Review of the game Rayman Legends. Rayman Legends is a leap to perfection. Review Reiman game review

A century has passed. For a century they only yawned and snored endlessly. It seems that the heroes of the Meadow of Dreams are in the grip of omnipotent idleness? Or maybe my babies are just really tired? During this time, the Nightmares multiplied. They spread, giving birth to new demons, much more terrible than the previous ones! The meadow of dreams is in danger. Fly! Rather, awaken our great heroes!

At Rayman Origins there was every chance of failure. The budget was small, the development team consisted of only 6 employees. Moreover, since the release of Rayman 3, the last part of the series at that time, 8 years have passed, and it was not entirely clear for what purpose Ubisoft I decided to revive my old franchise. Nevertheless, the project took off. A low barrier to entry, but an ever-increasing level of difficulty, excellent game design, excellent work of artists and the ability to play the game with four people allowed the new Rayman to become one of the best platformers of our time. So it was nice to know that Ubisoft Montpellier, the developer of Origins, was given a large enough budget and resources to create a sequel - Rayman Legends . The main goals that the developers set themselves and voiced in various interviews are to do the same, only bigger and better. Did it work? Now we'll find out.

Let's start with the plot component. As in the last part, the plot is by and large limited to the plot. Since the last part, the main characters have been in a very deep hibernation, being in a bubble. In the literal sense of the word. In addition to them, at the same time, Evil grew in various bubbles, which eventually broke out and kidnapped the babies - the local population of the world. It is at this moment that our heroes are awakened so that they once again save this Magic world. This is where the story essentially ends. Immediately after a short introduction, we are immersed in game process. No boring and primitive tutorial levels, no boring cutscenes that can not be missed. This game focuses solely on the gameplay - that part of the game for which we actually play them.

The game captivates from the first seconds.

The gameplay basis remains the same - we save the little ones, along the way we collect lumens, destroying opponents and bypassing dangerous obstacles. The game has big choice characters - here you have Reiman, and Globox, his faithful companion, and two babies from Origins and about a dozen different princesses, but they all have the same abilities. Levels can be divided into two types - those where you need to save 10 babies, and those where only 3 babies are imprisoned. Levels with 10 babies are a classic level in which we just get from the beginning of the level to the end, collecting everything we can along the way. Levels with 3 babies are more diverse in terms of concept. In some you will have to fight the boss, in some you will have to run away from the cataclysm pursuing you, like a storm, lava, sand. As in the previous part, there are two types of collectible items in the game - babies and lumens. It is important to collect both babies and lumens. It is thanks to the little ones that you open new levels, for the lumens the player gets access to new costumes. Moreover, by collecting a certain number of lumens at the level, you can get a lucky ticket - a local lottery, thanks to which you can win a baby, classic levels from Origins, a certain number of lumens and monsters that will periodically generate ... Even more lumens. Why do you need so many lumens? More on this later.

At the end of the level, you will be shown all the rescued babies.

The dynamics of the game remained exactly the same balanced. Somewhere you have to rush at full speed, somewhere carefully jump over obstacles so as not to hurt anything. As a result, the theme of the game is not boring and offers a challenge that requires a different approach to the situation. The controls are quite simple - move buttons, hit, jump, run. There is nothing else, so you don’t even need to get used to the controls. This allows you to focus directly on the management of the hero - various creatures, thorns, abysses and other dangers will stand on the way to salvation. And you should be careful, since one hit is a restart from the checkpoint, unless, of course, you pick up an additional heart that absorbs damage, but only once. However, the character reacts to any movement instantly, so the success of passing the level is focused solely on how skillfully the player plays, and not on the miscalculations of the game designer.

As the game progresses, modes will open for a while. As such, they cause difficulties, with the exception of a couple of stages.

