My backlog is so big at the moment. My wife and I polished off this game a few months ago, but I think that will help me summarise more to keep it shorter.

This review really cannot exist outside of my opinion to Rayman Origins, and comparisons constantly came up as I played. I actually recommend playing Origins first, as this game is a progression in so many ways. You feel that when you play the recreated Origins levels in Legends—which, by the way, do not render Origins invalid. First of all, I don’t think it’s all the levels, and second, they have put in Legends mechanics in Origins level designs (for the most part), giving them a different feel, especially when playing Legends as intended.

By that I mean that Murfy is integral to the Legends experience, and I just cannot picture playing the whole game solo. Having my wife on Gamepad while I flex my platforming muscles was a very well done mechanic, although the dynamic fell apart when she was forced into 2D mode at a boss battle or when doing a challenge level. So the ancillary bits, anything apart from the core platforming levels, didn’t work so well with that asymmetric co-op stuff (and hence our playing together). So it’s 2 games really, amazing skill gap co-op core and the awesome and varied single player fringe elements (namely bosses, challenges, music levels, and Moskito).

At least, that’s how we played it. For ages I booted it up daily for the Challenge mode, and it did a good job encouraging the quick daily trips. Competing against the 2 or 3 friends who were at around my skill level was a blast, and slowly racking up points and junk was satisfying. Once I got to the full 100% I’d had enough anyway, so I tied a happy ribbon in it.

To me, Rayman Origins was platforming perfection, so it was hard for me to admit that Legends is a better game. But as I hope I’ve communicated, it’s trying to stretch in a few different directions, making it less pure but arguably more fun. I love them both but the improvements to graphics, developed ideas, and more ambitious levels and designs make it a good sequel overall.

I have nitpicks of course: the music is very slightly less memorable overall despite some astounding tracks, the plot is a bit more nebulous, and the thing that rubbed me the wrong way the most was the main menu thing. You run around in a tent to select levels or modes. It’s good for keeping consistency between movement in levels and in this upper area, but the lack of a proper world map that you move around really hurts the feel of being in a world.

Overall though, this is an essential game, probably my best of the year. Certainly the Wii U version is the one to get, seeing that the others are hack jobs for a game designed around the Gamepad. As with Origins, a joy to play and experience, every side of it: music, art, game design. I particularly cherish the fact that it so involved my wife, who is at an obvious skill and enthusiasm handicap for this genre, and that we could share it so much. I fear that there will be no follow-up considering how much the clueless Ubisoft suits jerked around Michel Ancel and co. But I feel happy having got this much. You may recall that it was the main primary motivator for my Wii U purchase, and although late it was well worthwhile.