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Rayman Origins

Rayman Origins is the most visually stunning game I think I’ve played this year. It was inevitable that at some point in the review the visuals would be mentioned, so I thought “Hey, let’s just batter into it, first thing.” Everything you see in Origins is essentially concept art that has been brought to life by the fantastic UbiArt Framework the game is running on. It’s almost like it’s less of a game and more of an interactive painting, really.

The beautifully rendered backdrops and characters won’t be the first thing you’ll notice, however. You see, Ubisoft Montpellier have taken Rayman back to his origins  – hence the name – but in more ways than one! Not only do they take you back to the beginnings of Rayman himself, but they’ve also returned Rayman to it’s original 2D platforming roots.

Don’t let that trick you into thinking that Origins is just a half-hearted remake of a previous game in the series, though; that statement would be neither fair nor true. With a release surrounded by games like Modern Shootfest 8 and Buildings of War 19, Origins feels new and revitalising in it’s own right. It’s really easy to let a game as bright and colourful as Origins draw you in when it’s up against such relatively drab, grey competition.

The game opens up in the Glade of Dreams with our heroes – that’s Rayman, Globox and two Teensies –  doing nothing but kicking back and relaxing with the Bubble Dreamer. Unfortunately, their snoring is keeping an old granny in the Underworld awake and so, in a fit of rage, she sends an army of evil creatures off to invade and put an end to their snoring once and for all. As a result, the Electoons and Nymphs have been captured and the Glade has been reduced to chaos so it’s up to Rayman and the others to set things right again!

Before you can sort this whole kerfuffle out, however, you’ll have to endure deadly enemies and vicious traps, and not to mention occasionally being shrunk down to a pint-sized version of your former self or the odd piggy-back ride on a mosquito, to name but a few of the weird obstacles that you’ll be faced with. I say “endure” because after a while these can become quite troublesome, largely thanks to the instant kills that literally every enemy in the game seems capable of. I’m not kidding. Unless you’re carrying the extra heart power-up, a single scratch will send Rayman reeling back to the start of the current area of the level. This wouldn’t be so much of a pain in the arse, were it not for the fact that you also lose all the items you’ve collected in that area when you die.

Another thing that I’ve become aware of is that of one of the worst fears I had about the game: Rayman Origins, despite having local co-operative multiplayer, has no online co-op. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again – why do developers insist on doing this? Are we only supposed to befriend those who live within walking distance of our own homes? In the case of Origins, the lack of online multiplayer is very much a missed opportunity. I really wanted to be able to explore the Glade of Dreams with three of my friends but, alas, my hopes for that are dashed.

Despite all that, though, it doesn’t stop me from enjoying Origins on my own. The cheerful characters and gorgeous environments mean that even the most rage-inducing levels will only have you boiling over for a few moments, before you are instantly reminded of just how magical and ultimately incredibly enjoyable the game is at its core. I can’t help but smile any and every time I see birds playing bagpipes or Globox trying to hover by flapping his arms really fast. Rayman Origins is good, clean fun, if a little infuriating at times – I just wish I had more people to play it with.

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2 responses to “Rayman Origins”

  1. Character Select Network: Console Arcade’s Picks of December 2011 | Console Arcade

    […] Rayman Origins Review […]

  2. Rhonda avatar
    Rhonda

    I had heard nearly nhtoing about this game upon its release. Amazing word of mouth eventually made its way to me, but I didn’t really know anything about Rayman (other than Rabbids). I finally found the tid-bit of info that immediately had me on my way to the game store: co-op in the fashion of New Super Mario Bros. Wii.The co-op system used here is actually better than the one used in the Mario helmed game. At any time during the game a buddy can join in on your game. If they die, they become a bubble. It’s then up to you to pop them so that they can continue playing. It improves the Mario system by making the joining of a game seamless (no menu to go to, you can do it anytime), and giving you direct control over your bubble so you can be popped more quickly (no waggling to get it to move in another player’s general direction). It also does away with lives. Paired with the bubble system, not having lives makes this game great to play with someone of a disparate skill level. You can tackle harder levels together and never leave them sitting idly because they died one too many times. I was thrown off, but came to love the removal of a lives system, and welcomed improvements to the already stellar co-op and bubbling ideas. Playing through the game with a friend is an absolute blast and you’re missing out on a ton of camaraderie-fueled shenanigans if you don’t. I plowed through the game with my girlfriend in a matter of a few days (having to do all that I could not to play ahead without her) and we both loved every second of it. This system is also great because it allows me to play with my young nieces (who are understandably terrible) without it losing their attention because they’ve died and have nhtoing to do. I think in time it might be to them what the original Super Mario Bros. was to me, and if that doesn’t let you in on the regards I have for this game I don’t know what will. That said, while they can play the first few levels with me, that’s about it at the moment.The difficulty of the main levels has a nice curve, and as others have mentioned the new abilities you get are introduced and expanded upon nicely without any need for explanation. The game cleverly pits you in areas in which you have to use your new powers to escape before you can move on, then later rewards you for using them in new ways. The game is full of clever little things like this.And there are plenty of levels for you to tackle. I feared an extremely short game, but midway through another set of levels opens up that expands on the themes already present (forest, desert, ice/fire, sea, mechanical). On top of all that you have the fiendish treasure chest races, and the secret, brutal final level to give you more to do and a jump in difficulty. I’ve spent nearly a week now with the game and I’m still working to collect everything there is; you’ll give up before the supply of challenges does.I’ll leave it to you to experience the gorgeous scenery and infectious melodies. I find myself gawking and constantly commenting about how pretty something in the environment looks. I’m personally not a fan of the character design though. Has a very 90s vibe to it (which is understandable), but if this were a brand new property I feel like the characters would gel more with the levels and look stunning. And good luck trying to get the music out of your brain. I constantly find myself whistling the tunes and hearing the chipmunkesque vocals in my head. You might not dig em at first, but they will overcome any resistance you may have.Anyway, I can’t tell you to buy this game with enough fervor (and that’s coming from someone who rents the majority of the games he plays) because not only is it worth every penny and more, but it’s one of those games you pick up with no expectations and then start grabbing random people in the street yelling at them to buy the game so that this work of art is appreciated and not seen as a failed experiment because it was released the same month as bunch of triple A blockbuster type games. Also, while you’re buying this grab Tomba too.

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