Hi guys, (sorry for the wall of text)
Just wanted to share my feelings about this game. Raymanni (and the other people who made the game), you are
ABSOLUTELY AMAZING. I was SO HYPED about this game when I noticed it just last Monday, it was hard to wait until its release. I've played through the game almost 100%, and
I LOVED IT. It's SO faithful to the original, mainly gameplay-wise, I can only imagine how much work it must have been to mimick everything so well.
So, some of my thoughts about some of the things in the game. (It's mostly feedback, kind of like a review, don't know if I need spoiler tags, but better safe than sorry)
- First off, the level design is great. The new levels definitely live up in quality to the originals The dark Playtopia level is a standout, it was so spooky in a way, especially with that music, and also the Lava level in the Caves of Skops is kind of unique. Also, I really loved some of the alterations of existing levels, especially The Swamps of Forgetfulness part 3, I really like how it's made bigger, it's just fun to explore; Bongo Hills part 1, I like how you combined the PC and PS1 versions; Eat at Joe phase 3, the fact that's it now dark, and illuminated with light bulbs gives it a creepy atmosphere. There were a few difficulty spikes though, first, the Mr. Stone boss fight (which I've figured out how to beat eventually, so not really), but Space Mama's Crater phase 1, the area with the red rings that take you to a secret area halfway through the level, it's REALLY difficult to swing from the red rings to the pink ones, and it doesn't help that falling means death there, and Tasty Reception, the area where you have to swing from pink rings ABOVE forks. It was really tricky even for me, because if you jump too early, you won't jump high enough, but if you don't jump, you'll swing straight into the fork. Don't know if they've been changed with an update, as I haven't replayed them since version 1.0.0.
- Gameplay is top notch. Controls feel very close to the original. Also, I did observe that difficulty ramps up a lot more steadily (in the original, Bongo Hills used to be a nightmare, and Picture City was just really unfair), and it also helps that you can have health upgrades + the red Powerball upgrade, so gameplay feels a lot more fair. Also, the Rainbow fist powerup is very creative, and it created to interesting (and difficult) puzzles. Though life statues reappearing makes the game WAY easier, as one can just play e.g. Pink Plant Woods over and over again and grind lives, which effectively makes Classic mode as easy as Casual mode, so I think this should be changed.
- The new music I mostly enjoyed. Some of them were a bit odd (the music in the Toy world level with the doors was kind of harsh and repetitive), or a bit too quiet, but these I really enjoyed: Moskito's Nest phase 1, the Blue Mountains (the one which is kind of sad), the Musician's song (it gave the level a nice calming atmosphere), the Darktoon fight, the Menace fight, and also the remix of the Child world from Raving Rabbids GBA is SO GOOD.
- The boss fights are AMAZING. They are a lot more varied now with bosses having more kinds of attacks and mixing them up. Space Mama's last fight kind of became kind of easy now, but it's still a good one. Also, the Mr. Dark boss fight. I WISH it was this epic in the original. First, the new boss combinations are creative, and the fact that you actually fight Mr Dark is just really cool. Especially since it's REALLY CHALLENGING and he has cool and varied attacks. (He also has more personality now that he talks to you more, and really conveys a dark, evil vibe). And here I thought this would be the end, and I'm glad I was wrong, because the Bad Rayman / Dark Moskito boss fight, and the second Mr Dark fight were SO EPIC. (Nice touch that Mr. Dark flees to that huge gift box in the sky, so it actually has a purpose
)
- Other things I haven't mentioned: The characters have a lot more personality now that they talk, the costumes are nice to have, Moskito levels I found really fun (even though I would have liked them to be longer), all of the collectables like cages are cleverly hidden (while also removing *some* of the cheaply hidden gendoor-based ones) the bonus levels are also much more fun because of their level design, the extra decorative elements like the self-playing violins, the mini-saxophone tree, or the Rayman-snowman make the levels more lively too.
A few minor things,
the Ting Magnet should have an option to be disabled, as it makes an achievement unobtainable and also, I would have liked an option to disable achievement notifications, as it distracts from such moments as defeating a tough boss. I also found the ting counter a bit odd to be in the bottom left, but maybe that's just me.
This game has been a great experience for me. So thank you for making this game, you guys rock!
Also, the last 2 bonus levels: JESUS HELL WHAT WHERE YOU THINKING?! I mean, I love challenge, and these are challenging, but... my god