Review: Rayman Origins

Rayman Origins is a Sidescrolling Platformer. For those who didn't grow up in the 90s, or weren't into gaming back then,  Sidescrolling Platformers were the most ubiquitous genre - the way First Person Shooters are today. Nowadays you really have to dig to find a 2D Platformer, so when a company is bold enough to release one, it better be damn good.

Gameplay and Design.

On the surface, Rayman Origins is a blueprint copy of 2009's New Super Mario Bros Wii - classic 2D side scrolling action with up to four player local co-op. Overworld level map. Out of the way collectibles. Check, check and check. Yet with all the similarities, I was not once reminded of the portly plumber's side scrolling adventure. Rayman Origins has a feeling all it's own, with character and level design that borders on the good side of absurd.

Bowser this is not.

The game's ten unique worlds are made up of about 5 - 8 levels within each, taking approximately ten hours to beat - that time easily doubling by going for 100% completion. And that's the really unique thing about this game - you can alter the difficulty for yourself based on how obsessed you are with collecting 'lums' - Rayman Origins' version of coins. The more you collect, the more 'Electoons' you get which allow you to open new levels and unlock new playable characters. But collecting the par of 300 lums per level takes a level of commitment, memorization and precision unheard of in games these days. This is what poses the challenge for seasoned players - but for kids, or those simply don't give a crap, you can play through and finish the story mode without worrying about collecting a single thing.

Speaking of the difficulty, one of the smartest design decisions Ubisoft made was in the way the game handles player death - because you will die a lot. Each level has 4-5 check points, and when you die, you are sent immediately back to the last checkpoint you reached. No backing out to a menu, selecting the level, being shown your current life count, waiting to load and then giving it another go. You die and literally are trying again three seconds later. In my view this is what kept me "on the horse" and pushing through the tougher sections - I didn't have that moment of a mental break to say "screw this!" and give up.

And without that momentary downtime, I found myself driven in most levels to attempt a perfect run. The game definitely encourages you to go for the hard to reach collectibles, which often require you to chain multiple risky moves together to get all the lums in a single area. With one hit kills, this can be extremely difficult. In this regard, the game reminded me much more of Bit.Trip Runner than Mario. When you do pull off a set insane jumps and wall kicks though, man what a feeling.

The last layer of collectible for the most OCD of gamers is "skull teeth" which can be found in bonus stages where you chase a treasure chest through hazard ridden areas. These levels are where your true skill and patience are put to the test. You have to be 100% pixel perfect with every single jump, punch and duck. Miss a single jump, and you start this whole sequence over.

Though aside from those few things, the gameplay is actually fairly uninventive. There are no breakthrough design methodologies at play here. Even the beautifully designed bosses are pretty ordinary "find the weakpoint and attack" type fights. You're getting an expertly crafted, triple-A platformer, don't get me wrong, but if you're looking for innovation and unique ways of playing a game, you won't find that here. It still feels unique because it's a retro genre being released in a modern environment where everything else is a shooter. I call this the 'Adele Effect'. Adele's style of music isn't new or revolutionary at all and is actually fairly derivative - but because it's coming out now when the most popular artists are people like PitBull and Katy Perry, it naturally sets itself apart by default. In the same way, Rayman Origins presents nothing new in the gameplay department, but is seen as a breath of fresh air because of the environment in which it was released.

Presentation.

Hyperbole time. There is no single game that will make you glad you own an HDTV more than Rayman Origins. This moving interactive piece of art called Rayman Origins will humble your perception of what HD can look like. This is the sharpest, most colorful, smoothly animated game I've ever played. It's like playing a well made storybook or a big budget cartoon. The look is simply stunning and it's all thanks to the Ubi Art Framework.

And that is the biggest innovation that comes out of this game.

The main aim of this engine is to allow artists and designers focus on the art itself, without having to worry about technical aspects of game development. [Wikipedia]

Click on this to view it fullscreen. Trust. This is in game.

In addition to the almost-unreal visuals, the sound and music design deserves special accolades. Christophe Heral, who composed the music for Beyond Good and Evil lends his talents to Rayman Origins adding to the overall goofy, lighthearted feeling this game already had going for it. The music isn't as introspective as Beyond Good and Evil's soundtrack and isn't really something you could sit and listen to outside of the game, but when you're in the zone and grabbing that little lum in the corner, there's nothing sweeter than this.

Rayman Origins Would be Best for Gamers Who:

Have a fondness, nostalgic or otherwise, for side scrolling platformers

Are looking for a hefty challenge

Are sick of the Call of Duty train and want something different

Are playing with kids, or in fact are kids. 

While there's nothing necessarily new in the gameplay department, Rayman Origins delivers a stunning visual/audio experience through a unique and inventive engine. It's a fun, and challenging ride that is well crafted by a solid team of developers. The price is down to $20. Just get it.

Review in Ten Words or Less: 

A visually stunning 2D platformer that offers a serious challenge.