Rayman Legends Retold Review: A Bold Remake That Forgot Online Friends

Remaking Rayman Legends is a strange flex. The 2013 original still looks gorgeous, still plays like a dream, and has been ported to nearly everything with a power button. So Rayman Legends Retold, out since October 1 on PS5, Xbox Series X|S, Switch 2 and PC, has to justify itself. Mostly, it does.

What it is

Ubisoft Montpellier and Ubisoft Milan have moved the game off the hand-drawn UbiArt Framework and onto the Snowdrop engine, rebuilding everything in 3D. On top of the original adventure you get a brand-new sixth realm with its own levels, secrets and bosses, a new story arc with a mysterious villain, fully voiced cutscenes, new Dragon Ride flight stages and fresh music levels. The standard edition also bundles Rayman Origins: Enhanced Edition with 4K, 60 fps and quality-of-life fixes. Price: $39.99.

How it plays

The important part first: the feel survived. Rayman still has that slippery, momentum-heavy run, the wall-jumps still snap, and the punch still lands with a satisfying thwack. I was worried a 3D rebuild would add floatiness, and it did not.

The new art direction is the most divisive change. The old game was a moving painting; Retold is a lush, detailed diorama with extra depth and smoother animation. It is beautiful in its own right, but a few of the original's flat, storybook compositions lost some charm in translation. If you loved 2013 for its art, expect to miss it in places.

The music levels remain the crown jewels. Running, punching and sliding in rhythm to a reworked soundtrack is still one of the purest joys in platforming, and the new tracks from returning composer Christophe Héral fit in naturally. The Dragon Ride stages are a welcome change of pace, though they feel more like a fun intermission than a pillar.

The sixth realm is where Retold earns its price for returning players. It is not filler - the new levels are inventive and demanding, and finally give veterans something they have not memorised.

The big miss

Co-op is still up to four players - but local only. No online play, in 2026, on a game whose entire identity is chaotic group platforming. For anyone whose friends live in another city, that is a real problem, and it is the single thing keeping this from a higher score. The voiced story is also more noise than substance; nobody plays Rayman for the plot.

Who it is for

Couch co-op households, platforming fans who never played Legends, and veterans who want a reason to return. If you still own the original and only play online with friends, this is not for you.

Verdict

Rayman Legends Retold is a respectful, ambitious remake that keeps the controls sacred and adds meaningful new content, plus a free Origins upgrade that makes $39.99 easy to swallow. The missing online co-op is baffling, but with three people on one sofa, there are few better platformers anywhere.

Score: 8/10

Image: Klapi / CC BY-SA 3.0, source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:PGA_Pozna%C5%84_Game_Arena_03_Rayman.jpg