It all looks rather lovely, and hopefully I'll find the time to give this one a proper look over the weekend - I still reckon that Rayman Legends is secretly the best Sonic game in years, and I'm eager to see if there's any of that spark in this one, under the familiar aesthetic. Some enemy types can also be possessed, which could add a little more spice to the combat, too. The character's big chunky sprites are replaced by squishy little caricatures, all cute as a button. Rather than make it grimmer or darker, everyone in the afterlife just looks cuter. The adventures of Sun Wukong and pals apparently takes them to the underworld at some point in Unruly Heroes, and I love how they've chosen to represent it. There's also a PvP arena mode if you end up disagreeing enough with your friends to come to blows, though I've my doubts that this will see much use. If you bring a buddy or three, you'll get to use the whole gang at once. Each of the four heroes has their own combat and non-combat powers, and in single-player you get to switch between them, similar to Trine, with the spare characters effectively acting as extra lives. Enemy health bars need to be whittled down with combos and special attacks. Take a peek at those beautiful painterly sprites in motion in the launch trailer below.ĭespite its outward similarity to Rayman Legends, Unruly Heroes looks to have a greater focus on combat and puzzling. It's a bouncy platform adventure set in the world of Chinese myth, and supports local and online co-op for up to four. The similarity is less surprising, knowing developers Magic Design Studios are a bunch of former Ubisoft Montpelier folks. In part because it's yet another videogame retelling of Journey To The West, but mostly because of its striking resemblance to the brilliant Rayman Legends. But Legends' mean streak shows up in special "invaded stages.Despite just launching today, it's hard not to feel comfortably familiar with Unruly Heroes.
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This is helped by intelligent checkpoints (though there never seem to be enough on tougher levels), and the ability to earn "hearts" that grant your hero one free hit. Once the game really gets going in the second world, the gloves come off and Ubisoft Montpellier's brilliant, sometimes brutal designs really start to shine. The fun stays consistent for as long as the challenge level is consistent, or at least fair. There's more variety in some of of Rayman Legends' stages than exists in entire other games, and gameplay transitions seamlessly from section to section.
In another, I had to defeat a giant, rocket-shooting armored toad in a windstorm. In one level, I had to spread guacamole to create platforms over a sea of lava, and run around in hollowed-out fruits. There are ridiculous races set on quicksand, a playable instrumental vision of "Black Betty," and even underwater stealth levels that balance risk and reward precariously. There's hardly a dull stage in the bunch. It manages to seamlessly combine sections of swimming, flying, stealth, combat, racing and even rhythm without missing a beat, due largely in part to Legend’s level design. The team at Ubisoft Montpellier demonstrates a masterful grasp of flow. While Legends is mechanically a simple 2D platformer - you run, jump and hit things - there's a great deal of variety designed around that core. It behooves you to explore each level for more, since you need copious amounts to progress. Some are in plain sight, some are hidden, and still others are tucked away and require you to master short puzzle sections to nab them. In every stage - including boss battles - you need to collect lums and find and rescue teensies. There are five main worlds here, spanning storybook castles, a land inspired by a manic Day of the Dead party, an undersea world that recalls a cartoon version of BioShock’s Rapture and more.Įach world has a number of regular stages, a boss fight, and a "musical" stage, which plays like a race set to music. The premise is nothing more than an excuse to throw dozens of intricately designed 2D courses at you, and that serves fine. There isn't much of a story - Rayman and friends ("heroes" in Rayman parlance) must save adorable characters called "teensies" from an army of. With impressive variety, excellent stage design and gorgeous art, Legends is sure-footed, only stumbling when its considerable challenge level spikes out of control. The sequel to 2011's franchise re-imagining, Rayman Origins, Rayman Legends proves developer Ubisoft Montpellier's mastery of the genre.