There are a lot of remakes, remasters, and re-what have you these days. There are a lot of reasons for that we’re not here to litigate, but a lot of them do make me wonder why they exist at all. Rayman Legends Retold is a from-the-ground-up remake of Rayman Legends, adding fully voiced cutscenes and some rail shooter levels but mostly remaining 1:1 the same exact game that released just under a decade ago. I had the opportunity to play some of Retold early via a remote preview session, and while I’m still excited for the full game this October, I was still left wondering why this exists at all. In writing this, however, I think I found the answer.
For me, the main attraction of Retold is the cutscenes. The voices of at least Rayman and Murphy reprise their roles here from Rayman 3, David Gasman and Billy West, respectively, and both are a delight to hear portray these characters again. I enjoyed every exchange between Murphy, the Bubble Dreamer, and Betilla the fairy in dialogue between levels, as well as the proper animated cutscenes sprinkled throughout. The humor is great, and there was even a scene with The Magician that had me laughing out loud. It’s all very whimsical and wacky, exactly what I’m looking for in a Rayman story and something the original Legends was lacking in. I’m very excited to see what Ubisoft has in store for the story and characters here.
While I still prefer the immaculate 2D animation, Rayman Legends Retold is still stunning. The lighting on display here is absolutely incredible and really makes each level feel like an actual place rather than just a stage. This leads into something Ubisoft was really emphasizing with the presentation before we started playing, and that’s immersion. At first, I was questioning what place immersion had in a 2D platformer like this, but after playing for about an hour and a half, I totally get it. It’s difficult to describe in words, but when you’re playing the game, all these little details allow you to… concentrate (?) more on the level and gameplay. I’d be paying full attention to the game, whether it was this remake or the original, but Retold has me seeing the level as an environment rather than a series of obstacles to overcome. The gameplay of Origins and Legends encourages you to speed through each stage and get in a flow state, chaining jumps, punches, wall jumps, and more together seamlessly, even if it’s your first time playing the level. Retold is the same in that regard, but with this extra layer on top that really changes how I see each level, making them a lot more memorable. Like I said, I don’t quite have the words to describe what’s going on here with the visuals; it’s clear that going for 3D was a deliberate choice here and was thoughtfully implemented, with animations even mimicking their 2D equivalents perfectly. Rayman’s big cartoon schnoz having pores is still weird, though.
I think Ubisoft wants to establish a more concrete setting with this version of the Glade of Dreams, immersion again being a key point. I didn’t get to see it in-game, but there’s a full world map now instead of a series of themes. The game emphasizes the Glade as an actual place through the biggest addition to gameplay: rail shooter levels. After progressing far enough in a world, Rayman and friends will come across some dragons they can ride to the next hub area. These stages aren’t exactly breaking new ground and could really use a reticule to tell where you’re aiming, but they’re a lot of fun, break up the platforming, and present their own unique challenge. You don’t have a traditional health bar here, and there’s nothing to collect as you blast your way through obstacles with fire breath. Instead, you begin the level with every Teensie, and getting hit will cause one of them to fall off. I’m not sure if losing all the Teensies will cause you to die, but this presents a unique twist, encouraging mastery and perfect play rather than combing for secrets. Both of the rail stages I played were pretty long, though, and I can imagine trying to get every Teensie to the end only to get smacked by something random near the finish line being very frustrating. There’s still quite a ways to go until release, and what I saw of the game was far from finished, so there’s a lot of time left for Ubisoft Montpellier and Milan to figure something out there.
Being the same game as Rayman Legends certainly has an advantage, however, and that’s that the game is a ton of fun to play. The controls and level design are exactly the same, so it all feels great and is fun to run through, with the time attack levels providing some heart-pounding challenge. Four-player co-op, Kung Foot, and the Cave of Trials are all there too, along with a brand new final world taking place in the Land of the Livid Dead, alongside new music and arrangements by Christophe Heral and Grant Kirkhope. And yes, that includes some new musical levels along with all the old ones returning.
If you were like me and your initial reaction to Rayman Legends Retold was wondering “why remake a game that’s readily available on most platforms and less than a decade old”, I’d encourage you to take another look and reserve judgment. There are a lot of little things going into this game that I think will make it stand out, and it honestly feels like this could be the start of a more consistent string of releases for the series. From what I’ve seen, the game is going to be great, and it feels like Ubisoft is recommitting itself to Rayman, trying to make something they can continue to build off of in future titles while appealing to old fans and a younger generation. Oh, and the game will only be $40, so why not give it a shot?
Rayman Legends Retold launches October 1st for PC, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, and Nintendo Switch 2.
