Charming. That's the best word to describe this game. Oh, and amazingly good! This has to be one of the most pleasant surprises I've had with a game in a long time. I came to this game with low expectations after grabbing it during a sale from the Xbox Live Store. It actually sat on my backlog for a long time, until I needed something to play with my kids, and there it was this charming-looking platformer just waiting. The moment I started playing I was hooked: a charismatic cast of funny characters, tight platformer mechanics, amazingly good-looking art style and graphics, all accompanied by a marvelous sound track, there's really not much to complain about in this game — if anything.
OK, so this is a platformer, which means this is not usually the kind of gaming you go to looking for plot or story (but hey, there are always the Braids of the world). As most cartoonish platformers, there's not much of a story here. Quite frankly, even among platformers, the story here is more non-sensical than usual. You know, in Mario games at least you know your goal is to save the princess, or defeat Bowser... over here, I had absolutely no idea what was going on, and I didn't care. There was something about Rayman ticking some lady off, some monsters were unleashed, and you have to fix everything — I think. I really have no idea. But you know what, it doesn't matter, because this game is not about the story. In fact, there's close to no dialog, except for a few lines from some of the characters you rescue and other NPCs here and there.
Whatever energy was saved on the story part of this game (for which the minimum amount of effort possible was invested), you can tell was diverted in making the platforming in this game close to perfect. The standard platforming mechanics are here: running, and jumping. You can also sprint by holding the right trigger. Aside from those, other mechanics are introduced as you make progress: wall-running, gliding, diving. There's also an attack move that can be used to knock out enemies. Of course, what makes core mechanics shine is level design. It is in the interaction between moves and environment where the magic is, or the frustration surges. And in this game that symbiosis is perfect. Every platform, every gap, every enemy placement... every level is designed so that it flows like a symphony, making playing this game a blissful experience, all of this while still maintaining a decent amount of challenge, which is progressively increased, without making it frustrating. Level design is where a platformer lives or die, and this game completely nails it!
The graphics and art style in this game are terrific. Bright, diverse colors, with each world highlighting a particular theme. The character models look hand-drawn, with stupendous animations. This is one of those games that is such a delight to just look at. Add to all this a magnificent sound track, and the overall presentation in this game is outstanding. With so many dark, brown-red games out there, having a game that makes you feel good just by looking at it is amazing.
I know that's been a lot of praise, but aside for being rather short on the story side, which isn't really something you can hold against this game, this is as good as it gets when it comes to platformers. Anyone who likes platformers, and/or wants something family oriented that is also extremely fun, must play this game. Must go out right now and get it, because this is one of the best games I've played in a long while. I can't wait to take a look at the sequel!
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