As already mentioned, the developers have focused on diversifying the gameplay. All levels are divided into different zones, each of which offers unique mechanics. Somewhere you will have to constantly be in motion, since the level will go under the sand, you will have to stealth in the water levels, otherwise the cameras will detect you and quickly destroy you, somewhere you will have to constantly levitate above the ground, since the floor is simply missing. Moreover, at the end of each zone there is a “musical” level - a certain well-known composition is remade to match the mood of the game, and you overcome obstacles and break barriers to the beat of the music, and after collecting 400 lumens a whole world opens up in which you need to replay these levels with certain difficulties, for example, with an inverted image. Moreover, there are moments in the game where you will control the character artificial intelligence, you will destroy obstacles, move platforms while the hero is moving towards the goal. Fortunately, the player does not make thoughtless movements - if he sees an abyss that he himself cannot cross, the hero will wait until you yourself move it. If this is not enough for you - welcome to the levels from Origins. Did you complete them too? Then you can take on competitive mode in which you fight other players and break records in various challenges. As a result, the game can drag you out for a very long time, because some levels are updated daily, some - weekly, and the challenge is still there - players still compete to this day to get the best, platinum, cup to get ... Even more lumens. As a result, there is more content and it is more diverse.

If you are tired of all the other modes - you can go play football. With a group of friends, of course.

It becomes even more surprising that the locations do not disappoint at all - they do not visually repeat the last part in any way. You will visit the classic forest, and under water, even on Olympus, and the landscapes will not become boring until you pass the entire zone. And all thanks to designers and animators - something is constantly happening in the background, all characters, including opponents, have small animations so that the player feels this magical world. The game has also improved from a technical point of view. Origins was developed on UbiArt Frameworks, a developer toolkit that allows you to focus directly on level and world design without worrying about game optimization. The developers have improved this system, so now the game has advanced lighting, shaders best quality, and while the game is still 2D, the characters are 3D. The difference is felt only when the bosses appear, which usually fly from the background to the foreground, but the visual style of the game did not suffer from this. And the musical accompaniment perfectly complements the picture of this cozy world.

Unfortunately, the game has certain problems. Not large, but it would be a sin not to mention them. The biggest one is the lack of an online co-op. Players can now play either on the same console or locally. Yes, co-op is still more archaic fun than real way it's ok to complete the game with friends, but cutting out such an element is a bit surprising. Remember I mentioned that there are many ways to get lumens, but in the end they are automatically spent solely on suits? So, if you, like me, want to complete the game in 100%, then you will have to open the costumes. The last costume unlocks at one million lumens, while at best, beating the whole game, rescuing all the babies, and getting all the monsters will only give you half a million at best. As a result, on full walkthrough games can take not just months, but also a year of constant play, so the test mode is nothing more than an artificial stretching of the game, I can not call it.

Fortunately, the tests are quite diverse - there are 5 variations.

If Rayman Origins was once called one of the best platform games of our time, then Rayman Legends can be safely considered one of the best platform games in the history of video games. The main claims of Origins were just the same in the absence of variety and short duration. The developers were able to roam here to the fullest and give an unforgettable experience that should not be missed by anyone. If you're a platform game fan, you've beaten the game a long time ago and might still be playing Challenge Mode. If you are not a fan of platformers - feel free to take it. The game is friendly to beginners and does not overload you with unnecessary gameplay mechanics. Considering that nothing better has come out since then, I strongly recommend buying it.

pros: low entry threshold; enough content for a long passage; the levels are excellently implemented in terms of game design; great work by the artists.

Minuses: lack of online multiplayer; challenge mode artificially stretches the passage of the game by 100%.

We are very lucky to have been born at all. Although the previous game about Raymen - Origins- was sold in a relatively modest circulation, the income from it covered the development costs, and Ubisoft began to invest more and more actively in original games from small studios. So next year we are waiting for and, and right now we are playing another brilliant platform game from the team Michel Ansel .

Legends are not born

And again, Raymen runs from right to left to the finish line, collecting bonuses and distributing to enemies for nuts. Origins stood out from a bunch of colleagues 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 parameters, Legends has confidently surpassed the original.

