World Class Villains

Rayman Legends also has a very wide variety in its level designs – something quirky is always showing up. (Image sourced from: Videogamer.com)

It was reported last year that Rayman Legends sold less than Ubisoft expected. This is a great pity, because Rayman Legends is an exceptionally good platformer and a title that brings a lot of creativity to what can be a very tired genre.

The ‘music levels’ are an example of this creativity – these levels are built around the pacing of a recognisable (or at least very catchy) song, with the level layout making the player perform certain actions in time to the beat. It’s a clever technique and one that often sees you moving to the song involuntarily as the level plays out and even perhaps humming the tune long after you’ve stopped playing.

Then there are the variations to those music levels, like the 8-bit version of “Black Betty” that backs up a slightly more warped version of the Castle Rock level:

It’s just fun, you know? Having heard a lot of commentary about video games striking emotional resonance on serious themes with titles like Bioshock: Infinite or The Last of Us, it’s nice to see a title that inspires joy simply through its gameplay.