Ubisoft is remaking Rayman Legends in 3D this October
Rayman Legends Retold was revealed at State of Play, transforming the beloved 2013 2D platformer into a full 3D adventure.
Ubisoft announced Rayman Legends Retold during the latest State of Play broadcast. The project is a full 3D reimagining of the 2013 platformer. It launches on October 1.
The game will also be available on the Ubisoft+ subscription service on day one. Rayman and Globox are back to defend the Glade of Dreams from dragons. The biggest takeaway is the camera perspective.
Adding a whole extra dimension
The original Rayman Legends is widely considered one of the best 2D platformers of its generation. It ran on the UbiArt Framework engine. That engine gave the game the appearance of a hand-drawn painting in motion. Moving those mechanics into a 3D space is a massive structural change. The original game relied heavily on precise 2D momentum and rhythm-based auto-scrolling levels set to licensed music.
I am honestly surprised by the decision to make this a 3D game. The 2013 release was practically perfect in its original format. Translating levels like "Castle Rock" into a 3D environment sounds like a mechanical nightmare. I am curious to see if the development team can actually pull it off. The core aesthetic is intact. The story is framed by a narrator sitting atop the Tree of Tranquility. He mentions that the Glade of Dreams is in grave danger and that the heroes' actions will become "tales twice-told." This framing device makes sense for a remake. It literally retells the story of the 2013 game.
From the Wii U to 3D
The original Rayman Legends has a complicated history. Ubisoft initially built it as a Wii U exclusive designed around the system's GamePad. Players used the touchscreen to control a flying green bottlefly named Murfy. Murfy could cut ropes and move platforms while a second player controlled Rayman. Ubisoft eventually delayed the game just weeks before its scheduled release to port it to the PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, and PC.
That delay frustrated Nintendo fans at the time. It ultimately helped the game reach a massive audience. It eventually found its way to the PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and Nintendo Switch. The Switch version even restored some of the original touchscreen functionality.
Now, Rayman Legends Retold has to adapt all of those asymmetric co-op mechanics into a 3D space. Four characters can fight together. Multiplayer is clearly still a core part of the design. Rayman yells out that it is four against one during a boss fight right before Globox rushes in to help.
Black Betty in three dimensions
I think the rhythm levels are the biggest question mark here. The original game capped off each world with a frantic sprint set to songs like "Black Betty" or "Eye of the Tiger." Those stages worked because the 2D camera locked your forward momentum to the beat of the music. Doing that in 3D requires completely different level design.
The Rayman franchise has been mostly dormant for the last decade. After Rayman Legends launched in 2013, the character was relegated to mobile spin-offs and a guest appearance in Mario + Rabbids Sparks of Hope. Fans have been asking for a proper follow-up for years. A remake of the last mainline entry is a safe way to test the waters for the mascot's return.
The game carries a PEGI 7 rating. It arrives on October 1.
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