Rayman Legends Retold on Switch 2 is where I’ll play it [Preview]

I didn’t know I needed a Rayman Legends remake, but now I need a Rayman Legends remake

I have always considered the home of the Rayman games to be Nintendo’s platforms. From the Wii’s Origins to the tactical Mario & Rabbids games on the Switch, the character seems to always have been most comfortable here. The quirky multi-screen usage of Rayman Legends on the Wii U was a sight to behold, as it not only used touch controls smartly but it also introduced a stunning hand-painted aesthetic that still holds up among the best today.

So, why recreate it? Why change that beloved art style?

After getting my hands on Rayman Legends Untold at Nintendo’s Switch 2 are of Summer Game Fest I can understand why: because boy does it look and feel even better now.

The demo we’re able to try is short, only about twenty minutes’ worth, but it’s a great look at what the changes actually are. The game is still that 2D platformer, but now with a newly rendered 3D visuals instead of hand-painted ones. It doesn’t seem jarring at all, either. In fact, the developers at Ubisoft have done an excellent job of making this look like an animated spectacle from some of the best movie studios out there. It may have started with a “What if?” but it certainly seems to have ended with “Wow, yes!” I can imagine the teams wanting to take modern toolsets to improve the original game, and then realizing that a wholly new art style might benefit it and be fun, and it does.

“This is still that same game, underneath. In fact it’s basically running the same game on the same engine, but now we’ve layered this new art engine on top,” the developer on site tells me. That means that it still feels and plays exactly like Rayman Legends, with great jumps, great wall jumps, vine swings, and even timing with the music levels. It’s like riding a bike; as a veteran enjoyer of that original game everything came roaring back to me, and my fingers knew where they had to be every time. The demo had a few levels to try out, like the game’s opening, the fantastic Black Betty music level, and a new dragon-flying stage that plays a bit like an on-rails shooter while we’re on top of a portly beast.

On the Switch 2 in handheld mode it looks stunning. The colors are bright on screen, the animation is buttery smooth, and it comes off like set piece after set piece after set piece, even when not on my giant-ish TV. And trust me, there will be times when I definitely want to dock the Switch 2 to see some areas in higher detail. It’s clear that what Ubisoft has aimed for here is to push Rayman Legends from “great game” to “great experience.”

But if it was just a graphical overhaul that may not be enough to bring people back, so the developers have added more modes and levels to create surprises for even returning fans. Of note, they’ve added four more musical levels scored by Grant Kirkhope, so our ears will join our eyes in feasting.

Ubisoft have invested a lot into this remake. As familiar as I am with the original game, if a short session left me this salivating for more then it could be a terrific return to the game.

I’ll say it again: I didn’t know I needed a Rayman Legends remake, but now I absolutely need a Rayman Legends remake.

Rayman Legends Retold launches on October 1, 2026.