Hands-On Preview: Rayman Legends
The demo we tried out was the exact same one shown during E3, with a little bit more exploration allowed to it. We only managed to play with one Wii Remote and one Wii U GamePad in the 10 or so minute demo, though it was more than enough time to know that this game will be one to pick up.
Roland’s Thoughts:
“Rayman games have always been rather whimsical, littered with odd characters and gorgeously coloured environments, and Rayman Legends is no exception. It’s a direct sequel to Rayman Origins, meaning the graphics are jaw-dropping, and it has excellent gameplay. I’m under the impression that the game will support five-players, with the bulk of the players performing traditional platforming and the fifth controlling a new character on the Wii U GamePad. For the demo, we were only able to play as Rayman and the new guy, a fly named Murfy. Rayman is as steady as ever–it was Murfy who was really interesting. The player using him is relegated to a support role, and is tasked with altering and interacting with the environment in order to clear obstacles, create new pathways, or reveal/enhance collectibles. The demo we played was rather easy, but was a lot of fun and displayed a lot of promise. It was interesting to see rhythm elements infused into a side-scrolling platformer, to be frank.”
Jason’s Thoughts
“As you know from my Rayman Origins review, I’m a huge fan of the new direction the game has gone. With Rayman Legends, Ubisoft has taken everything that worked in the first game and integrated the Wii U features. You can still have up to 4 people playing the game with the Wii Remote if you like, but the Wii U GamePad is essential to having the most fun. With it, you’ll be able to kill enemies, tilt the GamePad to help your friends through traps, and activate platforms so everyone else doesn’t fall to their deaths.
Since this was the exact same demo shown at E3, it was topped off with the musical medley at the end and let me tell you, it isn’t as easy as it looks. Tapping all the areas on the Wii U Gamepad while the other players try to bounce along in beat was really tough and led to more than a few deaths, but we were happy to restart because Rayman Legends is a ton of fun, even moreso than Origins.”
