Out of all the video game series I thought forgotten, one I’ve missed more than I thought I would was Rayman. Back in the day, I spent a long time playing some of the limbless hero’s adventures, with The Great Escape being my absolute favorite. Yet, after a very long hiatus, I was starting to lose faith in seeing this hero again. Fortunately, Ubisoft has brought Rayman back from limbo, and it has done so with Rayman Legends Retold, a gorgeous and reimagined version of the 2013 classic, with smoother gameplay, mind-blowing graphics, and even new stages that will surprise even the most hardcore fans.
A Classic Reimagined
I was fortunate enough to get some hands-on time with Rayman Legends Retold ahead of its release. In this session, I was able to play through the early levels, check some of that classic Rayman platforming action, as well as some of the new things coming to the game, mainly the Dragon Ride levels, which are pure cinematic bliss.
The first big change coming to this remake is its visuals. They are among the best I have seen in any platformer, and make Rayman and its iconic characters stand out. Also, even if it was an early build, it was a pleasant surprise to see how well it ran, especially with all the effects happening in the background and some enemy frogs parachuting on top of you.
In terms of gameplay, it is a pure platformer. This means that there’s a lot of jumping, some light combat to take enemies away, and a lot of puzzles. All of them have a lot of variety, of course. For the first part, I experienced a couple of straightforward levels that showcased some of the core mechanics: wall-jumping, gliding, and using your extremely useful buddy Murphy. He is capable of cutting ropes, poking enemies to let you pass through some areas, and even tickling some of the tougher foes.
Every level features several Teensies, of which you’ll have to find a specific number if you want to open up a new level in the game’s hub. These Teensies are all over each stage, with some of them trapped in a cage, tied to a post, or posing as a punching bag for some amphibian enemies. On top of that, there are a few inside some of the game’s hidden rooms, often involving more challenging platforming sequences.
The ambitious scope Ubisoft is going for hit me as soon as I dove into the first Dragon Ride level. These stages let you ride a dragon, in case the name wasn’t obvious already, and have you dodging all sorts of obstacles as you go through this cinematic gauntlet full of explosions, giant enemies, and dangerous storms. Even if I was only able to experience two of them, they quickly became my favorite part of the build, and I’m hoping the final version includes many of them, as I want to see if I’m capable of making it to the end without dropping every Teensie.
Lastly, and judging by the first few levels, I think the game is already doing a great job at balancing the platforming elements, but without making them too frustrating. Naturally, this will appear to a larger playerbase. Yet, there are also some Nightmare versions of levels that you can unlock if you have the required currency and will truly test your patience and skill.
Rayman’s Home
In the end, it is great to see Rayman make his comeback in Legend Retold, and in a spectacular way at that. So far, the visuals and gameplay mechanics are great, and we’ve already seen some glimpses at some of the scope behind this reimagining. Even if you played the 2013 version, you’ll want to dive into this one, as it truly feels like a brand-new game, and the perfect one to bring our beloved limbless hero back onto the stage.
