E3 2012: Rayman Legends Hands On

Have you ever played Littlebigplanet Prehistoric Moves? If not that’s perfectly fine, but that’s Rayman Legends in a nutshell. Simply put, each gamer has a set goal to perform in Rayman Legends and based off their accuracy, you will either win the mission or lose it. It sounds simple, but it’s actually quite far from it.

If you have the WiiU controller, then your job is to bend the world to your partners needs. This can range from opening flowers, accessing new paths, cutting ropes or whatever else the situation calls for. Despite how it sounds, it’s actually quite the thrilling experience. One of my favorite parts in the demo, was the classic road falling apart. Here your partner is limited to running and jumping, but you MUST clear the path of dragons. To clear the path, you need to aim a slingshot on the tablet at the dragons. Depending on your speed, you will either pass or fail this area, though the outcome is completely dependent on your partner. Further on in the same level, Rayman will start to rush down a quick platforming segment. This is completely based off their skill, though you can gain extra points by poking the eyes.

This is really what makes Rayman Legends stand out, as the dynamics are constantly changing. Sometimes you need to do something and other times it’s on your partner, but there will always be something for you to do. Like if you have the tablet controller, simply swiping over the lums will turn them purple and award give more points. Some of these events are extremely helpful too. Easily one of my favorite parts in the demo, was when you cross the books with the fire guys going by. Rayman has to get across, so you need to move platforms to allow safe passage. During all of this these flame guys will appear, but simply swiping over them will destroy them. This forces the two of you to work together and not try to tackle the area all at once, which is a surprisingly satisfying experience.

Despite being similar to Prehistoric Moves, you actually feel like both roles matters. So much of the game is based off the two of you working together, that neither character feels more important than the other. Sadly the demo was limited to Murphy (tablet controller), but the different experience was thrilling.