'Rayman Legends' Trailer Introduces Barbara

Game Rant

By GR Staff

Published Aug 9, 2012

Ubisoft has released a new trailer for Wii U's 'Rayman Legends,' introducing an all new character, Barbara, a Viking lass with a winged helmet and a great big axe.

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Rayman Legends, Ubisoft's follow-up to last year's fantastic Rayman Origins, is set to debut at (or near) the launch of Nintendo's Wii U. Like Origins, Legends is a classic 2D platformer with with drop-dead gorgeous graphics and animation. Where Origins supported multiplayer for up to four players, Legends goes one further -- five players can work through the game together, with four using Wii Remotes or Wii U Pro Controllers, and the fifth taking charge of the action on Wii U's GamePad.

Multiple players, of course, means multiple characters, and Ubisoft has just revealed the latest addition to the Rayman Legends cast: Barbara, a firey red-headed Viking lass with a gap-toothed smile and a great big axe.

Barbara's introduction in the latest Rayman Legends trailer once again highlight just what a good-looking game Legends is shaping up to be. As with the game's leaked video and its E3 2012 presentation, today's trailer shows a game that is visually consistent with its predecessor, but with refinements that make the on-screen elements even sharper. Ubisoft credits those advancements to the latest version of its UbiArt Engine, which has been significantly overhauled since it powered Rayman Origins. According to UbiSoft's Rayman Legends website, the UbiArt Engine now sports new lighting and rendering systems, along with the ability to display 3D game elements.

It's no secret that we here at Game Rant are huge fans of Rayman Origins (we named it the Best Platformer of 2011 and recognized its Achievement in Artistic Design), so Rayman Legends is on our radar in a major way. That said, there are a couple of questions about the game that we're still waiting for Ubisoft to answer.

For starters, when exactly is Legends coming out? The game is widely expected to be available at Wii U's launch, but the recent list of Wii U launch titles still lists Legends' date as "TBA," while other games are more clearly labled "Launch Window" or "Holiday." Is Ubisoft merely being cagey about the date in an effort to refrain from revealing when Wii U will launch, or should we be concerned that Legends won't be ready in time? What do you think?

The second, and arguably more pressing concern, is whether the game will come to any platforms other than Wii U. Origins, of course, appeared on nearly everything (Xbox 360, PS3, Wii, Vita, even 3DS), but Legends has only been announced for Wii U. Obviously, the game has been designed to show off Nintendo's new system, but it's reasonable to think that versions of the game could appear on other hardware. Yes, features would probably need to be cut, though if Ubisoft could make it work, Rayman Legends might be a stellar showcase for Microsoft's SmartGlass and Sony's PS3/Vita Cross-Play.

Ranters, are you looking forward to Rayman Legends? Do you plan to play the game on Wii U, or are you holding out hope that it appears on other platforms? Let us know in the comments below.

Rayman Legends is expected to be available at launch for Wii U.

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