Rayman Jungle Run is a good way to satisfy that lum-collecting craving until Rayman Legends comes along
Last year's Rayman Origins is one of the best side-scrolling platformers ever created, and though it has not sold well, the consensus is out: play that game if you have not! Rayman Jungle Run for iOS and Android devices certainly is not as deep as Origins, but it is a delightful little romp for the three bucks that it costs.
With conventional controls out of the window, Jungle Run cannot and does not play completely like Origins. Rayman is always running at full speed here, and tapping the screen makes him jump. Double tapping and holding the screen initiates his copter head, enabling him to glide short distances. In later levels Rayman can punch when you press a "button" on the right side of the screen. Each "set" of levels, containing ten stages each, is built around one of the aforementioned abilities. In the "Glide" levels, you will primarily use Rayman's helicopter ability to complete the stage, for example.
The sole goal in Jungle Run is to collect lums, those glowing little, happy fire-fly things. There are one-hundred of them in each stage, and nabbing them all earns you a "tooth of the dead," which is given to the poor toothless Grim Reaper. When the Reaper has a mouth full of teeth, a very difficult stage at the end of a set of levels is unlocked. You are also rewarded with artwork which can be applied as wallpaper for your device (in my case, the ipad mini).
Rayman Jungle Run does not have stages that are as scenic as Origins, but this little game does a good job of capturing the excellent visual style of the latter game. Several musical tracks from Origins also find their way on here with their energetic, wacky presence. Jungle Run, when you are attempting to snatch every lum, can provide a steep challenge. Spikes and foes are scattered throughout the later stages, and Rayman will have to swing from vines and bounce off of giant mushrooms while running from some threatening entity.
Globox is a playable character, and you can choose two different alternative costumes for Rayman...for a cost. For only a few dollars, Rayman Jungle run is a good value; it is a good way to satisfy the sweet tooth one may have for jumping back into Ubisoft's renovated Rayman universe. This is one to be played in short bursts. Though enjoyable, Jungle Run is too simplistic and repetitive to satisfy platforming enthusiasts for long, but anyone can fiddle around with it for some good times.