After an unexpected detour into Rabbids territory, The Rayman series has returned to its roots. A traditional 2D platformer if ever there was one, Rayman Origins wouldn’t seem out of place on the Mega Drive were it not for its thoroughly modern presentation.
Screenshots can’t do it justice. Until you see it in motion, you simply can’t appreciate how beautiful this game is. The hand drawn characters are smoothly animated and wonderfully expressive. You can’t help but chuckle as Rayman winds up for a punch or Globox flails his arms in an attempt to evade a disembodied claw. Even the incidental characters have personality to burn. One character, whose sole purpose is to serve as a stepping stone for platforming heroes, is hilariously indignant at his lot in life. The game’s depiction of its few female characters is somewhat less impressive. For reasons unknown, the newly voluptuous Betilla has swapped her colourful robes for a bikini top and a miniskirt. Though the levels generally conform to genre standards (lush forest, windswept desert, slippery iceberg, etc) the backdrops are equally gorgeous.
In gameplay terms, you’re required to carry out the usual assortment of platforming tasks such as swinging across yawning chasms, activating arcane switches and catching rides on gusts of wind. Fortunately, there’s plenty of variety to keep you interested. There are vertical levels, pursuit challenges and boss battles. You’re even invited to mount a giant mosquito for some surprisingly competent horizontal shooting action.
In some respects, Rayman Origins is remarkably forgiving, in others, diabolically taxing. The game features a gentle learning curve, regular checkpoints, instant reloads and (unlike the original Rayman) an infinite number of ‘lives’. While some levels contain tricky to reach bonus areas, you’re often free to ignore these in favour of low hanging fruit. Furthermore, if you die more than a handful of times in a particular area, the game offers you the chance to skip that content.
Eventually you encounter a series of levels that demand quick thinking and even quicker reflexes. For the first time, you’re sorely tempted to take advantage of the oh-so-patronising skip option… which Ubisoft has kindly excluded from these levels, along with any trace of a checkpoint. Why the developer included these features only to snatch them away when you might actually need them is anyone’s guess. It’s almost as if Ubisoft set out to make a product for the masses but couldn’t resist spicing it up with some (admittedly top notch) old school trial and error platforming.
After about five hours of play, you feel like you’re coming to the end of your adventure. However, in the grand tradition of 2D platformers, Rayman Origins is both larger and longer than it initially seems. As you make your way through the game, you earn electoons, tiny emoticon creatures that enable you to unlock a substantial amount of quality content that was previously hidden or inaccessible. You rarely wring every last electoon from a level on your first attempt, so you eventually become pretty familiar with the game’s opening stages.
You can also experience any of the levels with up to three of your mates. As you may have discovered when playing LittleBigPlanet or New Super Mario Bros Wii, having four characters on a single screen isn’t exactly conducive to precision platforming. Best described as organised chaos, this blend of cooperation and competition is best enjoyed in bite sized chunks.
Rayman Origins is a very welcome addition to the 2D revival. Not only does it feature stunning visuals, it also takes an impressive variety of tried and true gameplay concepts and executes them (with very rare exception) at the highest level. Furthermore, the game’s surprising length and excellent replay value dispel any concerns about whether it justifies a full retail release. Unless you have a strong aversion to platformers, you shouldn’t miss it.
