After beating Rayman Legends in about 8-10 hours and getting my thoughts together for this review, I realized that there really was not too much too write about the game. Have you played Rayman Origins? Well, Legends is the same game, but without some of its charm.
Do not underestimate that statement, however, because Origins was a wonderful side-scroller, probably one of the best to come out in recent years. It was beautiful and challenging and a very robust game in terms of mechanics. Unfortunately, Ubisoft decided not to focus on expanding the game and instead went the route of the New Super Mario Bros. series by delivering a simple and shallow experience. You should take this review with a grain of salt, however, since I will probably end up being too critical of the game because my overwhelming love for the Rayman franchise.
Legends is more of the same, with just a little more polish which comes in the form of improved graphics, an online challenge mode and some more multiplayer features. The level design is as robust as it was in Origins, so expect to run and jump through some wacky and beautiful worlds. The only real difference between the two games is Legends' lack of difficulty. The game can still be hard sometimes, but it is not the satisfying kind that we saw from Origins.
With all that said, the game lacks something to be remembered for, and that is perhaps the only true problem with it. You will feel satisfied when you reach the credits, but you will probably not have any fond memories of Rayman Legends left when you put it back on the shelf. The story is simple and does not really establish a setting, and the characters are differentiated only by their looks.
Perhaps my biggest gripe with the game is its lack of atmosphere. The levels are just displayed as paintings in a boring corridor that acts as a hub, which could have easily been replaced by the simple level select screen from Rayman's iOS outings as it adds nothing to the game. There is no sense of progression, no sense of adventure or any sense at all; it is a mindless plattformer. In fact, it almost seems as if the developers decided to go for a smart-phone experience rather than a full console experience.
Perhaps the only way to get something special out of the game is playing with friends, because then you can create your own way of playing the game (like beating each other's times in speedruns, or just slapping away at one another) instead of just mindlessly going through level after level waiting to reach the end. Also, the game has a lot of content in store for you, so If you only care to play a plattformer with lots of collectibles, levels and environments, Rayman Legends is perfectly suited for you, even if you play alone; heck, it comes with all the levels from Rayman Origins. However, if you were expecting to play a game that will truly engage you, something like the original Rayman trilogy, I am sad to say that the Rayman franchise has seemingly given up on delivering that sort of experience.