Rayman Legends

It's a game that's been meticulously crafted to keep you moving. Every jump leads precisely onto the next water-drenched slope which slides down to zip-line before the checkpoint. At times it moves with the agility of a slickly produced Sunday morning cartoon, when in actuality it's a video game. A video game that leaves others looking like dead sharks.

This is one of those games that's so terrifically crafted, so effervescently energetic, so beautifully, colorfully drawn, that it's genuinely difficult to come up with legitimate caveats to possibly dissuade anyone from it.

The Wii U version reaches hitherto unknown heights which I would never have expected from a direct sequel, let alone in this genre. Which is why I might as well just say it: Rayman Legends is the best 2D platformer of all time. Take that and stick it on the wall Ubisoft Montpellier, you earned it.

Building upon the superbly solid foundation of Rayman Origins is no mean feat, but Ubisoft has indeed managed to out-do the House of Mario in the genre in which many thought Nintendo was untouchable.

Rayman Legends is the best 2D platform of this generation, hands down. No modern 2D Mario game is as good, brilliant and fun as the Ancel's newborn. Hail to the new king!

Whether you’re a rabid fan of platforming games or you’ve grown disillusioned with them over the years, Rayman Legends has the charm and gameplay to leave you enthralled.

Rayman Legends doesn't have any competitor as innovative and it's ideal for the collection of any Wii U owner.

Yes, it would have been nice to get the game months ago as originally intended, but don’t let Ubisoft’s distrust in the platform sway you; Rayman Legends is one of Wii U’s best.

Rayman: Legends continues where its predecessors left off, and does so magically. The levels revolve around tempo and timing, are dynamic, keep renewing themselves and the difficulty level is slowly amped up throughout the game. And at the end of every setting, there’s a phenomenally good musical level. If you have the luxury of buying the Wii U version: do so. The Murphy levels make excellent use of the Gamepad.

Far from being a simple add-on of Rayman Origins, Rayman Legends manages instead to make everything better, easily becoming one of the best 2D platformers out there, especially if you have a couple of friends to share the fun with.

Rayman Legends is one of the best platform games you can play right now.

Barmy, brilliant and the best GamePad advert to date: consider us excited about Wii U again.

This is legendary entertainment. Design, visuals, the plethora of things to do, the cool music levels: Every inch of the way you feel that people with bucket loads of passion are behind this living their dream.

Both visually and mechanically, Rayman Legends consistently sparks the imagination. The co-op play on the Wii U is something that really must be experienced.

It seems that the Wii U version it’s the best in cooperative play and the gamepad provides an additional level of interaction not possible on other consoles.

Rayman Legends might just be the best 2D platformer of the current generation, and pure fun with your friends or your kids. [Sept 2013]

Even though it doesn't reach new heights, Rayman Legends is another heart-warming "love letter" to 2D platforming that you shouldn't miss out.

Rayman Legends is a sprawling masterpiece of a platforming game that’s just plain better than any recent Mario game, the gold standard for 2D platformers on Nintendo consoles.

Just like Origins before it, Legends is a must-have for fans of the genre.

Clearly designed for and best experienced on the Wii U, it’s a rare non-exclusive killer app that should be purchased immediately to ensure its franchise lives a long and productive life.

Strictly as a platformer based on fun and timing, Rayman Legends is as good as it gets and can hold up to any Nintendo-published game on the Wii U (not that there are all that many). But taking into consideration the variety, polish, and subtle charm, Rayman has Mario by the coin purse. It’s a nearly flawless game you don’t want to miss—especially if you own a Wii U.

Rayman: Legends is a little bit like Frankenstein. It has a new face, a handful of Origins and a little bit of Jungle Run added to it, all brought to life through magic. Everything that makes platforming fun is here and is given room to shine.

Above all, Rayman Legends embodies the spirit of what makes gaming so wonderful: it's enchanting, it's memorable, and most importantly, it's sheer fun.

Another amazing game in the Rayman universe. The game offers fun for all and a lot of variation. The style looks great and the game suffers from almost no flaws.

Almost perfect platform game with crazy humor and not very subtle pop cultural references. Could have been a little less repetitive, but with a couple of friends it has the potential for fantastically fun chaos. Very addictive and cleverly-paced so that you will always feel the need for one more try.

A clever level design full of secrets and the huge amount of collectibles make the title a real antidote to boredom. Rayman Legends is one of the best platforms of this generation.

A great platformer, with beautiful graphics, excellent music and an inspired level design. The Murfy levels use all the potential of the GamePad, unraveling new and exciting perspectives in the genre. If you own a Wii U, this one's a no-brainer.

Just like Rayman Origins did one year ago, Rayman Legends just blew me away. Michel Ancel and his team did incredible work to make this game competitive against others platformers. They deliver a beautiful game, with some clever gameplay mechanics. The Wii U version uses the asymmetric gameplay very well and multiplayer is even better on this platform.

As much as I love Legends, it’s certainly not a perfect game. Legends sticks with its predecessor in one unfortunate way, which is an over-reliance on collecting items. You either squeak through levels perfectly the first time or have to revisit them later if you want to see everything the game has to offer.

We struggle to see how any version can be better than this, as it's a game that feels like it was designed solely for the system. It's stunning platforming, with a move-set and dynamism unique to this fresh new series for the Rayman character, and it's memorable. It deserves to be enjoyed by all platforming fans that own a Wii U; it should not be missed.

If you've ever gleaned enjoyment from a platformer in your life, there's simply no reason to pass up Rayman Legends. Should you own a Wii U you'll be treated to the original, if occasionally frustrating experience, though the game will make you smile no matter what system you call home.

Rayman Legends does not offer a real revolution for the platform genre, but it proves that there is still room to be creative and to develop fresh ideas. Unfortunately, even though the game tries to be innovative in different ways, not all of them were really successful. This might not be a game changer, like Origins, but it is a nice continuation of the aesthetics and game design proposed by it.

Perhaps the most useful Wii U feature (at least for a family guy like me) is that it as a GamePad-only mode. Should your better half, roommate, brother, sister, mom, or dad wrest control of the TV from you the game will keep running on your controller’s screen.