Rayman

Rayman
The original Rayman logo
Genres	Platform
Developers	Ubisoft Ubisoft Montpellier Digital Eclipse DC Studios Gameloft Backbone Entertainment
Publishers	Ubisoft Gameloft Feral Interactive
Creators	Michel Ancel
First release	Rayman September 1, 1995
Latest release	Rayman Origins November 15, 2011
Official website	http://raymanzone.ubi.com/

Rayman is a platform video game series developed and published by Ubisoft and created by Michel Ancel.

Rayman games are typically platformer games, although spin-offs have had radically different gameplay. The original Rayman was a 2D sprite based platformer similar to those of the 16 bit era. Rayman 2 moved the series into 3D, and added more variety to the gameplay with new actions such as riding a rocket, being pulled through a marsh by a snake, and an entire level where Rayman's hair allows him to fly instead of simply hover. Rayman 3: Hoodlum Havoc kept the same core platforming of Rayman 2: The Great Escape, but added timed power ups and had a bigger emphasis on combat. The handheld entries in the series have remained similar to the sprite based original in gameplay in that they are 2D. Rayman DS, which was a port of Rayman 2, is an exception to that, as is Rayman 3D, also a port of Rayman 2. Rayman Raving Rabbids, which was at first planned to be a traditional platformer, turned into a mini-game collection late in development after the developers got their hands on the Wii Remote and Nunchuck. Early trailers for the game and early information portray it having a darker atmosphere than is typical of a Rayman game, and show Rayman riding animals including a giant spider. Rayman could alter his appearance, and his dancing style with it, and dance to entrance the Rabbids. Ultimately this idea was scrapped,and replaced with motion based mini-games similar to those in WarioWare: Smooth Moves. Rayman Raving Rabbids was also released on the Xbox 360, despite being made around the motion-sensing Wii controller, and simply replaced physical actions with traditional button presses. Rayman has three racing games (Rayman Arena, Rayman M and Rayman Rush) that feature Rayman characters racing on foot through platformer like stages, and battling in a separate arena mode. There have also been Rayman educational games, such as Rayman Brain Games, which focused less on gameplay and more on learning.

Contents 1 Characters 2 Games 2.1 Main series 2.2 Spin-off series 3 Reception 4 References 5 External links

Characters

• Rayman is the main protagonist of the series. He has no arms, legs, or neck, though he has hands, feet, and a head that are able to move independently from his body. Rayman is able to launch long range punches at his enemies, and in some games, eject lums from his gloves. He has the ability to use his hair to glide and float by spinning it at a rapid speed. He is typically found wearing white gloves, a red neckerchief on a purple shirt and a white ring on the chest, (which was replaced with a red and purple hoodie), and he wears yellow trainers. He is voiced by David Gasman and Steve Perkinson in the video games, and by Billy West in the animated series. He was awarded the Best New Character award of 1995 by Electronic Gaming Monthly.^[1]

• Globox is a gentle, sensitive glute, who acts as Rayman's sidekick. He is very cowardly, fleeing at the sight of any enemies, leaving Rayman alone to fight them. Globox's magic power is the ability to create a small cloud that rains over fire and machinery after performing a rain dance. He is shown to be allergic to plum juice, which has alcoholic effects on him. In Rayman 3, he is voiced by John Leguizamo.

• Betilla the Fairy is a fairy who helps Rayman throughout the first game by granting him several powers. Mister Dark kidnaps her to stop this, but she is rescued once Rayman chases Mister Dark off. She appeared in the first game and later in Rayman Origins where it is revealed she was the one who created Rayman (in the original trailer for the game).

• Ly the Fairy is a fairy made by the godlike Polokus to help Rayman. She appears as a weak and serious character, but despite this, she's actually potentially dangerous if she has to be, though is an energetic, loving and playful character and hardly loses her patience. She likes activity and experimenting with magic. She is voiced by Kim Michelle Broderick.

• Murfy serves as a guide to Rayman. He has a really hasty nature unable to deal with failure. He appears bored with his job and can't be bothered with trivial details. His race is depicted as mischievous and described as "cultivated hedonists". He is voiced by Billy West.

• The Teensies are a race of small Cyan skin colored creatures with elongated noses and beady black eyes. They exist in many forms and most of them have magical powers. Their purpose is to unveil all the roads in the world. They are led by Grand Minimus, who acts as caretaker of the Heart of the World, the Grand Minimus is the greatest little king of them all.

• Tarayzan, the Musician and Joe are three friends of Rayman's who find themselves in different predicaments thanks to Mister Dark's doing and each give Rayman a temporary power in return for his help.

