Coming from someone who did not play this as a kid, Rayman 2: The Great Escape gives me fixed feelings, but I can see why it is loved by those who played it as a child. At its best it is a great game with good design, atmosphere, art style and nice levels. When not at its best Rayman 2 can become a annoying battle with the controls and/or camera while you slog through bland levels and let out sighs of frustration. Though I do not know they pain of playing this with a keyboard, some parts of the controls have aged rather poorly. Rocket riding is frustrating and flying on it had me taking breaks to calm down. Plum surfing is something I do not enjoy, but I got used to. Swinging can cause you to fall immediately, if you start from the wrong spot. Quite often the camera position would work against you. Sliding sections are mostly painful, but often short. And then there are the button smashing minigames, which I see as the lowest point of this game and I cannot fathom how anyone could ever see that as a rewarding bonus for collecting everything within a level. But on the positive side, the base controls are solid. Ledge grabbing works well and feels good. Propeller hair helps out a lot and is used well in my opinion. Combat flows well with the rest of the platforming and doesn't take too much time. Game and its character's are charming and have a feel to it no other game series can give you. Writing is not funny per se, but it is entertaining and the cameo from Tonic trouble is a nice touch. For most parts the levels are well paced and designed, with just enough collectables to keep you looking around through out the rather linear levels. In my opinion this game is for those who have history with it, have good patience and like platformers or just want to peer into what late 90s kids had to go through. Otherwise, just go with the third one.
I have owned this game now for few years and completed the long game once, still I keep coming back, but I understand why others may not give it a second chance. KoDP is one of those games where you need to know how to play it, before you can really get into it. Many parts of it seem to be unfair or random, but once you get to understand how the system works, you'll be in for a long and enjoyable ride. But, even if you know what you are doing, your 5 hour play through can be stopped by a troll apocalypse lead by Cragspider. You will not be able to get through the game on your first few tries, but the stories you'll read on those trials, will hopefully make you understand this game better. Leading a clan or a tribe is not easy and you need to watch for who you have in the clan ring, for they dictate much of your success, but you also need to remember your promises to the other clans and keep the gods happy. This game wants you to read the stories of its gods and mythos, forcing player to play by its rules by smiting your tula with fury. I love the fact, that it allows me to do dumb decisions which will bite me later. Look and feel of the game are also large portion of its charm, giving it the fitting appearance and I wouldn't have it in any other way. Over all, I don't have long history with this game, but for years it has been my go to game whenever I want to have some steady, sometimes frustrating but enjoyable time.
