Every few years a platformer reminds you why the genre never really goes away. Rayman Legends Retold, the remake of the 2013 classic, is shaping up to be one of those reminders, even if it isn’t quite the visual leap you might expect.
I run Pale Shadow Gaming, where I focus on “gaming content that ranges from quick highlights to full UHD playthroughs.” I care most about how a game feels in the moment, and that’s what I’ll focus on here. The impressions below draw on Ryan McCaffrey’s IGN preview, paraphrased in my own words.
The Big Question: Is a Remake Necessary?
Let’s start with the awkward part. The previewer’s most subjective take is that this 2.5D remake doesn’t look any better than the gorgeous 2D original, despite arriving 13 years later. For a remake, that’s a fair thing to flag, and IGN’s earlier preview reached a similar conclusion. It leaves open how essential the project is.
That said, it isn’t a knock on what’s actually on screen. The game looks good whether or not you’ve seen the original, and it plays wonderfully. After roughly three hours of hands-on time, the previewer found the gameplay has aged remarkably well, which is a strong endorsement considering he hadn’t touched the original since it launched.
Old Favorites, New Tricks
The remake isn’t just a repaint. New content is woven in with the old:
- New musical levels, where you platform in time with a song. The previewer played a stage built around the “Macarena.”
- Brand-new stages that extend the campaign.
- A revamped Kung Foot mode, the series’ quirky football-flavored extra.
- A full second game: the standard $40 edition bundles in the entirety of Rayman Origins: Enhanced Edition.
That last point is a big deal for value. You’re getting two Rayman platformers for one price, and for newcomers it’s an easy way to experience the series’ history.
How It Plays
For anyone new to Rayman, this is a mostly side-scrolling platformer in the vein of Mario’s 2D adventures. You can take a single hit from an enemy before you die and restart from the last checkpoint. It sounds punishing, but the game works hard to keep frustration in check.
If you keep dying at the same spot, optional golden hearts appear when you respawn. And if you’re still stuck, you can call on the Fairy Blessing, which wraps your limbless hero in a protective bubble and lets you float past whatever has been blocking you. It’s a thoughtful bit of accessibility that keeps the pace moving without forcing you to give up.
A World of Wild Themes
Each hub area has its own personality, and the variety impressed the previewer.
Spoiled Rotten is a food-themed zone where you hop off giant cucumbers and tomatoes. Cleverly placed trumpets shrink you to ant size so you can navigate the insides of a watermelon.
What the Duck is made entirely of sweets and pastries. Here you team up with a hungry flying helper named Murphy, who zips along set paths and munches through the culinary scenery when you press a button. The fun is in racing through the freshly eaten gaps before the cakey walls regrow moments later. These sections work as platforming puzzles in their own right.
The previewer also fought a giant luchador boss in another world, a fight built on timed attacks and big, bold setpieces. It’s standard platforming fare, but very well executed.
Who It’s For
The takeaway is simple. Retold isn’t breaking new ground, visually or mechanically, but it doesn’t need to. It’s a clean remake packed with new and old content at a fair price.
The previewer sees two natural audiences. One is Switch 2 owners looking for something to play this fall while a new 3D Mario remains absent and Super Mario Bros. Wonder is a couple of years old. The other is younger players who’ve never touched the series.
