RAYMAN

Distributer

UBI Soft

Options

Game Type

Platform

Players

1

Release Date

Oct '95

Rapid Review

Underneath Raymans gentle exterior of colorful backgrounds and the sickeningly bright and bouncy lead character, lies a platform game that I still rank as one of the toughest available on the Playstation. There are 70 levels to complete, some are fun, some are frantic and many are frustratingly difficult.

The gameplay is your customary running, ducking, swinging, punching, flying and usually dying platform format. Rayman has several tricks up his sleeve that are unveiled as you progress through the game. He can jump from ledge to ledge, wind up his fist to punch out the enemy, his hair can transform into helicopter rotor blades to allow him to fly, shrink to the size of a pea to access previously unreachable areas, and best of all (although useless) he can insert his fingers into his mouth and pull wide apart then stick out his tongue and produce a loud gargling sound. Wow.

Each level has a number of cages which must be found and then punched open to release the imprisoned furry creatures. However the opening levels cannot be completed until Rayman has gained the abilities to reach them and these cannot be earned until further into the game. Once an extra power is awarded by the good fairy, he may backtrack to the earlier levels to complete the stage.

The presentation is really slick and is dripping with quirky animations, lavish backdrops and a smart cartoon intro. Lives can gained by the collection of 100 pearls while substantial continues are available if required. A plus point to Rayman is that the earlier levels may be revisited to accumulate a wealth of extra lives therefore there should be no reason to restart the game from scratch. Several save points are available throughout each level that appears in the form of a photographer who snaps his picture.

Certain items of the scenery are interactive such as punching purple plums from the trees. These can be used to bounce on to reach higher levels. Thankfully your progress may be saved on a memory card or by recording a given password.

Comment

My claim to fame is that I know someone who completed Rayman, and it wasn't me. I gave up after forty plus levels never to return because of my fear of going completely bald. Smart graphics, cute characters, varied levels, intelligent enemies and now its very affordable!