After giving press a first look at Rayman Legends Retold earlier this summer, Ubisoft showed off an updated build in the down time between Gamescom and TGS. This time around, I got to check out some additional levels, including a peek at the all-new world created specifically for Legends Retold.

Despite looking cute and friendly, Rayman Legends Retold is a precision platformer. In the first hands-on, Ubisoft kept me to the early levels, but this time around, I got to play deeper into the game. The timing on some of the segments was on par with the precision required of classic NES games. It's not impossible, but some sections did feel like they required memorization rather than reaction.

Visually, Rayman Legends Retold is lush and colorful. Although the game looks a little different now that it's running in 3D in the Snowdrop engine as opposed to 2D in the UbiArt engine, it preserves the whimsy and absurdity of the original.

As an example, the first level in the demo was Spoiled Rotten in Mystic Mesa. Rayman was running through what was essentially the kitchen of the dead, dodging environmental dangers like cheese graters while also dealing with normal enemies. Near the end of the level, I had to make it through a hot dog cooker, and the hot dogs looked quite tasty even while I was dodging death!

All of this should be familiar to veteran players, but it does highlight the precision needed. At one point, I was running from one stick of butter to another. Hitting all my jumps looked magical. Miss the timing on just one, and a spinning blade makes quick work of Rayman.

The dragon-riding levels are an inspired addition to Rayman Legends Retold. Perhaps the highest praise I can offer is that those I played in both the last demo and this one feel as if they were always a part of the game. If someone who had never played the original Rayman Legends gave Rayman Legends Retold a go, I doubt they would be able to tell that these levels were created years after the original game.

Also new is the Land of the Livid Dead world. We didn't get to see the big bad behind it all, but Betilla the fairy is convinced it is someone or something more powerful than the Dark Teensies. Betilla grants you the power of Fairy Radiance, which allows you to force vines to retract or expand for a short time. Properly timing vine movement was key to making it through the first level in the Land of the Livid Dead.

One element that I am curious about is how the vines will work when playing co-op with multiple characters. The timing windows on each are fairly short before they reset. It's possible that co-op will make the world easier (if one player could keep a vine locked in place while others navigate), but it could also make it more difficult if the timing is based on the first player to tag the vine.

Even though Rayman Legends Retold is a precision platformer, the developers did keep in mind all the players who don't have precision reflexes. The game has a handful of optional assists that are designed to ensure players of all skill levels can have fun and that your play sessions don't devolve into a swearing match (unless that's your idea of fun, in which case, cuss away!).

Fairy Blessing is a power you can toggle that allows you to fly around and damage enemies. It feels like a kind of mini "god" mode that's great in a pinch. Maybe there's just one section that's causing you trouble. You don't want to play the entire game on easy mode, but you'd love a boost right when you most need it. Fairy Blessing is exactly that.

Two other difficulty assists are the golden heart and autofiring dragons. The golden heart appears after you have died at the same checkpoint multiple times in a row. It's like the regular heart power-up, except this one can take multiple hits. An autofiring dragon is just what it sounds like. Instead of manually shooting fireballs when playing the dragon levels, you can focus on flying while the dragons shoot automatically.

The original version of Rayman Legends included some remastered levels from Rayman Origins. Those "Back to Origins” levels are not included in Rayman Legends Retold. Instead, Ubisoft decided to include the whole game. Rayman Legends Retold includes a copy of Rayman Origins: Enhanced Edition. It is a completely separate game. You just get both in the package.

Rayman Origins: Enhanced Edition is still running on the UbiArt Framework. Unlike Rayman Legends Retold, it has not been ported to Snowdrop.

At first glance, Rayman Legends Retold may seem like a simple remaster, but it's really more of a remake. It shares a lot with the original, while adding more to both the world and the story. It seems like there will be enough to please fans of the original as well as introducing Rayman to a new generation of players. The accessibility options won't get used by the hardcore, but families with casual players (and younger players) will find them incredibly useful.

All that said, if I'm being incredibly honest, it's not the main game that really has my interest. The updated Kung Foot Evo minigame is what landed Rayman Legends Retold a spot on my personal "most wanted" list.