Developer: Ubi Soft Publisher: Ubi Soft Release: 1995 Genre: Platformer
This one has been a long time coming. I have played various Rayman games over the years but for whatever reason never did get around to the original. This is embarrassing as I have had a copy since….the Clinton administration. Yikes. Rayman received a lot of attention because of its lush 2d artwork that was only possible on the new consoles at the time. This was during the near peak of the 2d platformer and like many I assumed we would get legions of games just like this. Oh how naïve we were. Regardless of my expectations Rayman is still solid all these years (decades even) later. It is not as great as the high reviews at the time suggested but good enough that I completed it despite my problems with the game.
The Great Protoon has protected the world for generations, allowing the people to live in harmony. The villain Mr. Dark defeats its guardian, Betilla the Fairy and steals the Great Protoon, casting the world in darkness. Even worse, the Electoons that balance and stabilize the Great Protoon were either captured or spread around the world. At Betilla’s request Rayman ventures out to save the Electoons and defeat Mr. Dark to restore peace to the world.
Rayman initially was a project for the Super NES CD add-on. However with the cancellation of the CD Ubi Soft repurposed the game for the next generation consoles at the time. It was a smart move as that allows it to stand out among a 3d heavy crowd. While it hit the Jaguar first the Saturn and PlayStation versions are superior in every category, especially the music. Although Rayman is not as refined as the 16-bit greats on the market at the time it was still good enough to start a franchise that persists today.
Initially Rayman can only throw his fist to attack. As you progress Betilla will grant him many new abilities. Most of these help with traversal and aid in finding the game’s many, many secrets. You gain the power to hang on to platforms, grab objects like rings to swing, and use his hair as a helicopter to float. Oddly enough the last ability is to run, which sounds silly but opens the game up tremendously. They pace these abilities out pretty well; right when the game starts to feel formulaic a new power lives it up. In addition some stages grant temporary powers like unlimited flight or seeds that sprout platforms. Mechanically the game is full of variety and that extends to the level design.
Rayman has six worlds with many individual stages. Each zone is unique, be it the music themed Band Land or rocky Blue Mountains. Band Land is the game’s equivalent of an ice world as you slide around musical instruments with some of the hardest Electoons to find. The Cave of Skops takes place mostly underwater and ratchets up the instant death spikes. The game constantly presents new ways of using your abilities such as using your helicopter hair to cut a rope before being squished or fast paced auto scrolling segments. At first the levels are short. But once you earn new powers they open up tremendously. You will see areas you cannot reach initially and will have to return later, almost like a Metroidvania. Normally these would be optional but in this game it is mandatory and the backtracking is where the game starts to stumble.
Rayman’s cheerful façade masks its vicious difficulty. This is one of the harder platformers in the genre and not always for the right reasons. The large sprites are not conducive to the types of intricate platforming the game attempts. There are many blind leaps of faith and at times questionable collision detection. The maps are designed to hide the Electoons but are also at times unclear and unfocused. When the game is focused it is exceptional. When it is experimental it can be hit or miss. I will never fault a developer for trying but I will note that it can be frustrating. I waffle back and forth when it comes to the bosses. Mechanically they are exceptional as they go through multiple phases like a Treasure game. But they drag on a little too long for my liking. Compared to most of its contemporaries however they are great.
The worst trick the game plays is the finale. To access the final boss you must rescue every Electoon in the game. This is not easy as the designers have probably done too good a job hiding the bastards. Many are openly available; you only need to find the path to reach them. But there are many that require specific conditions to uncover and the game offers vague clues. Sometimes you need to jump up in the right spot. Others you need to grab sparks in specific locations for the cage to appear. There are six electoons in every stage. But each stage can have as many as five or six sections and it is tedious to explore every nook and cranny no matter how short they are. This would have been tolerable if there were only a set number to finish the game. As is it is unnecessary padding.
In Closing
Despite its issues Rayman is fondly remembered as a classic of the fifth generation. Few 2d games were able to match its gorgeous art and while the gameplay does not reach the same heights it is good enough. Those that take the time to master its mechanics will find a challenging quest that gives you your money’s worth. It would be many years before Ubi Soft would revisit the character’s 2d origins and knock it out of the park with Rayman Origins and Legends. That ground work starts here and is worth revisiting.
