When I started tickling ogres, I thought it weird. When I was running through a level made almost entirely of cake; I'll admit that I giggled a bit. But it was when I became a duck that I truly let go and realized how genius of a game Rayman Legends truly is. The fact that it can introduce so many fantastic ideas based on such simple concepts is nothing short of remarkable and perhaps most importantly, it's a incredibly fun to play. Rayman Legends is one of the best platformers you'll ever play and evidence that the mascot driven game can not only still work, it can flourish.

Legends takes the concepts created in 2011's Rayman Origins; fantastic art style, tight mechanics and wonderful soundtrack and turns it up to 11. Though Legends does serve as a direct sequel to its predecessor, you won't need to have played it to understand Origins since its story doesn't matter much. In short, the Teensies are being held by a group of five traitors known as the Dark Teensies and its up to Rayman and his supporting cast of characters to save the day. What Legends lacks in storytelling ability though, it makes up for in pure platforming bliss.

"... Legends is filled with new and innovative ideas."

In truth, the entire Legends experience is based on a pretty simple set of mechanics. Rayman can run, jump, punch and hover throughout the world - but it's what Ubisoft is able to build from these simple mechanics that makes Legends so fun. Whether is transforming Rayman or your point of view (some of my favorite moments where those that asked me to simply change my perspective), Legends is filled with new and innovative ideas. Some work better than others, but nearly all are interesting enough that you'll always be interested, and guessing just what the game is going to throw at you next.

Undeniably, the game excels most when it combines its phenomenal production values with the inventive gameplay. Much like its predecessor, Legends has a very unique and dynamic art style that looks like its take right from some of the best Saturday Morning cartoons as well as remarkable soundtrack. There are levels throughout the game that combine all of this into truly remarkable experiences. An early level has you speed-running through to the tune of Black Betty and a later has you collecting power-ups over the sounds of a flamenco guitar but it was a level that found Rayman swinging in the jungle to classical music that stuck with me the most; I could have closed my eyes and sworn that I was watching Walt Disney's old Silly Symphonies shorts. They're that good.

"The controls are tight and responsive..."

Of course, a platformer is only as good as its controls and thankfully Rayman Legends delivers here too. There were only a few times when the controls didn't respond quick enough and left me in an unwelcomed situation. The controls are tight and responsive and makes navigating the tight pathways not only easy but fun. Legends was initially announced as a Wii U exclusive, and the gamepad is still the go-to way to play because of how it allows you to interact with the environment around you, but you'll have absolutely no issue controlling the game with a traditional controller either.

All of this adds together to make Rayman Legends one hell of a charming game. It's nearly impossible to play through the game without smiling from ear to ear, and it's all warranted thanks to just how fun and memorable Legends truly is. It's mechanically sound and filled with new ideas to keep you guessing and ultimately interested.

Rayman Legends may use a lot of the same tricks as its predecessor, but they're done so well that it's (mostly) forgivable. With Legends, Ubisoft has crafted a remarkably well done, fun and engaging platformer that needs to be played. It will easily be remembered as one of this generation's best, surpassing even what's come before it. If you have a love for gaming and just what they can do, you owe it to yourself to play Rayman Legends today.