Developed by Ludimedia and published by Ubisoft in 1995
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With the arrival of the PlayStation, 32-bit gaming was brought to the mainstream. Sony's console was a total game-changer for the industry, sweeping aside Sega and Nintendo's 16-bit consoles in the process.
Although the PS1 paved the way for the 3D revolution, the console's advanced hardware capabilities also meant that the more traditional 2D games received a noticeable upgrade in terms of graphics, sound and production values. One such title is Rayman, a title designed originally for the Atari Jaguar, but ported to a range of platforms, including PS1, Sega Saturn and MS-DOS PCs (which is the version I owned).
The game's story begins with the evil Mr Dark stealing the Great Protoon, a mystical entity that brings peace and harmony to the world. With the Great Protoon gone, small creatures known as Electoons that used to orbit the Protoon have become susceptible to Mr Dark's corrupting influence. Rayman must recover the Great Protoon and rescue the Electoons from various locations across the world in order to store balance to the world.
Throughout his quest, Rayman will encounter Betilla the Fairy, guardian of the Great Protoon and and a powerful ally in Rayman's quest. Betilla will bestow new skills upon Rayman, enabling him to run, hang from ledges and to use his fists as a weapon with which to defeat foes. Only by unlocking new skills can Rayman hope to find and recover the caged Electoons within each of the game's levels.
The first and most important of these skills is the punch, allowing Rayman to wind up his fists and unleash them in a long range punch. Not only is this an offensive move, it can also be used to grab certain items such as bonus lives, or to swing from special flying rings (once you've learned the swing skill).
Each of the game's levels contains a total of 6 Electoon cages to find, many of them hidden from plain or sight, or located in hard-to-reach places. Simply punching a cage is enough to shatter it, releasing the caged Electoons inside and a visual indicator appearing to update the player on how many cages have been recovered in this particular area. It is possible to replay each level as many time as possible to seek out and recover any missed cages at a later date, with several cages in the earlier stages being impossible to reach without unlocking newer skills much later in the game.
Scattered throughout each of the game's stages are strange blue orbs called Tings (presumably named after the sound they make when collected). Collecting 100 Tings will result in an extra life being awarded and also act as a form of currency, paying the Magician for the chance to earn an extra life in one of the game's many bonus stages.
On the subject of difficulty, Rayman is not only one of the most difficult games in the platforming genre, it's one of the most challenging games I've ever played and is by no means a "casual" title. Much of the game's difficulty comes from some truly devious level design - from death by falling out the bottom a level to insta-death spike pits and masochistic traps, Rayman is never more than a couple of steps from certain doom. This is the kind of game where success comes only after hours and hours of practice, learning the layout of each level, enemy positions and how to deal with the various traps that appear throughout.
Fortunately, the game has a handy save feature for those equipped with a memory card, as well a password system for those who don't - this at least means that players don't have to worry about losing progress, especially as this is quite a long game and will need plenty of practice to beat it.
Despite being over 20 years old, the graphics, artwork and animation are of an especially high standard, and, 320 x 240 resolution aside, could easily pass as a modern game (a possible candidate for an HD remake?).
Since the game was distributed on CD-ROM, the developers made use of the space available by including introduction and ending video sequences, as well a fully mastered audio soundtrack. The soundtrack comprises music backing, as well as ambient and atmospheric effects that change throughout the course of each level. Whilst the FM synthesis and MOD/sample based audio was good for the days of the 16-bit era, the CD medium and sound hardware present in the PS1, Saturn and modern PCs of the day eclipsed anything that came before.
For those gamers who enjoy a really stiff challenge then Rayman is sure to provide hours and hours of entertainment. There are plenty of secrets and hidden items to be found and it will take many hours before you'll beat all of the game's levels.
Whilst some might find the game's difficulty something of a turn-off, Rayman remains a gorgeous looking game with top-notch production values and presentation that is well worth checking out.
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