Rayman Legends Review: This game is perfect. Rayman Legends is a leap to perfection. Review ⇡ One and a half
We are very lucky that she was born at all. Although the previous game about Rayman - Origins- sold a relatively modest number of copies, the income from it covered development costs, and Ubisoft began to increasingly invest in original games from small studios. So next year we are waiting and, and right now we are playing another brilliant platformer from the team Michel Ancel .
Legends are not born
And again Rayman runs from right to left to the finish line, collecting bonuses and distributing them to his enemies for nuts. Origins stood out from the crowd of peers in the genre, firstly, with its own recognizable style, secondly, with its unique crazy and, thirdly, with its carefully thought-out design. And in all these respects, Legends confidently surpassed the original.
If someone says that after Origins nothing more interesting can be invented, don’t believe it, Legends throws up new situations one after another. At one level you have to shrink to a tiny size, at another you literally have to chew your way through cakes, and at the third the game suddenly slows down and teaches Rayman to play hide and seek. At the same time, the levels do not sag under the weight of ideas - the stages are run through almost intuitively, and the right decisions come on the fly.
The process is built with pinpoint precision. When large levels, focused on exploration and collecting bonuses, begin to get boring, the player is offered a dynamic stage with a chase or a battle with a boss, and at the end of each world a musical level opens, where all actions must be performed exactly to the rhythm of the composition playing in the background. It turns out great. Here, look:
Legendary Eye of the Tiger by Ubisoft Montpellier.
The balance of difficulty is clearly maintained: the beginning is cheerful and carefree, but towards the end you have to try very hard to at least pass the level, not to mention collecting all the bonuses. The pace of what is happening will increase many times over, and the need to check every jump will make you sad Super Meat Boy.
We would like to take this opportunity to say hello to the designer of one of the last levels - the one with dragons and running along falling walls. Dear designer, thanks to you, we finally broke our first Wii U gamepad. With happiness! No matter how difficult the next level turns out to be, Rayman Legends continues to amuse. There is so much pure positivity in it that it could be sold in pharmacies instead of antidepressants, and Mario is no rival to Rayman in this regard.
The levels here are very different. There are forests, swamps, Mexican carnivals, ancient Greek ruins and even underwater bases.
The Life of the Wonderful Rayman
Jokes aside, Rayman is a very important character for the genre and for the industry as a whole. He was invented by Michel Ancel almost twenty years ago, and since then the big-nosed legend has managed to be the star of many games.
The first trilogy included Rayman, Rayman 2: The Great Escape And Rayman 3: Hoodlum Havoc. Of these, only the first was a purebred 2D platformer. The Great Escape went 3D and is still considered one of the best platformers in history. The third part turned out to be “just good” because it was developed without Ansel’s participation.
After Rayman 2, Ansel directed wonderful Beyond Good & Evil And Peter Jackson's King Kong, and then returned to Rayman. The result is a collection of mini-games called Rayman Raving Rabbids, where the famous big-eared bastards from the picture above first appeared. Players loved these rabbits so much that Ubisoft put the cycle into almost assembly line production.
Each subsequent part of "Rabbits" pushed Rayman further and further into the background, but, fortunately, Ubisoft divided the series in time. This is correct - the rabbits have long been coping on their own and no longer need the support of a famous character. Rayman returned at E3 2010 when Rayman Origins was announced.
In addition to the main issues, Rayman managed to take part in several branches, such as Rayman: Hoodlum's Revenge for GBA, Rayman Rush for PS One or Rayman: Jungle Run for iOS. Naturally, they do not represent the same value as the main releases, although Jungle Run is a quite good adaptation of Origins for mobile phones.
Unlike Origins, Legends doesn't require you to play through worlds in order—all levels and competitions are accessible from a large lobby. True, you won’t be able to rush to the most difficult stages right away - to unlock them, you need to free a certain number of little Teensys from their cages.
There are only six worlds (five main and one bonus), and Legends turns out to be shorter than its predecessor. On the other hand, there is a ton of extra fun, like multiplayer challenges, mini-games and remade levels from Origins. You can spend a lot of time in Legends, but almost half of it (or even more) will be spent on extracurricular activities. If you don't like to explore the nooks and crannies and chase bonuses, the game will end in six to seven hours.
The new playable heroine is the barbarian Barbara. He is distinguished by a violent disposition and, in general, nothing else. But the addition is still nice.
