Rayman and his friends are back and ready for action in the newest installment of his video game series: “Rayman Legends.” Together, they must work together to rescue tiny blue wizards known as “Teensies” so that they can reclaim the glowing Lums and save the world from chaos.
If profanities uttered can be considered a testament to the quality of a game, “Rayman Legends” commands high praise.
The game presents players with button-mashing challenges from the opening tutorial and doesn’t let up. Only by reacting quickly and accurately can players guide Rayman (or any of the other playable characters) through the series of miniature puzzles that make up each stage.
Much of the game’s appeal comes from the whimsical art style and offbeat sense of humor. Despite the lack of much organized plot or even dialogue, the characters and environments feel organic and personal by the way they move, look and react. Whether you’re looking at an imprisoned Teensie rattling the bars of its cage or a fire-breathing dragon and flying between the foreground and background, there’s a sense of charm and cartoonish playfulness.
“Rayman Legends” makes things feel both familiar and new at the same time. The game is a direct sequel to “Rayman Origins,” which took the series back to its beginnings as a side-scrolling platformer. It provides the experience and feel that fans of the series know well and provides more than 120 new levels for them to explore.
The game provides significant fan service, too. Long-time Rayman players are likely to recognize characters from previous games and can play through 40 remastered levels from “Rayman Origins.”
The feeling of familiarity is consistent throughout other aspects of the game. Mechanics and controls build on top of each other and are learned by doing. Tasks like sliding across chains, bypassing tentacle monsters and controlling machines are consistently re-imagined and reintroduced across stages, yet can be easily recognized.
This learn-as-you-go style of introduction ensures that players fully understand core concepts and can recognize them as they face them again and again. After enough repetition, these actions become natural-feeling reactions to the changing world. It also creates a satisfying sense of accomplishment and challenge by allowing players to figure out for themselves how to address the evolving set of threats and obstacles before them.
Stages react to the player’s choices, which often cannot be undone. If you take a wrong turn or move a little too slow, you may see an objective or bonus float forever out of reach.
“Rayman Legends” is divided into “worlds” that consist of several levels. Each world gives the player a new setting and wears a different skin than the others. Whether your foes are frogs on stilts or armored rodents, you know who to hit with Rayman’s disembodied fist.
The game encourages players to replay levels due to the difficulty of completing all a stage’s objectives the first time through. Quick reflexes are needed to get every string of floating Lums or to recognize where that last captured Teensie hides.
“Rayman Legends” is largely devoid of traditional in-game menus. The player moves their character through a series of hallways and jumps into paintings to enter worlds or stages. In this area of the game, players can review trophies and accomplishments, enjoy “Easter eggs” and scratch off “Lucky Tickets” to earn rewards.
The system is cosmetically beautiful and fun to use, but it can be difficult to navigate at first. While it doesn’t take too long to learn your way around, it just doesn’t feel as natural as the rest of the game.
Up to four players can play in “Rayman Legends” local cooperative mode. The game lacks online cooperation, so you and your friends will have to share a screen in the same room.
“Rayman Legends” is a charming side-scrolling adventure that challenges you to advance through its diverse settings. The game constantly reinvents itself and demands that the player keep up. Incredibly detailed environments and evolving gameplay are sure to keep players awake, hands sweating, until far too late at night. Both fans of the series and players looking for something a little outside the contemporary gaming box should be sure to check out “Rayman Legends.”
Jeremy Ervin is a sophomore journalism major and writes ‘No Sleep Till Muncie’ for The Daily News. His views do not necessarily reflect those of the newspaper. Write to Jeremy at jrervin@bsu.edu.
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