Thinking back to the original release of Rayman Legends back in 2013, there isn’t much I would change about it. Slick 2D action platforming with a good mix of heady puzzles and shmup sequences – when executed well, those kinds of things can hold up over time. And Ubisoft would agree, because after getting my hands on the upcoming remake in Rayman Legends Retold, I know first-hand that it plays exactly as you’d expect since the core gameplay hasn’t really been touched (although there is a lot of new content). But as much as I believe the painterly pre-rendered art style of the original didn’t necessarily need a makeover, Ubisoft seemed to put in painstaking effort in recreating Rayman Legends with a modern visual overhaul, bringing the same 2D action into a new 3D world.
To be abundantly clear, Rayman Legends Retold is not a 3D platformer – it is still the 2D action you may have played, or at least seen. This time around, its worlds, backgrounds, and foregrounds have changed significantly, with modern graphical sensibilities that I would almost describe as playing through a Dreamworks animated film. I say that because of the style and tone of Rayman’s cartoonish low-brow goofiness that works well enough for what the series is, and that comes through clearly with the new cutscenes and fully voiced dialogue. Rayman doesn’t need to be much more than a lighthearted romp with fart jokes, silly pop culture references, and some nebulous evil entity terrorizing frogs. Listen, I don’t mind someone just jingling keys in front of me, I’m not above that!
Rayman Legends Retold – Preview Screenshots
Now if you haven’t played Rayman Legends, it’s a solid 2D action platformer starring Ubisoft’s long-time limbless protagonist that came with a good variety of hearty challenges that helped it stand out within a crowded genre. I got to play about two hours of this remake when I visited the studio at Ubisoft Montpellier, and I was happy to see that it’s held up quite well all these years later. Running, wall-jumping, swinging on vines, and avoiding deadly hazards are of course the traditions of the genre, but it’s the pace at which it throws these things at you, with the same tight controls, that builds a good sense of momentum.
Ubisoft seemed to put in painstaking effort in recreating Rayman Legends with a modern visual overhaul, bringing the same 2D action into a new 3D world.“
The best example of this is in the “Invaded” versions of normal levels, which turns things into a time-attack run where completing it under a certain time means you save more Teensies, which are these blue little freakos who inhabit the world. Retry after retry, I was able to get the fastest time necessary in all the available levels by understanding how Rayman’s momentum carries when speedrunning, the timing of each jump to keep pace, and the way attacks carry you past obstacles. It can be frustrating, but it’s the kind that makes you want to complete it because you’re either so close or you see exactly what you did wrong.
This was most true in the Enchanted Forest level where a ghost of Rayman shadows your every movement, forcing you to avoid him lest you die. But there’s specific jump timing, hostile frogs parachuting in you need to bounce off of, and spiky platforms paired with an updraft that’ll send you into the spikes if you’re not careful. You have to string all of this in one run, but piecing it all together with each retry was as much about being smart as it was about pure execution.
Variety Is the Spice
The main levels aren’t quite as treacherous as this, but later on in the Stinkbog, the second zone with a batch of swamp-themed levels, the updraft mechanic adds variety to the normal 2D platforming, asking you to avoid thorny vines as you control Rayman’s helicopter hair while dodging enemies and saving Teensies along the way. There are also these wild dragon-riding levels that turn Rayman Legends into a Star Fox-style rail shooter – these are simple at first, just having you dodge incoming obstacles and blast fireballs at everything in front of you. But it’s when things turn into a 2D shmup I really enjoyed; it’s not exactly difficult, but it’s a super fun and seamless way to keep the twists coming, preventing the experience from getting repetitive or predictable.
I also quite enjoyed the short challenge rooms tucked within levels where you’re tasked with manipulating the environment in a clever way to save extra Teensies at the end of the room. One such example had Rayman hanging on to hooks inside of a massive wheel with spikes inside its maze-like innards. In order to progress through the room, you have to rotate the wheel using the companion character Murphy, then line up your drops and jumps all while within an inch of danger. These kinds of tasks break up the pace nicely, and made me seek them out carefully since they’re easy to miss within the normal levels.