Like Origins, Legends is great with friends. The rather chaotic local co-op is still here and can be played by up to four players, up to five on the WiiU version. Playing with friends is incredibly fun, but for thoughtful exploration of the world, it is clear that co-op is poorly suited: what is happening on the screen quickly turns into a farce, in the abyss of which it is difficult to even find your own character, not to mention bonuses. It’s best to reveal the secrets of Legends alone, or at most together, in a calm environment.
We need all consoles, all consoles are important to us!
Rayman Legends was originally developed as a Wii U exclusive, but shortly before its release, originally scheduled for February, it became multi-platform and moved to the fall. As a result, the new Rayman was released on all current stationary consoles, PS Vita and personal computers.
Some actions, originally designed for using the Wii U tablet (see video), were simplified during porting to pressing a context button or shift keys. All functionality was preserved only on the Vita, which has a touch screen, but the version for the portable from Sony decided at the last moment to be delayed for two weeks and released without some of the levels. They promised to fix this with a patch, but the residue remained.
However, no matter what platform you have, Rayman Legends is definitely worth playing. If possible, we would advise sticking with the Wii U version, but the differences are not that critical. Legends plays great on all consoles, but there are no achievements on Wii U (what a shame!).
The game has been tested onPC
Making a sequel to a great game isn't easy - and Rayman Origins was, without a doubt, great game. Michel Ancel not only resurrected the series, but also took it to a new stage of development, proving in practice that a 2D platformer can be beautiful, modern and complex at the same time. So it's no surprise that anticipation for Legends has been met with a fair amount of anxiety, especially in light of the repeated release date delays.
The fans' worries were in vain. Rayman Legends not only did not drop the bar set by its predecessor, but also easily surpassed it. In a good way, strange, eccentric, incredibly charming and exciting - in general, again the best platformer of the year.
⇡ One and a half
Despite its dreamy name, the Meadow of Dreams often becomes the center of disturbing events. While Rayman and his friends were basking in a hundred-year-old sleep, the dark little ones got loose and turned everything upside down. Fortunately, Murphy the frog managed to wake up the couch potatoes and raise them to fight the mischievous villains.
Murphy is a true veteran of the series, who for some reason did not fit into Origins. His return simultaneously became the first gameplay innovation in Legends that you pay attention to. With the help of this flying amphibian, we overcome obstacles that we could not overcome alone. Murphy, who never fails to smile widely, pulls platforms in the right direction, switches levers, cuts ropes, tickles giant monsters and otherwise helps Rayman rush forward.
The green zipper moves independently, but the operations with the environment are controlled by the first player, which speeds up the pace of the already dynamic gameplay. The intensity of passions reaches its peak in speed episodes, when you have to monitor the position of your character and at the same time manage to press/cut/switch everything that Murphy’s paws can reach. Sometimes the hyperactive frog calms down and assists in the passage of relatively calm “spatial” episodes, rotating the location so that Rayman can overcome seemingly impenetrable obstacles.
⇡ Like clockwork
The key principle in Origins was pacing. The idea of smooth, continuous movement was evident throughout, intertwining location design with sound design and refined controls. The sequel follows the same path, beating out gameplay beats with metronome precision. A logical (and brilliantly executed!) development of this idea was the levels that conclude each chapter of our adventures.
What happens in them is Rayman squared, the absolute peak of the idea of musical gameplay, subordinating everything that happens to the chosen rhythm. These levels are so gorgeous that it's worth tying up your jaw the first time. Believe me, a crazy run through a medieval castle accompanied by Black Betty will cause a real storm of emotions. Personally, I liked these episodes so much that I would gladly buy another pack in the form of DLC - and this despite the fact that I am usually against such a scheme for taking money from players.
As you can see, Ubisoft Montpellier is great at taking its ideas and solutions to new heights. The visual component is no exception - it seems that after Origins it is impossible to draw something better, but, apparently, the studio’s artists are accustomed to doing the impossible. The worlds into which our heroes are thrown are fascinating. Phantasmagoric landscapes are so lush and rich in detail that it seems they are about to spill out from the screen into our world. The backgrounds and scenery are well drawn and animated, the characters are funny and colorful. From dark forests to underwater citadels in steampunk style - a voyage through the wild imagination of the artists of Rayman Legends will be imprinted on the retina with a series of bright slides that you want to keep in your memory forever.