If someone says that after Origins you can’t think of anything more interesting, don’t believe it, Legends throws up new situations one after another. At one level, you have to shrink to tiny sizes, at another you literally gnaw your way through cakes, and at the third, the game will suddenly slow down and teach Raymen to play hide and seek. At the same time, the levels do not bend under the load of ideas - the stages are run almost intuitively, and the right decisions come on the fly.

The process is built with jewelry precision. When large levels focused on exploration and collection of bonuses start to get boring, the player is offered a dynamic stage with a chase or a boss fight, 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 observed: the beginning is cheerful and carefree, and 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, and the need to calibrate each jump will make you sadly remember Super Meat Boy.

Taking this opportunity, we want to say hello to the designer of one of the last levels - the one where dragons and running on falling walls. Dear designer, thanks to you we finally broke our first Wii U gamepad. Happy! No matter how difficult the next level turns out to be, Rayman Legends continues to have fun. There is so much pure positive in it that it is just right to sell it in pharmacies instead of antidepressants, and the same Mario in this regard is not a rival to Raymen.

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

Joking aside, Raymen is a very important character for the genre and for the industry as a whole. It 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 thoroughbred two-dimensional platformer. The Great Escape went 3D and is still considered one of the best platform games ever made. The third part turned out to be “just good”, because it was developed without the participation of Ansel.

After Rayman 2, Ancel directed the wonderful Beyond Good & Evil and Peter Jackson's King Kong, and then returned to Raymen. The result is a collection of mini-games called Rayman Raving Rabbids, where the famous big-eared scoundrels from the picture above first appeared. These rabbits are so fond of the players that Ubisoft put the cycle almost into assembly line production.

Each subsequent part of the "Rabbits" pushed Raymen further and further into the background, but, fortunately, Ubisoft divided the series in time. It is right - 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 releases, Rayman managed to participate in several branches, such as Rayman: Hoodlum's Revenge for GBA, Rayman Rush for PS One or Rayman: Jungle Run for iOS. Of course, they do not represent the same value as the main releases, although Jungle Run is quite a good adaptation of Origins for mobile phones.

Unlike Origins, in Legends you don't have to go through the worlds in order - all levels and competitions are available from the extensive lobby. True, you won’t be able to immediately rush to the most difficult stages - in order to unlock them, you need to free a certain number of Tinzi babies from the cells.

There are only six worlds (five main and one bonus), and Legends is shorter than its predecessor. On the other hand, there's a ton of extra fun here, like multiplayer challenges, mini-games, and remastered 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 exploring back streets and chasing bonuses, the game will be over in six or seven hours.

A new playable heroine is the barbarian Barbara. Differs violent disposition and more in general, nothing. But the addition is still nice.

Like Origins, Legends is great with friends. Pretty chaotic local cooperative hasn't gone away and can be played by up to four players, up to five in the WiiU version. Playing with friends is incredibly fun, but for a thoughtful exploration of the world, of course, co-op is not suitable: what is happening on the screen quickly turns into a farce, in the abyss of which it is even difficult to find your own character, not to mention bonuses. It is best to reveal the secrets of Legends alone, maximum two, in a calm atmosphere.

We need all consoles, all consoles are important to us!

Rayman Legends was originally developed as a Wii U exclusive, but shortly before the release, originally scheduled for February, it became multiplatform and moved to the fall. As a result, the new Raymen came out on all current stationary consoles, PS Vita and personal computers.

Some actions, originally designed to use the Wii U tablet (see video), were simplified during porting to pressing the context button or shifts. All the functionality was saved only on the Vita, which has a touch screen, but the Sony portable version was delayed for two weeks at the last moment and released without some of the levels. They promised to fix it with a patch, but the sediment remained.

However, no matter what platform you have, Rayman Legends is definitely worth playing. If possible, we would advise you to stick with the Wii U version, but the differences are not that critical. Legends plays great on all consoles, and there are no achievements on Wii U either (what a shame!).

