Skip to main content

Inexplicable Gushing About Rayman Legends





Rayman Legends was one of the first things I ever wrote a review for. It was the first video game I reviewed, back when I wrote fifty gazillion page reviews for my school newspaper. It was a very positive review (I think I ended up giving it a nine out of ten) but since replaying the game, my opinion has changed. I no longer think Rayman Legends is a very good game. I think Rayman Legends is a meticulous masterpiece, the perfectionist's platforming dream and a stunning artistic achievement.

My favourite video game genre is the platformer. I love games of most genres, but the platformer was where I truly developed my attachment to gaming. For the most part, my platforming experience was limited to Mario games, especially the New Super Mario Bros. and Super Mario Galaxy series. Naturally, I delved back in time and played the classics (my favourite of which being Super Mario Bros. 3) as well as branched out into other franchises, such as Sonic and Donkey Kong. Eventually, however, I came across Rayman. Compelled mostly by the gorgeous art style, I bought Rayman Legends for my Wii U.

Rayman Legends is one of those games that puts in 110% for everything. The art design is clean, consistent and pretty to look at, but is also packed full of unrivalled personality and wit. Combined with the self-aware writing and vibrant sound effects, Rayman Legends' presentation just bathes the player in creativity. The music reflects and bolsters every one of these qualities. Eclectic, epic and occasionally hilariously sarcastic, the game's soundtrack is almost a character in itself.

I don't know where to begin with the gameplay. The controls are so slick it's as if they predicted every move the player was going to make before they were born. Every level is painstakingly crafted so that - with the right skills - the player can fly through it with ceaselessly satisfying fluidity. Enemies and obstacles are flung at the player in precisely the right way to test their abilities without testing their patience. The difficulty level is finely tuned to offer an exhilarating and fair challenge that lavishly rewards the player.

Rayman Legends is just brimming with extra content, too. Diverse collectibles are crammed into every corner, offering an extra challenge for seasoned players and promising an extensive range of unlockable content. Dozens of characters and costumes with their own unique charm, 40 remastered levels from the previous game Rayman Origins and a kung fu/football mashup minigame named 'Kung Foot' are just a handful of what's on offer. The most sublime parts of Rayman Legends are the music levels. Unlocked after beating the boss in each world, these levels test the player's precision platforming skills to the rhythm of classic rock tunes such as Black Betty and Eye of the Tiger.

Rayman Legends is ludicrously good. The attention to detail in both the presentation and the gameplay is remarkable and the sheer amount of content ensures an enduring lasting appeal. New ideas and creative designs are constantly supplied to the player and the level designs are irresistibly challenging. Rayman Legends is the best 2D platformer since 1990's Super Mario World, and there's a strong argument for it being the best 2D platformer ever.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Molly's Game Review

Up until this point, Aaron Sorkin has exclusively been a writer. Responsible for creating iconic TV shows such as  The West Wing and The Newsroom , as well as recently penning the screenplays for  The Social Network and  Steve Jobs , Sorkin's dense, witty and rapid-fire style is successful with critics and audiences alike. However, Molly's Game marks Sorkin's first time in the director's chair. Unlike The Social Network and Steve Jobs , where Sorkin's writing was filtered through directors David Fincher and Danny Boyle respectively, this is purely his vision . Is it any good, or is it just an indulgent attempt to cram as many words into 140 minutes as possible? There is no doubt that Molly's Game is an Aaron Sorkin film. Dialogue is the centre of attention and for good reason: it's excellent. Of course, it isn't exactly naturalistic. Every line sounds like one that you come up with an hour after a conversation and wish you'd said instead. Howe...
Post a Comment
Read more

Is Super 8 Any Good?

Super Gr8 Super 8 - A Late Film Review by Nathan Brooks Sorry, I can't hear you over the sound of a train exploding. A little while back, Disney bought Star Wars off of George Lucas. Shortly afterwards, they announced they were going to make not one, not two, not three, not four, not fi- oh no wait, it is five. Five new Star Wars films, the first of which, Star Wars: The Force Awakens, is being directed by J.J. Abrams. The real question, however, is whether Abrams will do a good job of it or not. Well, this is the film that makes me confident he will. Story On it's own the story isn't extremely amazing, it's just about a bunch of kids discovering a government conspiracy, although it is still interesting. It doesn't reveal too much, meaning you're kept in the dark throughout the majority of the film, so you're always wanting to find out what happens next. The thing is though, that's sort of a sub plot. The main part of the story is th...
Post a Comment
Read more

Inside Out Review - Pixar Back on Form

In the middle of 2014, I remember thinking to myself that I didn't really care about Pixar anymore. Back then I just thought it was because I'd grown out of it. I was 12, I was older now, I could legally buy a Marvel film on DVD, I could get library books out without my parents knowing, I didn't need to watch these silly children's films. In hindsight, however, I see it differently. The problem wasn't me, it was Pixar. Just look at the last films they'd made; Monsters University (2013), Brave (2012) and Cars 2 (2011). None of these were awful films by any means, but they weren't really up to Pixar's usual standards. Then along came Inside Out and I realised that I was being ridiculous. I hadn't grown out of Pixar, there's no such thing. Whilst Minions  appealed mainly to younger audiences by being just plain silly, with silly jokes, silly stories and silly characters, Inside Out, just like Pixar's best work, appealed to everyone by being ...
Post a Comment
Read more