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Rayman Jungle Run iOS Review


The Rayman series has recently flourished into this beautifully artistic collection of innovative platformers. I played and loved the original Rayman on the Playstation back in the day, and have since played little more than the odd race on Rayman M, however, the second I saw Origins, I was re-captivated by its refreshing art style. It blew my mind. And to now to see that art style brought to iOS brings a massive smile to my face. Everyone dreams of having their favourite console games on their handheld, and due to its great 2D art style, Jungle Run is possibly the closest representation of a console game on iOS. It’s just like Origins, The art style is the same, the animations are just as wacky, and the gameplay is as similar as it can get without one of those awful virtual analogue sticks.

All levels are split into four sections or ‘worlds’, the first of which is called ‘Jump’, and in this first world that is all you do. Although this task may seem a little too simple, it is incredibly fun. If you have played Origins, you’ll know exactly what I mean when I say it is exactly like those ‘chase the chest’ levels where our limbless hero will need to run constantly and react quickly in order to survive and catch up (by far my favourite levels). The seemingly simple gameplay is made more complex by the moving environment, multiple path choices and the challenge of finding/collecting all ‘Lums’, not to mention the added abilities gained from each world.

There are 100 Lums on each and every level. If you manage to collect them all in a single run, you will be rewarded with teeth that will slowly rebuild the reaper’s smile (a strange character reoccurring throughout the Rayman series). If you manage to collect five teeth in a single world, you will unlock a special level: Land of the Livid Dead. These levels tend to be much more hard and lengthy than your usual levels, adding an extra challenge for those ‘must 100% the game’ players, like me.

Jungle Run uses a lot of mechanics from Origins, with the abilities to wall jump, climb edges, hover through the air, smash through wooden walls and enemies who for some bizarre reason inflate when killed. You may be able to reach the end of all levels within a short few hours, but collecting all said items requires knowledge of each and every level. The instant restart button allows you to quickly try again when you make a mistake; there’s no need for lengthy loading screens or even a menu.

There seems to be many ‘how long can you run for’ games on iOS, and Jungle Run is a breath of fresh air with its short and sweet levels, and vibrant art. It certainly beats all of those unnecessary low poly 3D games that make you want to burn your eyes.

Every generation, every platform has its few games that are worth buying the system specifically for. I can’t say that Jungle Run is worth buying an iOS device for, like how Legends may be worth buying a Wii U for (at least it is for me), but that’s because this micro Rayman title is a casual addition to the series, and that is precisely what it should be. Just like how Legends seems to fully utilise the capabilities of the Wii U, Jungle Run has done the exact same. The controls are incredibly simple; you could play the entire game with one finger. It has a consistent scoring system of 100 Lums (just like your common 3 star score), and, what I think is a must have in any iOS title, an ‘instantly restart level’ button. It’s as simple as it gets, beautiful as they come and the master of its platform.

A must have for any iOS gamer, I just hope that Ubisoft add more content in the near future.

9 out of 10