What We Thought of the Original Rayman Legends in 2013
“Rayman Legends is a delightful platformer, and one of the best I’ve ever played. Thanks to clever level design that toys with genre conventions, it gets incredible mileage out of four basic moves. And with great local co-op and dozens of unlockables – including stages from Rayman Origins, special character skins, and mini-games – there’s a lot to do. The difficulty is so smoothly balanced that it can be played with with kids or adult friends and still have a great time.” – Jose Otero
Score: 9.5
Read the full review!
In just two hours with Rayman Legends Retold, I saw so much variation that may seem subtle until you look back on all the different things it’s doing. And all these ideas flow into each other smoothly at a brisk pace. It’s not a complex game that’s going to work your brain intensely or have nail-biting difficulty, it’s pleasant and silly fun that’s tuned just right to keep itself engaging throughout. I’m not sure I vibe with its characters like the Bubble Dreamer, who’s kind of a cheesy hippy stereotype, or the peanut-brained Globox, but like, whatever man! It’s goofy fun even if I think a lot of it is pretty corny.
OK, But What’s New?
I’d be remiss not to mention more of the new content that bolsters Rayman Legends Retold as more than just a one-to-one remake. Musical levels are back with four new ones to boot; these are a bit gimmicky, but neat little diversions – timed platforming runs to the tune of covers of licensed songs with obstacles timed to the beat. I played one that was backed by MC Hammer’s “U Can’t Touch This” – which I’m not sure what it’s doing in Rayman, but…cool! Kung Foot is back as well, but now has numerous options to make this 2v2 combat soccer minigame more interesting. You can adjust the platform layouts and control what kind of powerups drop – like zero gravity, goal shields, goal switching, etc. I played a handful of matches during my studio visit, and to think Rayman has a solid little multiplayer mode alongside everything else further speaks to the wacky yet fun ideas Rayman Legends Retold packs into a single game.
The new dragon-riding levels feel almost like a theme park ride within a 2D platformer.“
Thinking about the visual overhaul broadly, it felt like one of those cases where “this is how I remembered it looking back in the day,” and when you look at the original, it’s definitely not the case. Ubisoft Montpellier and Ubisoft Milan used the original levels and visuals as a reference to then expand on it, adding details that give extra depth to its 2D gameplay. So, when it comes to the remade levels, everything is in place as it was in the original – the developers even showed us a side-by-side comparison of both versions being controlled with one controller, and it all played out the same. Bringing the old levels into the Snowdrop engine (the same one used in all other modern Ubisoft games) allows for that higher fidelity, and I hope the rest of Retold makes good use of it – we’ll see in that brand-new sixth realm with extra levels toward the ending, which Ubisoft has confirmed. I mean, the new dragon-riding levels feel almost like a theme park ride within a 2D platformer, and it’s a microcosm of the kind of spectacle this new art style can bring. And it holds up quite well on Nintendo Switch 2, keeping a solid 60 fps, which Ubisoft credits to the work it did and lessons learned with the Star Wars Outlaws port.
Keeping it Modern
I’m not always fond of the constant remaking of games that don’t necessarily need a remake, especially if it’s not going to be a fundamental rethinking of the source material. And taking a distinct, somewhat whimsical 2D art style and making it denser in 3D doesn’t automatically make it look “better” per se. But I think Rayman Legends Retold is just imaginative enough to separate itself from the original. And in a way, it’s a modern throwback once again, just like it was in 2013. With the new content on top of it and the quality-of-life tweaks like a more navigable overworld to make it a smoother experience, I can see how it distinguishes itself to warrant a remake. And with four-player co-op returning, it’s not something you see very often.
I do hope this is more of a stepping stone for a wholly new Rayman or something similar in this vein. After all, Ubisoft Montpellier was the team behind the outstanding Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown from 2024, which I still think is a very high bar for modern 2D action. So, a remake of a game that wasn’t in dire need of one can’t be all they have cooking up, right? And perhaps this work using the Snowdrop engine paves the way for something bigger.
For now, though, you can expect Rayman Legends Retold to launch on October 1 this year for PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, Nintendo Switch 2, and PC.
Michael Higham is an editor at IGN who regularly contributes with reviews, previews, features, and news in written and video form. He’s usually entrusted with covering long RPGs and tech products, but he’s got range when it comes to games. You’ll also catch him at events and hosting video content, including IGN’s weekly podcast Unlocked.
