Rayman (series)

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Character art for Rayman.

Rayman is an anthropomorphic video game character, and is the official mascot of the video game publisher Ubisoft.

Rayman was created in 1992 by graphic artist Michel Ancel, to star in a 2D Platforming game for the Atari Jaguar, Sega Saturn and PlayStation. Although the former two consoles and their games sold poorly, the Playstation version was received very well by critics and the public, selling over 10 million copies, and providing Ubisoft with the financial foundations it needed to become a major games publisher.

Ubisoft has so far released two major 3D sequels of Rayman, the first being Rayman 2: The Great Escape. Again, this game was received extremely well; IGN went as far as lauding the Dreamcast version of Rayman 2 as "without question, the most impressive feat of game design and execution the platforming genre has ever seen." However, according to Nintendo Power September 2006, the latest game, Rayman 3: Hoodlum Havoc was seen as being mediocre, effectively turning its back on the mix of fantasy, humor, and story that had gained the previous games acclaim, and instead creating a game that was satirical about the genre, and series as a whole. Ancel himself, who was not involved in making Rayman 3, commented that the game was "a bit too concrete for [Ancel's] tastes."

Another game, Rayman Raving Rabbids, was developed by Ubisoft and debuted as a launch title for Nintendo's Wii; other console versions are to follow in 2007. Unlike the other games, Rayman is more of a secondary character even though the storyline revolves around his capture; he is overshadowed by the Rabbids. Moreover, the game itself is a collection of minigames, unlike the platformer nature of the previous games.

As is often the case with video games, it is hard to establish canon between the Rayman games, especially due to Rayman 3's satirical nature. However, there are various themes and characters common to the series. The Omniscient that features in Rayman 2 is the main source of information and knowledge in Rayman's world.

1 The Rayman Universe
- 1.1 Rayman's World
2 Characters
3 List of games
4 External links

[edit] The Rayman Universe

Much of the Rayman universe is of a fantastical or abstract nature. It seems that before the beginning, there was a large space, full of small balls of energy, named lums. At some point in the past, though, these lums focused their energy into thought, and God-like beings began to emerge. These Gods began to dream of their own worlds, and each of these worlds slowly came into being. Polokus is the God of Rayman's world. Each God only has power over their respective world; they cannot do anything above the surface of their planet.

Once Polokus had finished dreaming, he left his world, in order to meet with the other Gods and discuss the future. In case anything should happen to his world whilst he was away, he left four masks behind, all over the globe. To bring Polokus back, the four masks would have to be reunited.

[edit] Rayman's World

Rayman's world has a vast variety of natural environments, including grassy plains, caves, swamps and forests. Various beings inhabit it, namely the magical, such as the fairies (Polokus' emissaries) and teensies (guardians of passages), the people, such as Globox, Clark and Murfy, and Rayman himself. The inhabitants live in harmony with the planet, and rarely, if ever, rely on machines or technology.

Darker creatures also dwell in Rayman's world. These are said to have been the result of Polokus' negative thoughts and nightmares.

[edit] Characters

Rayman, a limbless being with the ability to fly with his hair. Nothing is known of his origins; he is the only thing in Polokus' world that Polokus himself did not dream of. The Omniscient claims that he is the 'chosen one of all the gods'.
Ly, a fairy made by Polokus. She helps Rayman greatly in the second game.
Globox, Rayman's best friend.
Murfy, a strange green insect-like creature who frequently appears as Rayman's advisor. He wears the uniform of the Teensies.
Teensies are a race of small blue creatures, and guard all of the world's secret passages. They are often imprisoned in cages by enemies.
The Knaaren, a fierce race who inhabit the desert of the Knaaren.
The Rabbids, a yet unknown race of lunatic bunnies, who conquer the world.