⇡ Gallery of vivid fantasies
Along with the graphic style, the gameplay also changes from picture to picture, adding pleasant variety to our adventures. During a fun Cucarachi in the style of the Mexican Day of the Dead (this colorful aesthetic has not been seen in games since the unforgettable Grim Fandango), we will gnaw our way through sweets, and in “Twenty Thousand Lums Under the Sea” we will play a hilarious stealth action game - with detectors, lasers, spy music and everything else.
Thanks to this variability, the game does not get boring, despite the fact that the core of the gameplay remains unchanged. Like its predecessor, Legends has a smooth learning curve, rising from mastering the basics of platforming to performing unimaginable combinations of jumps, slides, hovering and sprints. There is, however, one nuance - sometimes developers seem to play around with themselves, forgetting about the complexity. As a result, you occasionally come across episodes that are completed with gnashing teeth the tenth or twentieth time - and all because of some little thing like the ill-conceived location of a control point or a ledge, which you are always two damn millimeters short of reaching.
Otherwise, it’s hard to blame Rayman Legends for anything - it’s brighter, more spectacular, more exciting and larger than its predecessor. The latter is by no means unfounded. Just to get through the story and see the credits (one of the best in the history of video games, by the way), it will take about ten hours. But there is also a bonus chapter that opens after rescuing a certain number of babies, daily and weekly online tests with record tables and shadows of the closest competitors, a whole series of levels in the style of the Origins worlds, races against the clock... It turned out to be a notable adventure, which is not recommended for all connoisseurs to miss great games.
Advantages:
- Impressive detailing and top-notch artistic design throughout;
- a large number of different locations and tests;
- musical levels are something;
- Chaotic and fun multiplayer.
Flaws:
- The overall smoothness of the gameplay sometimes kicks up with sections of increased difficulty.
| Graphic arts | Any of the enthusiastic epithets will fit the description appearance Legends. Or even two epithets. Or ten, ten is still better. One of the most beautiful platform arcade games this world has ever seen. | 10 |
| Sound | It harmoniously complements the graphics and gameplay, bringing everything together into one - exemplary work. | 9 |
| Single player game | When friends aren't blabbering and snatching each other's gamepads, it's possible to thoroughly enjoy the gameplay. In general, completing Legends solo is a little more difficult, but no less interesting than in a group. | 9 |
| Group game | Some episodes are easier to complete alone, others are faster to conquer cooperative game, but the fact remains that local multiplayer for four is very hectic, fun and wildly exciting. | 9 |
| General impression | When there are few shortcomings, they irritate even more. Rayman Legends has one of these, which prevents it from being called an ideal platformer. But still, only people with an acute allergy to beauty will be able to resist the charm of the game. | 9 |
Rayman Legends
Video:
Following the re-release of one of best games 2013 - Tomb Raider: Definitive Edition - Rayman Legends knocked on the doors of owners of new generation consoles - a wonderful platformer that can rightfully be called one of the most worthy representatives of the genre not only of last year, but also of the previous generation of consoles. The stunning success of Rayman Legends and rave reviews from both critics and players simply could not help but inspire the developers to re-release the game, which was supposed to be released on February 20 of this year, but for some reason the release date in Europe was postponed to March. Last week, the game appeared in the Russian PlayStation Store without any announcement and did not acquire any of the now fashionable “Edition” tags, still being called simply and unpretentiously - Rayman Legends(the main review of the game can be read by clicking on).
Perhaps the trend of re-releasing “old” games, which has become noticeably more frequent recently, is causing confusion among players hungry for something new, but this can be looked at from the other side. Firstly, no one is forcing anyone to buy the game again if the person does not want to, and secondly, this is a great opportunity to get acquainted with the game for those who, for some reason, have not done so before. In any case, no matter how you and I feel about this phenomenon of the modern gaming industry, any game will always find its buyer. Another thing is the desire of the developers to bring some interesting goodies to their brainchild, in order not only to attract a new audience, but also to re-interest the old one. When starting a conversation about Rayman Legends, we can first, as usual, talk about the graphical component. Of course, the high resolution and more detailed textures are pleasing to the eye, but this is not at all critical here, since the original Rayman Legends already looks simply amazing, and the difference can hardly be seen without a direct comparison of both versions.
