s room has its own dedication like the Robots and the Frogs. The list continues as you play and unlock new creatures with these scratch tickets. Scratch the lucky winner and you can surf back to Origins like a champ and reminisce on the older days of Rayman.

Sadly, there is no online multiplayer but you can challenge yourself in the leaderboards against other players around the world and you can bring your friends into something called Kung Loot. Here, you can play two-on-two soccer. Entertaining for a change of pace, but can get a little distracting from your adventures. Rayman is pretty much a strict couch potato platform but still highly entertaining if you play by yourself accepting a little bit of a challenge or with your friends.

Those of you purchasing or have purchased Rayman Legends on the Wii U, all you need to really do is tap the gamepad and the path is cleared out for you. Also, thanks to the Wii U, you can add a fifth player into the co-op fun and Murphy is included onto that list of playable characters. The person on the gamepad plays in a more spectated position making it easier for the main players to get through.

Graphics:

Graphics for Ubisoft’s Rayman Legends has an amazing art style and brings epicness to the gaming console. Rayman is fantastic- bringing clear, bold worlds full of life and vibrancy. It is easy to become entranced with what you see in the game when you dive into the gameplay. When turnips explode, frogs pop and the wind carries you from place to place as long as you can effectively used glide, the tingling sensations arrive making it more difficult to put a controller down. Each minor detail stands out when you look at the whole picture. The graphics alone stand for themselves and have improved since Origins. The graphics on Ubisoft’s Legends stands on its own and they are phenomenal.

Sound:

Sound runs fairly moderate in the game with ongoing music that sets a different tone while visiting each world. Music ranges from the eerie melodramatic sound like in 20,000 Lums Under the Sea to something more adventuristic in Toad Story. In the levels, the sounds of grunting, flying, smashing and laughing become a valid part of the game and are fairly enjoyable. The best part is hearing the flatulent-like sounds of the frogs popping. The entertainment boosts when you stumble across a musical level and Eye of the Tiger looms in the background.

Verdict:

Overall, Rayman Legends is a great game full of hours of gameplay and endless entertainment. Playing with friends can add a little more to it but just the never-ending gameplay is incredible. Even minus the online feature, you can still co-op with friends. Prepare to not want to put the controller down with this new platformer that has hit the shelves. Rayman may also have a two on two feature playing soccer for a brief distraction and change of pace, but the Rayman journey is where the fun lies. The game is a great addition to any gaming shelf and awesome for a rainy day or even when you are bored of the normal game in your disc drive.