Drawing specific attention to the melding of music and gameplay being added to the old-school platformer, we discuss the team’s enthusiasm, and what doors Rayman Legends could open for the series.

It’s tempting to call Legends a sequel of sorts to Origins, expanding ideas conceived during the previous game’s development. But if that’s where the enthusiasm started, is Legends still a case of finishing what was left on the cutting room floor?

Mixing music and gameplay was an inventive aspect of Origins’  platforming, but the evolution of that idea is a clear example of what makes Legends a whole new animal. Was the relationship between sound and gameplay something you’ve been looking to explore for some time?

One of the most promising additions (and crowdpleasing for all in attendance) to the game is the inclusion of standalone ‘song stages.’ The first was shown at E3 2012, depicting a speed-run through a level as the surrounding characters - and the player themselves - move and act in time to a licensed song. From a medieval-themed cover of Ram Jam’s “Black Betty” to a Mariachi-infused “Eye of the Tiger,” it’s a blend of side-scroller and rhythm game that we’ve never quite experienced.

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So the idea of mixing recognizable music and gameplay was something that the team was looking into from early on?

Has cracking that relationship given you even more ideas for farther down the road? Do you see more potential than what’s been realized here?

Across the industry, or with Rayman in particular?

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You mentioned that the five worlds aren’t simply levels or stages, but designed as “complete games” in terms of gameplay and overall direction. Ranging from tropical to stealth, how did you limit the team’s ideas to those included in the final game?

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Are there any ideas that you’re particularly focused on expanding in the future? Not just in terms of level design, but the direction of the newly-rejuvenated Rayman series as a whole?

For more details from our visit with the Rayman Legends team, be sure to check out our full hands-on preview.

“From this step we want to improve things. Yes, why not add more online content, because we have some things to do in this direction. We have a Kung Fu kind of game, and we see that this online fighting/cooperating thing is really interesting too. Not only in classical levels, but in these kind of online arenas. So I think there are still interesting things to do.”

Rayman Legends releases September 3 for Wii U, Xbox 360, PS3 and Vita.

Follow Andrew on Twitter @andrew_dyce.