Game Review - Rayman Legends

Rayman Origins is a firm favourite in my household so with Rayman Legends finally getting released it didn't take long for a demo to hit the home console and a Dad only PC version to be sneakily obtained, purely for reviewing purposes of course.

Rayman and his friends have been asleep in the Glade of Dreams for a century.  In the meantime the mysterious Bubble Dreamer's forces have grown in strength and are invading the land.  Once again Rayman, with the help of old and new friends, must save the world.

You don't need to have played Origins to be able to get into Legends (but there is no excuse for not having played Origins). The gameplay is super simple. Get your character from point A to B in one piece by knocking out baddies, collecting everything in sight and rescuing as many of the native Teensies as possible. Combine the straightforward gameplay with absolutely gorgeous visuals and you have a sure fire recipe for an enjoyable game.

It is also a collector's and completists dream. Between the lums that work as the games currency, the aforementioned Teensies, scratch cards and tricky to reach skull coins there is a constant stream of unlocks to earn from levels to new characters and even access to remastered Rayman Origins levels.

The game supports up to four players either locally or online and encourages cooperative play to reach some of the trickier rewards. Add on daily challenges, music based levels and competitive mini-games and you have a product that will keep you entertained for quite some time.

It's not all rosy though. Some sections ramp up the difficulty so much that it can be off putting to less persistent and younger players. There is also the introduction of Murfy, a character who turns up to flip switches and cut ropes to allow progress.  He is rather awkwardly integrated into gameplay.  It's also worth noting that he can be controlled by a fifth player in the Wii-U version to provide extra assistance throughout the entire game.

On the whole Rayman Legends is a fine follow up to the excellent Origins. If you just want a casual game to breeze through you may hit a few roadblocks along the way if you don't earn your unlocks for the later levels. It is a great game to play with the kids so you can help them (or vice versa) through some of the trickier sections. The visuals and sounds are delightful and the characters are all lovingly created.

Highly recommended.