E3 2012 – Geekscape Games Plays Rayman Legends!

Rayman Origins took platforming fans like myself by surprise last year. Finally reclaiming the spotlight and stepping out of the shadow of the party loving Rabbids, Rayman returned to true form by providing possibly the greatest 2D platform experience ever. Not wanting to settle for just being the best, it looks like Ubisoft is taking steps to make sure that Rayman Legends lives up to its name by raising the bar on the classic genre once again.

The WiiU demo on the show floor featured Rayman being controlled by the Classic Controller and his friend Murfy on the Game Pad, people who played Origins will feel right at home. Many of Rayman’s abilities like wall running, swinging and floating have returned with new levels to challenge your platforming grit. The biggest change comes from the graphics, so while many of the animations are the same, the characters are now rendered in 3D, which helps when launching the characters or attacks into the background. Taking out dragons from far away is a sight to behold!

But it’s Murfy that truly brings the new feeling to the game. Unlike Tingle in Wind Waker or playing as the almighty cursor in Mario Galaxy, Game Pad users will guide their character through obstacles in the level. Is there a rope that needs to be cut, bridge that needs lowering or maze that needs tilting? Leave it to Murfy! The tilt control had just the right amount of responsiveness when it came to delicately guiding Rayman out of harm’s way, and really made the Game Pad user feel like an important part of the experience.

I’m looking forward to a whole new set of worlds to tackle with such solid game play. With the trademark humor coming back as well, (musical platforming featuring rocking grannies?) I can’t wait to get a proper 5 player game going. Rayman Legends is shaping up to be even more worthy of your money than Legends was, so when the WiiU finally launches, I know what will be on my must buy list.