The developers paid the main attention to the social component of the PlayStation 4 and the new technical capabilities of the DualShock 4 controller, rather than to any fundamentally new content of the game itself. Now you can use the “Share” button to take screenshots and record gaming video process and then posting them in social media. Perhaps, this function is already more of a free application for each game and in fact cannot be considered as a feature of a particular game in particular. Of course, those who like to boast about beautiful landscapes and their successful completion of difficult levels will be satisfied. The developers have come up with one interesting feature just for such players. As you progress through the game, a camera icon appears in certain places and when you press the touchpad, the game goes into the so-called “camera mode”, in which you can admire the beautiful location, choose the most suitable view for a photo, zooming in and out of the picture, but nothing more. This innovation will probably interest a certain creative part of the players, but for the rest it will most likely be useless.
The developers used the touchpad directly in the gameplay. Now “lucky tickets” can be erased by moving your fingers on the touch screen, instead of using analog sticks, as was the case in the PlayStation 3 version. The characteristic sound produced in this case comes from the DualShock 4 speaker. This looks especially funny when the speaker volume is low TV, you start “shuffling” across the touch panel throughout the entire apartment, having first forgotten to reduce the volume of the controller’s speaker. It must be said that these are somewhat dubious innovations that do not bring anything fundamentally new to the game. Also, in addition to the already impressive collection of various costumes for the main character, the developers have added several more: Assassin Ray is a prototype of Edward Kenway from Assassin’s Creed IV: Black Flag, Funky Ray is a funny character who can be unlocked using earned Uplay points. And finally, Champion Ray is a character that is only available to those players who succeed in online challenges.
The most important innovation is the Remote Play function, which is simply indispensable for those whose TV is constantly busy with family, but want to play. With this feature, you can connect to PlayStation 4 with PlayStation Vita and play on the portable console for fun. Several subjective features of the improved version of Rayman Legends are also worth noting. Apparently, the developers have eliminated an unpleasant bug that ruined all game progress for many PlayStation 3 owners when the system for some reason did not recognize the save file and the player automatically started new game. In any case, during the dozens of hours spent playing the game, nothing like this was noticed. The speed of loading levels is kept to a minimum, which is very important when completing complex tasks, when you have to do this literally dozens of times in a row. The trophy list is identical to that of the PlayStation 3 version, so trophy hunters can breathe easy as the game doesn't have one of the tougher ones like the PS Vita version, where you have to earn the Diamond Cup through an online challenge.
Rayman once again saves a colorful world from the forces of darkness in one of the best platformers of the year. The best platformers on current generation consoles. The best platformers of the new generation consoles. The best platformers in general. Basically.
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A scribbler in games journalism is the type of person who doesn’t like everything. This is a boring, arrogant person who doesn’t feed him bread, but gives him something to criticize. Good, game industry in its current format, it’s a real treasure trove for those who like to grumble. Gray, monotonous and almost meaningless projects have flooded the market - I don’t want to grumble. But it drives me into a stupor.
At one time, it gained considerable popularity among fans of classic and colorful platformers, but it was clearly not what they were counting on Ubisoft. That's why bigwigs in the digital entertainment industry decided to give players another chance. The game was not only able to repeat the success of Origins, but also surpass it in many ways.
While Rayman and his comrades were sleeping, the nightmares again began to destroy the cities of the Little Ones, beat ordinary citizens, and generally behave indecently. What can you do, Rayman - you need to save the world again. And don't forget your friends.
In total, the comic hero will have to visit more than a hundred levels. Here Rayman is running away from a stupid Mexican giant wrestler, trying not to get stuck in a thick layer of various nacho additives, and a few minutes later he dives under the water, trying not to run into sea urchins and not become dinner for some worms. Obstacles follow each other like in a kaleidoscope, while remaining challenging but exciting. Even though game process Focused on just running and jumping at the right time, Legends doesn't get boring for a second. She simply does not have time to get bored, since everything in the game happens extremely quickly.
Each level is made in the same amazing cartoon style. The two-dimensional foreground and three-dimensional backgrounds successfully convey the atmosphere of each location. Mariachi skeletons, sand and cacti - this is Mexico. Castles, dragons, siege weapons and orcs with shields are the Middle Ages. Mechanical dragons, lasers and toads with machine guns in their hands and night vision devices - this is an underwater laboratory that you need to penetrate unnoticed, like Sam Fisher.
The atmosphere is also conveyed by the chic musical score, which is chosen just perfectly for each level.
Moreover, the actions of the heroes at some levels are closely interconnected with musical accompaniment. No, not like in the same one, which mixed colors and musical chords, allowing players not only to decorate the levels, but also to personally write music for them. In Legends, music plays in the background, it’s just that the level is built in such a way that the player’s mandatory actions (be it jumping or riding a rope) seem to involve one or another instrument.
