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Rayman Legends was always going to be a great game. It has a massive pedigree behind it,
especially after the brilliant Rayman Origins. But ever since the delay of the game three
weeks before its release just to allow of a simultaneous multi-console release, there's
been a bit of a cloud over the game. Wii U owners felt cheated and the new release date
was stuffed inside one of the busiest periods of the year. So the question became, would
the wait be worth it? And will Legends be lost in the shuffle?
It's difficult to say one way or another, but I can say this. It would be a shame if
you missed out on this game. Like Origins before it, it's one of the best 2D platformers
you'll ever play and a shining example of why you should own a Wii U.
The game barely has a story to speak of which isn't really a bad thing. It keeps the game
focused on the mechanics and exuding personality without relying on cutscenes. The only thing
you have to know is that five Dark Teensies have kidnapped the good Teensies and unleashed
legendary creatures in a bid to conquer the world. It's your job to stop them. It's a
simplicity that's kept from Origins and filled to the brim with charm.
The gameplay itself is also kept simple. Rayman, or one of the many unlockable characters,
can run, jump, glide, and attack in any direction. Players have to get through the levels while
trying to save as many Teensies as they can. The more they save, the more levels that are
unlocked. Legends keeps things nonlinear by allowing players to take on pretty much any
level they want at any time. There are barriers of course, but you don't necessarily have
to go in the order presented. This is accomplished by a central hub that
houses dozens of paintings, each one containing a different level. It works well and keeps
the pace quick, but I do miss seeing the world of Rayman. It made these strange environments
come together as a cohesive whole rather than the separate snippets in Legends. But the
level design is fantastic. It encourages exploration while giving you enough moments to flex your
platforming skills. It really is satisfying when you fully complete a level, almost to
the point of making you want to dance with the characters.
But all this could really be said about Origins as well. Where Legends makes things different
is the addition of Murfy. Certain levels have players taking control of Murfy and interacting
with the environment to help the AI controlled character reach the end. He can stun enemies,
block projectiles, cut ropes, and even shift the environment. The touch screen is extremely
quick in response to all these interactions and provides a new dynamic to the formula.
Unfortunately, I never found the Murfy levels quite as fun as the typical ones. The pacing
tended to slow down immensely, and the AI character would ignore secrets unless you
did everything perfectly. It is possible for a second player to take control and make things
easier, but that option isn't always available to everyone.
There are other types of levels too with the standouts being Invasion levels and the musical
levels. Invasion levels task players with reaching the goal with a time limit in order
to rescue the most Teensies. The catch is that it has to be done in one try with elements
and enemies from other levels thrown in. It's a great way to remix what's already there
while making it feel new. But the best stages by far are the musical ones. Here players
run through a level while taking musical cues from various songs. While they start out relatively
easy, the challenge steadily increases and makes you want to complete them in one go.
Just so you can have that complete experience. Unfortunately, there are only a handful of
these stages, but they hardly wear out their welcome.
The great thing about Legends is that the levels never become frustrating. There are
no lives and respawning is almost instantaneous. So even if you become stuck in a particularly
difficult section or can't quite get the hang of a new mechanic, there's no wait to try
again. Checkpoints are also frequent which allows the developers to have some truly interesting
level design and challenges. With that said, the game never becomes quite as difficult
as Origins. I was hoping for something like Land of the
Livid Dead where every skill you had learned up to that point was put to the test, and
you were trying to make your way from checkpoint to checkpoint. There is a wonderful challenge
at the end of Legends, but it's difficult because of a visual filter, not the level
design itself. Rayman Legends is stuffed with content. There
are dozens of characters to unlock, the daily and weekly challenges from the Wii U demo
are also present, and a huge selection of Rayman Origins levels are available to play.
The old levels are unlocked through Lucky Tickets, which are earned by collecting enough
Lums in each stage or completing all the stages in a world. Each one is a winner and rewards
you with extra Lums to unlock more characters, a creature that gives you more Lums each day,
an Origins level, or a Teensy. While the main game is relatively short, only
about ten or so hours, the returning levels and daily challenges will easily increase
that playtime. The leaderboards also help as you can compare how well you did with other
players across Miiverse. It adds a nice competitive element and pushes you to do even better.
Then there's how the game looks and sounds. Simply put, it's amazing. The 2D animation
truly stands out and there's a ton of little touches that can be picked out. The Ubiart
Framework is really showing how much can still be done with 2D and Legends proves this handily.
Specifically, the bosses who are even more visually impressive than the ones found in
Origins. I'm really looking forward to seeing what else can be done with this engine, especially
after the announcements of Child of Light and Valiant Hearts.
The sound design is also top notch with tunes that pump you up or set a mood or even make
you want to just nod your head along to it. There's little voice acting outside of a few
grunts, laughs, and screams, but it's not needed. The entire package just sounds beautiful.
While I still believe Rayman Origins is a better game, Legends still a damn fine platformer.
The controls are tight and responsive, the visuals gorgeous, and personality just flowing
from the game. If you own a Wii U and love platformers, this needs to be in your collection.
That's why I'm awarding Rayman Legends 4.5 stars out of 5.
But what about the multiplayer? Well, thanks to the Gamepad up to five players can play
simultaneously with one in control of Murfy while the others play normally. I wasn't able
to try this out specifically, but playing with friends is still fun in a New Super Mario
Bros. kind of way. If you prefer to cooperate with your friends rather than grief each other,
whether intentional or not, then you will love Legends. It's actually rare to step on
each other's toes during gameplay though you can of course slap each other around a bit.
Murfy levels are also a bit easier with multiplayer with one character taking control of the little
guy while the other navigates the levels. Communication is a necessity though as it
becomes easy to make little mistakes that block off secrets. Finally, there's Kung Foot,
a soccer-like mini-game that has players try to shoot a ball into the other's goal. One
on one is not exactly the ideal, but it can still be a fun distraction with friends.
With the lack of online multiplayer, you won't get the chance to try it out much unless friends
come over. But if you do get some buddies together, it's definitely a fun time. With
that said, I'm awarding Rayman Legends' multiplayer 4 stars out of 5. It's fun, but not quite
meaty enough to be the main draw. Thanks for watching and be sure to keep an eye on GameXplain
for more things gaming.