In a surprising twist, Ubisoft is resurrecting one of its beloved iconic characters with Rayman Legends Retold. As you might have guessed from the name, this is indeed a remake of the 2013 title, featuring a new 2.5D art style, an expanded story with voice acting, and hours of bonus content. This might not be a brand-new Rayman game, but I’ll take it.
I recently went hands-on with Rayman Legends Retold to see what it has in store. During my session, I played through some of the introductory levels and even checked out some of the new segments. If you’ve played the original, it's like an enhanced version of what you loved. If you’re new to the game or series, this will feel like a brand-new 2026 title.
Anyone who is a fan of Rayman games or challenging platformers with a quirky art style is in for a treat when Rayman Legends Retold releases on October 1. Here are my initial impressions.
Rayman Legends Retold: What’s new?
Ubisoft has remade Rayman Legends Retold from the ground up on the Frostbite Engine—the same one The Division games run on. Instead of adopting a realistic art style, Legends Retold retains the bright, colorful, and whimsical look of the original, now rendered in 3D. It makes for a visually interesting game, though I’m still partial to the original’s cartoonish style.
All the levels you remember from the original are here, along with many others. One interesting thing is that all the levels are interconnected, making the world feel more cohesive. Don’t expect a full-on open world experience, however.
Speaking of new content, Rayman Legends Retold features several levels where you ride on the back of a dragon. These on-rail segments are reminiscent of Star Fox or Panzer Dragoon and nicely complement the core sidescrolling gameplay. I miss on-rail shooters, so I’m glad Ubisoft added these to the game.
Lastly, you get an expanded story featuring a new villain and a whole new endgame sequence. On top of that, all the main characters are fully voiced, which is definitely a nice touch. The next sections alone make the $39 asking price all the sweeter.
Rayman Legends Retold: Hands-on
It has been over 13 years since I played Rayman Legends, so Retold was effectively a new experience for me during my play session. As I said up top, I played some of the intro levels, which covered the basics. Some areas were locked off since it was a demo, but what I played gave me a good idea of what Ubisoft Montpellier sought to accomplish with this remake.
If you’re familiar with sidescrollers (and who isn’t?), then you’ll feel at home here. Making Rayman jump over gaps, punch and kick enemies, swing on vines, and more all feel incredibly smooth and responsive. Even if the game runs on a completely different engine, it remains true to the original's mechanics. Exploration is also satisfying, and I often went off the beaten path to try to nab collectibles.
The on-rails sections were a nice highlight and truly make this remake different from its predecessor. While riding the dragon, you can shoot a barrage of fireballs in quick succession or hold the fire button longer to unleash a more powerful attack. The latter is especially useful for destroying tough obstacles like walls. There are also obstacles to avoid, so using the left and right roll buttons is crucial.
I didn't get to experience this during my session, but you can play the entire game with up to four players via couch co-op. While that's commendable given how few couch co-op games exist these days, it's disappointing that there is no online co-op.
Rayman Legends Retold: Outlook
The only negative thing I can say about Rayman Legends Retold is that we have to wait so long for it. October can’t get here soon! But the wait will be worth it, as this should be a fun game for both veterans and newcomers alike.
And as I said before, Rayman Legends Retold only costs 40 bucks, so there’s no reason not to give it a shot if you need a game to bring a smile to your face. Keep this one on your radar, because it's certainly on mine!
Rayman Legends Retold releases on October 1 for the PS5, Switch 2, and Xbox Series/X.
