Rayman® Origins

A great modern(ish) platformer which captures the essence of the original game while providing a fresh new spin on the series. One of the things that I really liked about this game was the fantastic music. The sound team did a great job with not only the music but also the design of the sound effects and how it compliments the music in each of the levels. For example when collecting yellow lums, satisfying notes play in harmony. I feel this type of sound design elevates the music to new levels to create an almost interactive music experience. The gameplay is similarly superb with tightly designed platforming sections which reward skillful play but not abandoning less experienced players. Each level flows very nicely and there are optional objectives as well as time trials which I imagine will appeal to completionists and speedrunners alike. The world themes are also creative and help to keep the game fresh (I didn’t enjoy the water-based world though). There are a couple of ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥ here and there however, one of the main criticisms I have is that the game might have been better being half it`s actual length. Around halfway through the game you have to go back to the previous worlds that you already cleared and complete some new levels, while these are original levels I do feel that the pacing just felt a little off and I was kind of ready to get to the final level too early. These levels are still great so it`s not a huge complaint but something that I personally disliked. In addition to this I also really hated the mosquito sections. While it wasn`t so bad the first few times they end up becoming quite tiresome near the end and there are not that many checkpoints so you might need to repeat the same section of a level several times before you get it right. Not to mention there is often little margin for error here so it can sometimes feel like you need perfectionism to clear these stages. Lastly, the ending.. is just so random and inconclusive. I know this game is light on story but it did feel like it just came out of nowhere. Overall I strongly recommend Rayman Origins to anyone who is even slightly interested in platformers. It`s got great style, excellent level design for the most part and a banger of a soundtrack. Looking forward to playing Legends in the near future.