Rayman Legends – Initial Impressions
After years in the video game wilderness with only a bunch of rabbids to keep him company, Rayman burst his way back onto consoles in 2011 with the excellent Rayman Origins.
Attempting to follow-up one of the greatest returns to gaming, the limbless wonder prepares to return to the Bubble Dreamer’s nightmares in Rayman Legends which launches for Xbox 360, PS3 and Wii U on 30th August.
Ubisoft recently released a six level demo of their new game which gives players a flavour of what Rayman Legends is all about.
Origins left an impression on many people for its bright, colourful worlds, platforming and challenge levels, so it is no surprise to see that all three elements have been included in Legends. The worlds in which you play are vibrant with action taking place in both the foreground and background. Graphical changes from Origins are definitely noticeable, particularly on the WiiU, and this helps add attract you into each level as you attempt to discover what exactly it has in store for you.
The aim of each stage is two-fold; first you must rescue as many Teensies as possible on the way to completing the level, and as an added objective Lums are hidden throughout the level for you to collect. The number of each is counted up at the end of each level with Lums earning you gold, silver and bronze trophies depending on your success.
A highlight from the first game was the soundtrack, something which is definitely looking promising for Legends. In terms of its audio, Legends is a throwback to side-scrolling action classics such as the original Mario Brothers or any of the first three Sonic games. Each of the levels available to play demonstrates this perfectly, but none more so than Castle Rock where music guides you through the stage rhythmically advising you when to run, jump and attack enemies.
Rekindling the magic of a long-forgotten generation of platformers, the game manages to perfectly capture what so many people love about video gaming. The levels are challenging but not cruel, there is plenty going on without anything distracting from all the action and the demo has enough replayability and intrigue that will certainly convince a few people to buy the full game when it is released.
Each level available in the demo is drastically different from the last although each tests the skills of the player in different ways. “Toad Story” introduces a floating mechanic which allows Rayman to ascend to new heights, and is this level is closely followed by “Castle Rock” in which you are constantly on the move trying to reach the end of the stage as the level is being destroyed around you.
Every aspect of the demo looks polished and will have players excited about the final product. With pristine visuals, easy to pick up controls and varied and innovative level design , the production values of Rayman Legends make it seem as though this could be one of the best games to be released in 2013.
The demo does a nice job of introducing you to the game through its seemingly simplistic opening level, and this tempts you with a promise of what might be as you play through each of the available sections. After completing, the four levels open up new stages called Invasion Mode which presents the player with variants of each level which are tougher remixed versions of established maps.
Rayman Legends demo is a perfect example of what a limited version of a game should involve as it invites players into its world temporarily and leaves them wanting to return for more. There is little doubt that the Ubisoft created game looks set to be one of the highest rated games this year, and is sure to be one of the most remarkable platformers available on any console of this generation or next.
Attempting to follow-up one of the greatest returns to gaming, the limbless wonder prepares to return to the Bubble Dreamer’s nightmares in Rayman Legends which launches for Xbox 360, PS3 and Wii U on 30th August.
Ubisoft recently released a six level demo of their new game which gives players a flavour of what Rayman Legends is all about.
Origins left an impression on many people for its bright, colourful worlds, platforming and challenge levels, so it is no surprise to see that all three elements have been included in Legends. The worlds in which you play are vibrant with action taking place in both the foreground and background. Graphical changes from Origins are definitely noticeable, particularly on the WiiU, and this helps add attract you into each level as you attempt to discover what exactly it has in store for you.
The aim of each stage is two-fold; first you must rescue as many Teensies as possible on the way to completing the level, and as an added objective Lums are hidden throughout the level for you to collect. The number of each is counted up at the end of each level with Lums earning you gold, silver and bronze trophies depending on your success.
A highlight from the first game was the soundtrack, something which is definitely looking promising for Legends. In terms of its audio, Legends is a throwback to side-scrolling action classics such as the original Mario Brothers or any of the first three Sonic games. Each of the levels available to play demonstrates this perfectly, but none more so than Castle Rock where music guides you through the stage rhythmically advising you when to run, jump and attack enemies.
Rekindling the magic of a long-forgotten generation of platformers, the game manages to perfectly capture what so many people love about video gaming. The levels are challenging but not cruel, there is plenty going on without anything distracting from all the action and the demo has enough replayability and intrigue that will certainly convince a few people to buy the full game when it is released.
Each level available in the demo is drastically different from the last although each tests the skills of the player in different ways. “Toad Story” introduces a floating mechanic which allows Rayman to ascend to new heights, and is this level is closely followed by “Castle Rock” in which you are constantly on the move trying to reach the end of the stage as the level is being destroyed around you.
Every aspect of the demo looks polished and will have players excited about the final product. With pristine visuals, easy to pick up controls and varied and innovative level design , the production values of Rayman Legends make it seem as though this could be one of the best games to be released in 2013.
The demo does a nice job of introducing you to the game through its seemingly simplistic opening level, and this tempts you with a promise of what might be as you play through each of the available sections. After completing, the four levels open up new stages called Invasion Mode which presents the player with variants of each level which are tougher remixed versions of established maps.
Rayman Legends demo is a perfect example of what a limited version of a game should involve as it invites players into its world temporarily and leaves them wanting to return for more. There is little doubt that the Ubisoft created game looks set to be one of the highest rated games this year, and is sure to be one of the most remarkable platformers available on any console of this generation or next.