As in many games of this genre, all the actions of the heroes are limited to simple jumps, tackles and the ability to soar in the air for a short time. However, the developers have found a way to dilute this simple combination. In certain places on the levels, a moth toad named Murphy may suddenly appear, which will help the heroes overcome certain difficulties. His assistance often involves simply moving platforms and cutting ropes, but Murphy can sometimes tickle an enemy to make them drop their shield and become more vulnerable to attacks.
Bright design, comical characters, exciting gameplay and simply an indecent number of different additional materials. Rayman Legends is perfect. No, really, that's how it is.
He was three-dimensional, traveling through a strong list of game consoles and earning all kinds of awards. He spent his leisure time with crazy rabbits from, only increasing his popularity. A couple of years ago, he returned to his roots, which received the appropriate name - . The prequel shed light on the origins of the elements of the universe and rightfully received high marks from gaming journalism. Michel Ancel found the formula for the golden ratio, and by 2013 he brought his main brainchild to the ideal. Meet: !
After saving the universe, Rayman's comrades took up their main occupation - lying on the snoring tree. But while the heroes were resting after hard working days, new nightmares managed to penetrate into the colorful world. There is nothing to do: it’s time to wake up and restore order to the fairy lands again. Familiar characters en masse go where Makar did not drive calves, namely to the Mexican lands, swamps and other medieval dragon havens. Along the way, you not only have to save little teensies, but also free various kinds of battle princesses, who immediately join Rayman in his fun and exciting adventure.
Locations from the 2011 game can be unlocked as prize content. Each new liberation campaign is a visit to one of the paintings in a huge gallery. Access to new canvases opens as you progress through existing ones: progress through one world proceeds sequentially, but the doors to new locations will open long before it complete passage. Good news for those who spared money to get acquainted with Rayman Origins– locations of the 2011 game can be opened as prize content, thanks to the in-game lottery. But even without a journey to the origins, Rayman Legends has something to offer the player.
The larger the cabinet, the smaller the key, the louder it falls.
Exemplary platform arcade gameplay pushes the boundaries of variety. The classic running away from something remains in place, but now some locations will require even more concentration. The fact is that instead of the standard jump and kick, a third button comes into play - the use of a flying assistant, which moves various obstacles in the path of the sprinter. On consoles with a touch interface, your finger will play the role of a flying friend. It sounds much simpler than it actually is, because already two buttons were enough to really work on the passage. Another way to perfect the gameplay, which Michel Ancel found in some locations of the previous game, is the musical races. Only for their sake can you safely purchase Rayman Legends: a peculiar mixture of platformer and Guitar Hero offers a run in which the player performs all actions to the playing soundtrack. Oh yes. The game's soundtrack is also perfect.
Delicious addition.
The guys from the project are expanding the community from what was once four people co-op playthrough to thousands of people around the world. Of course, the local co-op remained in place. But in addition to this, kind servers organize various daily and weekly competitions: who will collect the most lums in the allotted time, who will run the longest distance or reach the finish line earlier. Did the German show the best result? It's okay, we'll get it done on the next try. Want to spar, but your internet provider is on strike? It doesn’t matter either, because now you have Kung Foot – football on the engine Rayman, where you can score not only a goal, but also your opponents.
Rayman's sweetest piece is his visual and technical execution. But the sweetest morsel Rayman– its visual and technical execution. French design – that’s why it’s French design, to set the bar for quality. Drawing backgrounds, character animation, level design - all these things can safely be sent as a standard of game elements to the Chamber of Weights and Measures, which, by a happy coincidence, is a fellow countryman of Rayman Legends. Designers approach the project with manic pedantry, carefully working out the smallest details, be it a split second of a race or a single lumen-level under-assembly. An interesting move from the project’s artists – a slight touch of three-dimensionality in the graphic design. Due to soft shadows, the characters have added volume, different dynamics and contrast of background layers make the picture deeper, and the bosses are completely made in the form of stylish 3D models. By the way, the heroes are now not just painted in different colors - no, no, but new skin The protagonist also brings with him a new animation of his actions.
What did we find in Rayman Legends? Nothing special, it’s just the ideal of graphic design, level design, soundtrack, cooperative gatherings and multi-age focus. With all this, the game manages to produce a result greater than the sum of its components. The project, as they say, is from the heart to the soul. And it may not be to the taste of only those players who do not have this important destination.
