While hit franchises like Assassin’s Creed and Far Cry have put him less at the forefront, there’s no character more synonymous with Ubisoft than Rayman. Now Ubisoft is remaking one of the limbless wonder’s best games, 2013’s Rayman Legends. Appropriately called Rayman Legends Retold, it faithfully remakes the game’s stellar side-scrolling stages in 3D and adds in new Star-Fox-style shooter levels that have Rayman on the back of a fire-spewing dragon.
Rayman Legends Retold felt incredibly faithful to the original game. You still run through levels, punching and leaping your way past incredibly fun enemy encounters. Stages are filled with secrets and lums to be found. The Wii U-inspired Murfy puzzle elements return, which are mapped to the triangle button on a PlayStation controller, so that does take a few minutes to get used to, but I was able to quickly get back into my groove. But what’s really special is how everything comes together, as the worlds are filled with detail, and Rayman’s adventure is always filled with charm, no matter how difficult the platforming sections get.
I do have to say, while I thought Retold looked great in 3D, it was drop-dead gorgeous and one of the best-looking 2D games ever. So, when compared to that high-quality mark, it’s hard not to feel like it’s a small step down from an artistic standpoint. Still, it’s really impressive that it almost matches it in 3D, so what players prefer will ultimately go down to subjective taste. I also didn’t encounter any of the rhythm-based musical levels, which were standouts of the original, so hopefully they’ll still be in the game despite the hassle of re-licensing those songs.
I also got to experience two fully 3D stages, which have Rayman riding a dragon. As a Star Fox fan, these scratched my shooter itch, and I had a blast getting through the stages, which sees you lose a lum for each time you get hit. The controls feel great, as you can charge fire blasts to destroy objects that are in the way, and even barrel roll your way out of trouble. These are also some of the most stunning graphical stages as the 3D engine really gets to shine, and there are a lot of opportunities for further gameplay variation as it becomes a side-scrolling shooter in one instant.
While my 3-hour demo was limited to checking out two sections and a handful of stages, there was plenty to do. Beyond trying to find all of the lums in each story level, you can also test your skills in challenge stages. These are dastardly difficult but feel super fulfilling once you clear one — a level where my own character’s deadly shadow was following me was particularly fun to figure out. While I didn’t get to check out co-op play, it’s also still available in the remake, thankfully.
Rayman Legends Retold Preview: Final Verdict
Filled with charm, I had a total blast playing Rayman Legends Retold. While I still prefer the 2D graphics of the original, it comes impressively close, and the new 3D levels make the change worth experiencing. Hopefully, this remake is the first step in what will result in a wholly new Rayman adventure down the line, as this engine is fantastic and it’s poised to be one of the year’s best-playing games when it comes out October 1, 2026.
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