After careful reevaluation, as much as I love Rayman Legends to the point I've been one to call it my all-time favorite..... I actually think this may be it.
This was my favorite game in middle and high school, and after replaying it on the Switch after all these years, I feel as though it probably will deep down always be my favorite game. There's just nothing like it truly. This game takes the concept of an already genius game and cranks it up to 11 in ways that no one could have possibly predicted. The mechanics are always finding new ways to surprise you, while the puzzles always utilize them to their fullest capacity. There's not only the portal gun itself, but the jump pads, the jump gel, the speed gel, the portal gel, the lasers, the reflection cubes, the light bridges, the tractor beams that can reverse as well, and the bombs that are only used a couple of times but still stick out. Just when I think the game can't impress me anymore, behold: the writing.
This game is so unbelievably well written, the dialogue still has me in fits of laughter. Name any character: GLaDOS, Wheatley, Cave Johnson, the faulty cores, the faulty turrets, they've all made me laugh at a point. And yet still, there's genuine dramatic intrigue behind the laughter, particularly as you dive through old Aperture, discovering why Aperture is the way it is and developing a higher level of understanding and even sympathy towards GLaDOS. The ending too, with the nostalgia I have for it now..... it hits different. Still Alive of course is the better credits song but man, before the credits. I found it weirdly emotional this playthrough. I love this game's story so much, it just elevates the gameplay way further than I thought was possible in gaming.
So yeah.... this is my favorite game. I love everything about it, and I didn't even touch the co-op in this review. Love that as well. But yeah, I adore this game, I have for years, and I probably will for years. No sense avoiding the facts anymore: this truly is the game that means the most to me.
This was my favorite game in middle and high school, and after replaying it on the Switch after all these years, I feel as though it probably will deep down always be my favorite game. There's just nothing like it truly. This game takes the concept of an already genius game and cranks it up to 11 in ways that no one could have possibly predicted. The mechanics are always finding new ways to surprise you, while the puzzles always utilize them to their fullest capacity. There's not only the portal gun itself, but the jump pads, the jump gel, the speed gel, the portal gel, the lasers, the reflection cubes, the light bridges, the tractor beams that can reverse as well, and the bombs that are only used a couple of times but still stick out. Just when I think the game can't impress me anymore, behold: the writing.
This game is so unbelievably well written, the dialogue still has me in fits of laughter. Name any character: GLaDOS, Wheatley, Cave Johnson, the faulty cores, the faulty turrets, they've all made me laugh at a point. And yet still, there's genuine dramatic intrigue behind the laughter, particularly as you dive through old Aperture, discovering why Aperture is the way it is and developing a higher level of understanding and even sympathy towards GLaDOS. The ending too, with the nostalgia I have for it now..... it hits different. Still Alive of course is the better credits song but man, before the credits. I found it weirdly emotional this playthrough. I love this game's story so much, it just elevates the gameplay way further than I thought was possible in gaming.
So yeah.... this is my favorite game. I love everything about it, and I didn't even touch the co-op in this review. Love that as well. But yeah, I adore this game, I have for years, and I probably will for years. No sense avoiding the facts anymore: this truly is the game that means the most to me.