Raymen saves again colorful world from the forces of darkness in one of the best platformers of the year. The best platform games on current generation consoles. The best platformers of the new generation of consoles. The best platformers ever. Basically.

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The scribbler in gaming journalism is the type of person who doesn't like everything. This is a boring, snobby personality, which you don’t feed with bread, but give something to criticize. Fortunately, the gaming industry in its current format is a real storehouse for those who like to grumble. Gray, monotonous and almost meaningless projects flooded the market - I don’t want to grumble. But here it drives into a stupor.

At one time, it gained considerable popularity among fans of classic and vibrant platformers, but this was clearly not what they expected in Ubisoft. That is why the bigwigs of 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 Raymen and his comrades were sleeping, nightmares again began to smash the cities of the Little Ones, beat ordinary citizens, and generally behave indecently. What to do, Raymen - you need to save the world again. And don't forget your friends.

In total, the comical hero will have to visit more than a hundred levels. Here's Rayman running from a goofy Mexican giant wrestler, trying not to get bogged down 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 a dinner for some worms. Obstacles follow each other like in a kaleidoscope, while remaining challenging, but exciting. Even though the gameplay is focused on the need to run and jump in time, Legends does not get bored for a second. She just does not have time to bother, because everything in the game happens extremely quickly.

Each level is made in the same amazing cartoon style. The 2D foreground and 3D backs capture the atmosphere of each location. Mariachi skeletons, sand and cacti are Mexico. Castles, dragons, siege weapons and orcs with shields - this is the Middle Ages. Mechanical dragons, lasers and toads with machine guns in their hands and with 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 accompaniment, which is just perfect 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 color the levels, but also 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 (whether it's jumping or riding a tightrope) seem to use 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 can suddenly appear, which will help the heroes overcome certain difficulties. His assistance is often associated with simply moving platforms and cutting ropes, but Murphy can sometimes tickle the enemy to drop his shield and become more vulnerable to attacks.

Bright design, comical characters, addictive gameplay and just an indecent amount of various additional materials. Rayman Legends is perfect. No, really, that's the way it is.

Following the reissue of one of best games 2013 - Tomb Raider: Definitive Edition - Rayman Legends knocked on the door of the owners of the new generation of consoles - a wonderful platform game that can rightly be called one of the most worthy representatives of the genre not only of the 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 this year, but for some reason the release date in Europe was postponed to March. Last week, the game, without any announcement, appeared in the Russian PlayStation Store and at the same time did not acquire any now fashionable “Edition” postscript, still being called simply and unpretentiously - Rayman Legends(the main review of the game can be read by clicking on).

Perhaps markedly increased in recent times the tendency to re-release "old" games is a bewilderment for players who are hungry for something new, but you can look at it from the other side. Firstly, no one is forcing anyone to buy the game again if the person himself does not want it, and secondly, this is a great opportunity to get acquainted with the game for those who for some reason have not done it before. In any case, no matter how we treat this phenomenon of modern gaming industry, any game will always find its buyer. Another thing is the desire of developers to bring some interesting goodies to their offspring in order not only to attract a new audience, but also to re-interest the old one. Starting a conversation about Rayman Legends, at first you can, as usual, talk about the graphic component. Of course, 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 amazing, and the difference can hardly be seen without a direct comparison of both versions.

The developers used the touchpad directly in the gameplay. Lucky Tickets can now be erased by swiping your fingers across the touch screen, instead of using the analog sticks as was the case with the PlayStation 3 version. A distinctive sound is emitted from the DualShock 4's speaker. This is especially funny when the speaker volume is low TV, you start to "shuffle" on the touch panel for the whole apartment, having previously forgotten to reduce the volume of the controller's speaker. I must say, some dubious innovations that do not bring anything fundamentally new to the game. Also, in addition to the already impressive collection of different costumes for the main character, the developers have added a few more: Assassin Ray - the prototype of Edward Kenway from Assassin's Creed IV: Black Flag, Funky Ray - a funny character that can be unlocked using earned Uplay points. And finally, Champion Ray is a character that is only available to players who have succeeded in online challenges.

