Rayman Legends

Rayman Legends is the entry in Michel Ancel's long-running platformer series that quietly became one of the high-water marks of the entire 2D platformer genre. The setup is a fairytale frame — Rayman, Globox and the Teensies discover a mysterious tent filled with captivating paintings, and stepping into the paintings transports them into a series of mythical new worlds. Each world is themed around a distinct visual and musical identity, and the game cycles through them at a deliberately varied pace.

The four-player drop-in co-op is one of the game's defining features. Friends can jump in and out of any session seamlessly, and the level design supports both solo precision platforming and cooperative chaos without compromising either. 3D boss battles break up the 2D platforming with multi-angle encounters against dragons and other epic creatures that can attack from any direction, demanding spatial awareness that the regular levels don't ask for.

The rhythm levels are the moments most players remember. Specific stages are choreographed to original and licensed musical tracks where you jump to the beat of drums, punch in time with bass lines, and zip-line during guitar riffs. Timing and rhythm are the actual gating mechanic — these levels become impossible if you ignore the music, and trivially fun if you let it carry you. The hand-drawn art direction, fluid animation and consistently inventive level design keep the game feeling fresh from the first painting to the last.