You probably don’t need me to tell you Rayman Legends is an absolute classic. And despite it being over a decade old at this point, the celebrated 2D platformer – with its sumptuous hand-drawn art and wildly imaginative action – still looks and sounds and plays phenomenally today. So it feels a bit odd that, of all the Rayman games Ubisoft could have revisited and remade as the character celebrates his 30th anniversary, it’s this one. But here we are anyway with the newly revealed Rayman Legends Retold, coming to PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, Switch 2, and PC on 1st October!
It’s not, I should say, that Rayman Legends Retold isn’t pretty; Ubisoft’s fully 3D interpretation of the original game’s wonderful 2D visuals is certainly eye-catching, even if it perhaps doesn’t have quite the same charm. It just feels, to my mind at least, a little unnecessary. But still, I’m willing to curtail my curmudgeonly inclinations, given early word on Rayman Legends Retold – a collaboration between original developer Ubisoft Montpellier and Mario + Rabbids studio Ubisoft Milan – appears to be positive.
Basically, what we’ve got here is the original Rayman Legends in all its classic side-scrolling glory, but with the gorgeous handpainted visuals of old now rendered with new-fangled polygons. Why? To create an “experience for a new generation of players”, says Ubisoft on the PlayStation Blog. In addition to the familiar bits and returning levels, there’s talk of “new and improved gameplay”, a “mysterious” new realm, and four new musical stages (hopefully Mariachi Madness is still in there, otherwise I riot). There’s also Cave of Trials stuff, including “ongoing free challenges”, and it sounds like the stage-select galleries of yore have been turned into proper levels that serve as hubs.
Beyond that, it’s got a more adventurous camera, which, in the trailer at least, dives into the action at certain points, like when our heroes careen along ziplines. Plus, four-player couch co-op and Kung Foot are back. That’s alongside an expanded soundtrack by Christophe Héral and Grant Kirkhope, and “dynamised” cutscenes, which supposedly bring the original’s wisp of a story more to the fore. It’s fully voiced too, but having watched the trailer, I’m not entirely sure I’d call that a win. Apologies; there’s that curmudgeon again.
But actually, here’s another neat thing! Remember the Rayman Oranges: Enhanced Edition leak over the weekend? Well it turns out it won’t cost £2000, after all. Ubisoft is, in fact, bundling it in with all copies of Rayman Legends Retold. And as previously reported, this Oranges upgrade features 4K resolution, 60fps, new collectibles and rewards, haptic feedback support, and more. Does this suggest Retold is snipping the 40-or-so Oranges levels generously included in the original Rayman Legends? If so, I probably can’t complain too much: getting all the Oranges levels, albeit in a different package, is logically better than getting some of them, right?
So to recap: Rayman Legends Retold launches for PS5, Xbox Series X/S, Switch 2, and PC (via the Ubisoft Store, Steam, and Epic) on 1st October. And if I’m being honest, I think I’m probably a lot more excited than I’m letting on.
