Rayman has had it good these last couple of years. Despite his series being hijacked by the Raving Rabbids, he made a comeback with the amazing and hugely successful Rayman Origins in 2011, and with the release of the sequel Rayman Legends, I thought it would be interesting to take a look at the Origins spin-off for IOS & Android, Rayman Jungle Run.
Developed by Pastagames, and retaining the art style of Origins, Jungle Run sees you dash through 70 levels as Rayman, with the goal to collect all 100 Lums in each level to unlock the the extremely challenging Land of the Livid Dead. What's impressive right out of the gate is that, despite the friendly-looking and quite frankly gorgeous art style, the game does not shy away from challenging you. The levels have a fast paced, almost parkour-esque nature akin to the treasure chest stages from Origins.
Sometimes it's difficult enough trying to stay alive, never mind trying to 100% the level. Each stage is well designed, especially the Land of the Livid Dead segments, which require some expert platforming if you're to make it through in one piece.
All this expert level design would be for nought however, if the controls weren't up to scratch. Thankfully, they're polished to near-perfection. The first four stages ease you into the different abilities Rayman possesses here, namely jumping, hovering, wall-running and punching, and they all mesh together nicely. The animation is crisp and flows brilliantly for both Rayman and the various enemies, which includes the giant plant monster & pirate ship from Origins as bosses. The game lifts the wonderfully ear-pleasing soundtrack from Origins, which enhances the experience of each level and makes it feel fresh, particularly as the tracks switch randomly with each attempt and are exclusive to certain areas.Much like it's console counterpart, I could gush sycophantically about this game for quite a while, so I'll just finish up now. Considering it could easily have been a lazy port of Origins, it's all the more gratifying that Ubisoft & Pastagames put the effort into making Rayman: Jungle Run a unique, refreshing and above all, fun, must have app for any mobile gamer...
