Yesterday, you may have caughtthe newsthat Ubisoft is bringing Rayman Origins – along with five other titles – to the PS Vita when it launches sometime next year. What wasn’t announced was that Ubisoft had already let a small group of gaming-news outlets in on the secret a couple of weeks ago, and gave us the opportunity to be among the first to try the game on Sony’s upcoming handheld.
Gameplay-wise, it certainly felt identical, as we hopped around and collected coin-like Lums in a jungle level near the beginning of the game – and then had to quickly start hopping up a series of floating platforms as a giant plant-monster boss pursued us, taking up most of the screen as it went. Probably the biggest difference (aside from the odd feeling of loneliness) was the addition of a manual camera-zoom feature; while the camera will still zoom in and out on the action automatically, you’ll be able to get a close-up or wide-angle view of the action by “pinching” the touchscreen, like you would to expand or contract an image on a smartphone.
It’s difficult to make any real judgments based on a single, early level of the game, but what little we played of the Vita version was fun – and aside from a slight (but noticeable) hit to the clarity of the visuals, it looks to feature the same brilliantly animated craziness and depth of gameplay as its full-sized version. If nothing else, it’ll certainly appeal more to those who prefer a more solitary experience.
Aug 17, 2011
