It’s been over a decade since Rayman Legends was released to wide critical acclaim and commercial success. Thirteen years later, Ubisoft Montpellier is teaming up with Ubisoft Milan (the team behind the Mario + Rabbids series) to recreate this platforming gem as Rayman Legends Retold, a game they describe as “more than a remake.”
I didn’t play the original back when it came out in 2013, but I remember hearing the rave reviews, so I was looking forward to getting some hands-on time with this new version.
Comparing it to the original, the early levels appear faithfully recreated in a new engine, alongside new levels that offer more variation to gameplay. It is worth noting that the version I played for this preview was a work-in-progress, and I only played with Rayman, and none of the other characters.
Controlling Rayman felt tight and responsive. Through multiple hours of playtime, I never felt let down by game, as any mistakes or falls were on me, even during fast-paced challenge levels. Levels have an obvious main path to follow to the end but there are plenty of secrets and offshoots to explore for extra collectibles.
Rayman Legends has been remade with clear attempts made at transferring some of the style from the original from 2D to 3D, while also making sleeker versions of UI and similar assets. It’s worth noting that a lot of thought and effort went into lighting effects that taking advantage of the assets now being rendered in 3D to create some nice visuals, particularly in shaded wilderness and dank caves.
A new addition to Rayman Legends are the dragon-riding levels. In these sections, Rayman hops on the back of an adorably ugly semi-tamed dragon for a quick fly-by through dangerous setpieces. These segments play out like on-rail shooters (think Space Harrier or classic Star Fox) as the dragon flies through a constantly-changing area while blasting fireballs at anything in the way.
The dragon felt easy to control, although hopefully the final version will include an option to reverse up-down movement for these parts (it just feels more natural to me to control the dragon like a plane, and I kept confusing myself – though that’s my own preference, not an issue with the game). These segments offered a decent challenge, and completing them without getting hit takes some careful planning and a good handling of the controls.
I enjoyed my time hands on with Rayman Legends Retold and look forward to the full release later this year on October 1st for PC, Switch 2, PS5, and Xbox Series consoles.
Mitch has been an avid fan of games since his childhood, getting his butt kicked by his friend’s older brother at Super Smash Bros. Melee in between matches of Yu-Gi-Oh. While the number of games played has diminished over time, the enjoyment of the pastime and interest in the industry has not.
As a lover of portable gaming, he plays on his Switch when he can and alternates between older handhelds when it suits his mood. He also enjoys playing a wide variety of games on PC, in particular strategy games like Victoria II. His favorite game is TWEWY (The World Ends With You) and he owns a copy of every version to prove it.
The humble Ohioan hopes to develop his writing and analysis through his work at GameCritics in his spare time, and also mess around with music production and maybe invent a new subgenre.