Last year's platformer beauty finally comes to 3DS.
I’ve spoken at length about Rayman Origins in the past, but to paraphrase my feelings about the game: it’s awesome. Bright and detailed levels that look incredible in HD (and still sharp on the Wii), an impeccable soundtrack, and perfect co-op multiplayer pushed Origins to the top of my list of favorite games from 2011. So, naturally, the announcement of a 3DS port had me all kinds of excited.
Released late last year, Origins felt like New Super Mario Bros. Wii without the constraint of accessibility that comes with making a mainstream Mario game. Where NSMBW eased players in gradually and left the greater challenges relegated to the unlockable secret worlds, Origins ramps up the difficulty almost immediately. Perfect button presses and trained platforming skills are, if not already possessed by the player, expected to be learned quickly. Fortunately, there are no lives to punish the player for failing an arbitrary amount of times and checkpoints generally drop you right where you died, so you are free to fail as often and quickly as it takes before you land the perfect jump. How kind.
Having the game on the go should complement the rapid try-die-retry-succeed gameplay. There were times, playing the console version, where I would jump in just to play a level or two before needing to head to work. Having the game in your pocket at all times should be great for perfecting your Rayman skills at your convenience. However, whether due to technical limitations or lack of interest, the fantastic four-player co-op has been dropped completely from the handheld version.
This omission is troubling for me, as I thought the console game was best when played with a friend. Challenges were made easier with concerted teamwork, and the experience was rewarding. Hell, slapping your friends and running away idiotically during loading screens was worth the price of admission alone. Hopefully the pick-up-and-play nature of having the game on your 3DS can balance out the loss of sitting on the couch with some friends.
I’m also interested to see how the 3D effect plays with the vivid and layered backdrops the game runs you through. Much like Donkey Kong Country Returns, Origins features lush environments and heavily detailed fore, mid, and backgrounds. The 3D should create an impressive depth that accentuates the hand-drawn style artwork.
Fortunately, I don’t have to speculate for long; Rayman Origins releases in America on March 20 and in Europe on March 16 (Note: There are a few reports saying that the game has been mysteriously delayed. We're currently waiting for word from Ubisoft to see what is up.). You can find our review for the slap-happy 3DS port soon. In the meantime, feel free to check out the review for the Wii version.
Rayman Origins
Rayman Origins
Rayman Origins
