Screenshots courtesy of Ubisoft.
The Wii U version of “Rayman Legends” was reviewed, and is available for Xbox 360, Playstation 3, Wii U, PC and Playstation Vita. The game was provided by Ubisoft.
The sequel to 2011’s “Rayman Origins,” “Rayman Legends,” continues the “Rayman” series using the UbiArt Framework, along with adding new features and gameplay mechanics. While it could be argued that it’s more of the same from “Origins,” the game strives to do more than its predecessor.
The player can jump, wall jump, glide, punch and run as Rayman, Globox or other characters like Teensies or warrior princesses. These basic mechanics introduced in the first couple of levels are put to the test as the game progresses. There’s no “lives” so players don’t have to worry about dying repeatedly. The game autosaves “sequences” so there’s hidden checkpoints throughout the levels you can continue from, should you perish.
There are levels that deviate from the traditional platforming formula and that utilizes a character named Murfy that can assist fellow players (if you’re playing cooperatively) or an AI character. These levels require that the player controlling Murfy assist the other characters by cutting ropes, moving platforms or rotating objects to progress. It’s one of the best utilizations of the Wii U gamepad up to date, although on the Xbox and Playstation Murfy is relegated to being a button press, instead of being interactive on the Wii U and Vita versions.
In later levels, the AI acts a little strangely at times, resulting in some unnecessary deaths. If you’re playing with friends, everyone has to coordinate effectively in order to progress in the later levels.
One key feature is the local cooperative play, that allows players to jump in and out during gameplay. And, of course, you can either play the game as intended or slap each other senselessly. Thanks to the Wii U gamepad, “Legends” supports up to five players to play together, that can either end in excellent teamwork or total chaos, depending how your fellow comrades play.
Unfortunately, enemy variety is slim, despite the different appearances of enemies throughout the game. The bosses in the game aren’t memorable despite being visually impressive, but offer a nice challenge at the end of each world.
The simplicity of “Legends” gameplay proves to be one of its strong points, alongside the increase of challenge over time. The pacing is well done, and the increased challenge in the last couple of worlds were appreciated.
My favorite levels within the game are the rhythm levels that feature covers of songs like “Eye of the Tiger” and “Black Betty.” These levels function based on jumps and punches that match the rhythm of the songs, and are a nice reward for completing worlds. There’s only a handful of them, along with even more challenging “8-bit” versions that distort the screen to replicate 80’s televisions.
The addition of weekly and daily challenges with online leaderboards are a good way of getting players to come back to “Legends,” as it’s the only “online” feature due to the lack of online coop or multiplayer. While lack of online coop is disappointing, the challenges are a good way to compete with friends to get higher scores.
“Legends” succeeds at providing a visually-pleasing experience and unique worlds that aren’t expected in platforming games. Compared to other titles, the art style in “Legends” is excellent and very eye-pleasing, even with the presence of gloomy themes and enemies. Going from a desert haunted by skeletons and luchadores, to an underwater base with lasers and robot dragons isn’t something you’d see in a platforming game, but “Legends” delivers these themes and worlds beautifully.
The score is also impressive, as the music adapts to each world and deserves great credit to bringing these unique worlds to life. Hearing Mariachi bands in the skeleton desert world works, as does the “James Bond”-esq tunes in the underwater base.
The game is ridiculously charming, and it’s hard not to smile at some of the situations, world, humor and characters. While “Legends” lacks a traditional story with character development and choices, the game is more about the journey and the gameplay experience offered with the different worlds in the game. It’s better this way because it leaves the story for the player to imagine and interpret. There’s very little dialogue in the game because it’s more about the visuals, audio and interactions.
The game also includes 40 remastered levels from “Rayman Origins” that can be unlocked scratching in-game lottery tickets to earn stuff. However, when compared to “Legends,” “Origin” levels lack the charm or grandiose of the new iteration. It’s still a welcome addition to the overall package.
The Verdict:
“Rayman Legends” is a game that succeeds in delivering a charming experience that can be shared with local, cooperative play. Despite some issues with the AI in the Murfy levels, the game is consistently good and becomes challenging as the game progresses.
I can easily recommend this game for Wii U and Vita owners, as well as Xbox 360 and Playstation 3 gamers, despite the lack of interactivity from the Murfy levels. On whatever platform you choose, expect a fun romp through a colorful, charming and enjoyable world with Rayman and company.
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