It's impossible not to love Ubisoft. Despite all its disadvantages and the frequent appearance of some games from the same series, developers are constantly trying to improve their projects. So Rayman Legends did not stand aside. French programmers were able to turn a very good cooperative platformer into a great product that any connoisseur of the genre can enjoy.

Everything, as always, begins with running, jumping and somersaults. It would seem that here can surprise? But each level is better than the previous one, so from hour to hour Rayman Legends tightens more and more. After much deliberation, we can confidently say that the sequel is still very different from the original. All levels have become more colorful, interesting, animated. Smooth transitions between locations, interesting bosses - no complaints. It is impossible not to note the musical accompaniment, which qualitatively fits into everything that happens on the screen. Each level is made very elegantly and intelligently. The developers have created not just a set of beautiful pictures, but whole pieces of worlds that need to be explored in order to find bonuses, characters and other little things. Without them, it is impossible to pass Rayman Legends. In addition, the game has a large number of intricate puzzles. Any of your actions can destroy a whole chain of bonuses, so you have to jump, run, beat enemies and at the same time think through all your actions.

The very movements of the character look very clear, so even the flight seems like a graceful jump of the "Black Swan" from the ballet. So that the gameplay does not come down to continuous battles, the developers have introduced many original puzzles into their project that need to be solved on the go, without any stops. Therefore, you need to be careful all the time, otherwise a beautiful glide on the water may result in a loss of bonuses. Well, boss battles can be characterized by a simple but capacious definition - a show. Each main villain is several times larger than your ward, so you have to be smart not to die. If everything goes well, then you will be shown a colorful battle.

The French treated their project wisely, so if you want to complete a level, chapter or game with two, three or even four, then you will find converted locations for several people. If you alone cannot always pass the level where ingenuity is required, then it will be much more difficult to do it with friends, because you have to bring the actions to automatism. By the way, Legends still has one fat minus - the lack of online walkthrough. This problem I’m happy with the serious one, because if you don’t have a gamepad or an additional device, then you simply won’t be able to play a platform game with your friends. It is not known why the developers decided not to introduce this feature, but its absence can greatly upset you and your companions. But now the game has karate football for several people and even a full-fledged multiplayer competitive mode. Developers are constantly adding tests for users to it. Some need to be done for time, others for speed, others for attentiveness and dexterity. The tasks themselves are divided into subsections: daily, weekly, monthly and extreme. You have to compete for nice in-game bonuses, so to some extent the lack of online co-op is compensated by multiplayer.

Special attention should be paid to Wii U. It is no secret that the project was originally supposed to be released only on Nintendo consoles, but, thank God, Ubisoft changed their minds and changed their minds. But each version is different. The Wii U has a screen built into the controller, and it is because of it that Rayman Legends looks like a special project. The game has a virtual assistant - a fly, which sometimes clears the passage, delays enemies, etc. If for PC, in order to use a character, it is enough to press one key, and he will do everything himself, then on Wii U you have to switch to him and go through a mini-mission. So the Nintendo version looks better than the rest. Of course, this is not the fault of the French as such, because they are not to blame for the fact that the current modern gaming platforms do not have a screen in the device. But despite the differences, Rayman Legends is still a great game that has a lot to do. It is undoubtedly worth buying for a few tens of hours of pleasure. It's also safe to say that Ubisoft has revived the entire genre, which will definitely continue to develop.

Rayman Legends is the best platform game ever made. this moment. It's very rare to find such well thought out level design, but apart from that, the game looks very cool thanks to three elements: co-op mode, online challenges, additional levels in the form of reworked missions from Rayman Origins - spice it all up with mini-missions and you have something incredible. Despite the fact that the game is designed for children, it can be enjoyed at any age.