So happy this finally came out! Between the brain-melting puzzles and the compulsively addictive time trials, the Rabi Laby series has set itself apart in the realm of puzzle-platforming goodness. I already imported the game on my Japanese 3DS, but I was more than happy to buy it again so I could play through it in English. (Especially to read the silly and sometimes nonsensical in-level banter between Alice and Rabi.
From playing the Japanese version, I can say that this is every bit as good as the first two games (and Witch's Cat). In case you're unfamiliar with the series, you control two characters (Alice and Rabi) separately, with the goal of getting Alice to the door of each stage. The two characters have different abilities and strengths; for instance, Rabi can jump higher than Alice, he can walk under spikes and he can explode to destroy certain blocks, while Alice can carry items such as hats on her head, can unlock doors (after collecting the corresponding colored key), and can survive in water. You have to use all of these abilities in conjunction with each other, often in extremely creative ways, in order to solve the levels.
The third game doesn't have a great deal of new mechanics compared to the first two, but the puzzles are as well-made, varied and challenging as ever. There are also 5 bonus stages you can unlock if you manage to get a platinum time on each stage, as well as online leaderboards which open up after finishing the game. I should note after playing the first 12 stages of the English version that the game doesn't seem to explain its mechanics as thoroughly as the first two titles did, so if you haven't played the first two Rabi Laby games you may end up getting stuck fairly early. However, the game does have a hint system (which I've personally never used), so that might be a good tool for teaching newcomers the tricks that the game expects you to pull off.
The series is notorious for having fiendishly difficult puzzles even early in the game, so if anybody gets stuck or needs a mechanic explained, I'd be happy to offer hints!
Looks like they put in demo videos for each stage that spoil the entire solution for you. I guess they unlock after you die a certain number of times, or take too much time completing the stage? Now nobody can complain about the game being too difficult ever again! (I don't like that they did this BTW, I feel it cheapens the game.)
Just finished getting platinum on all 55 stages. Looks like they removed the internet ranking for overall completion time that were included with the Japanese version. Oh well, not like they would have had many entries, if this thread's popularity is any indication!
You have to get platinum on the 50 regular stages to unlock the 5 bonus stages. Strangely, the game didn't play a bonus cutscene when you unlock them like it did in Rabi Laby 2... it just opened up stage 0-1 on the map as soon as I collected my 50th platinum medal. However, I went into Theatre mode in the Main Menu and it did have a bonus cutscene to play for me... it's possible that I missed it somehow. Strangely, Rabi tells you in stage 0-1 that there's no reward for completing the bonus stages quickly, but you still get bronze, silver, gold or platinum medals for them, just like the regular stages. He might have been saying that they don't count towards your overall completion time, but since there's no leaderboards in the US version and there's nowhere else to see your overall time, that seems kind of irrelevent.
The game's ending is kind of sad. Poor Rabi! It does kind of hint at the possibility of another sequel or spin-off, but it's been 2 years since this came out in Japan and nothing that I'm aware of has been announced.
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Topic: Rabi Laby 3
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