• Mister Dark is Rayman's first enemy and the main villain in Rayman. Little is known about him, except that he is an incredibly talented yet evil sorcerer. After stealing the Great Protoon and imprisoning all the Electoons, Mr. Dark hides away in his lair, at the Candy Chateau, high above the Cave Of Skops. Once Rayman meets him, instead of him fighting directly, Mr. Dark flees the scene and sets fused versions of his main Henchmen upon Rayman. Ever since fleeing the scene, he does not reappear until the fourth game, Rayman Origins, where he is revealed to be a Magician Teensie (this, however, could be a transformation and not his real form, as he is limbless in the first game), tricking Rayman and Globox into going to his hideout. As in the first game, he is not battled directly and attempts to flee, but this time, Rayman and Globox stop him and cause the power source of his hideout to explode. It is currently unknown if Mr. Dark survived. Throughout the first and fourth games, he acts as the final boss in Candy Chateau and Moody Clouds respectively. He also leads the evil Darktoons and his main minions including:
  • Moskito is a gigantic mosquito and the boss of the Dream Forest. Though Rayman kills him, Moskito's son, Bzzit, becomes Rayman's friend and cameos in the PS2 version of Rayman 2.
  • Mister Sax is a giant saxophone and the boss of Band Land.
  • Mister Stone is a behemoth made of stone and the boss of the Blue Mountains.
  • Space Mama is an overweight warrior-actress and the boss of Picture City.
  • Mister Skops is a giant scorpion and the boss of the Caves of Skops.
  • Poor Little Daisy is a mutated daisy and the boss of the Gibberish Jungle.
  • Mega Mockingbird is a massive bird and the boss of the Desert of Didgeridoos.
  • Heartburn Dragon is a large chef dragon and the boss of Gourmand Land.
  • Murray of the Deep is a nasty sea dragon and the boss of the Sea of Serendipity.
  • Golly G. Golem is a sentient golem and the boss of Mystical Pique.
  • Big Mama is an octopus-like creature and the hidden boss of the Land of the Livid Dead.

• Admiral Razorbeard is Rayman's second enemy, the main villain in Rayman 2 and the Game Boy Advance version of Rayman 3. He commands a force of Robo-Pirates and ships that plague over Rayman's World. He rules from a gigantic ship, known as the Buccaneer. Razorbeard is infamous for his attacks that have left over 100 peaceful planets to cosmic dust, making him a vicious and cruel mass murderer. His personality is mainly similar to a power-hungry dictator, a cruel and a sadistic villain. Razorbeard is also extremely frustrated and he has a short fuse, as he throws minor temper tantrums whenever one of his henchmen came to tell him bad news. Unlike Mr. Dark, Razorbeard fights Rayman at the game's climax, but after being beaten by Rayman, he flees the scene. In Rayman 2, he is voiced by Ken Starcevic.

• Andre is a maniacal dark lum and the main villain in Rayman 3 and Rayman: Hoodlum's Revenge. Globox has a strange fondness of him. He is transformed from a red lum into a dark lum when Rayman's hands scare him with shadow puppets. At the beginning of the game, Globox accidentally swallows him, and the Teensies tell Rayman to take Globox to a doctor to get him out. After visiting three different doctors, Andre finds Reflux and makes a deal with him: that if he steals King Gumsi's sceptre, he will give him the opportunity to kill Rayman. At the end of the game, Reflux is defeated and Rayman turns Andre back into a red lum. He is voiced by Ken Starcevic.

• Reflux is a Knaaren, a race of invincible, ruthless warriors who cannot stand sunlight, who gives up his invincibility while stealing the scepter from the Leptys. He is voiced by Ziggy Marley.

Games

Main series

The games in the main series have fairly distinct settings (sometimes described as different realms, etc. within Rayman's home world) and plots. Nonetheless, besides the titular hero, several characters (Globox, Murfy, Ly) and themes (freeing magical beings from cages, collecting magical energy, etc.) do appear with some regularity.

Particularly, the universe featured in the original Rayman has largely been left unvisited in subsequent installments, with the exception of cameos including the famous purple plums, small harmless versions of its boss Moskito, etc. Some elements from the original game (e.g. the hunters called Livingstones, Mr. Dark and Betilla the Fairy) are featured in Rayman Origins.

See the following articles for synopses and other information on the main series games:

• Rayman
• Rayman 2: The Great Escape
• Rayman 3: Hoodlum Havoc
• Rayman: Hoodlums' Revenge
• Rayman Origins

Spin-off series

• Rayman Junior
• Rayman Brain Games
• Rayman Arena
• Rayman Golf

Reception

Aggregate review scores
As of December 4, 2011.

Game	GameRankings	Metacritic
Rayman	(GBA) 85.06%[2] (JAG) 85.00%[3] (SAT) 85.00%[4] (GBC) 83.33%[5] (PC) 77.00%[6] (PS1) 75.00%[7] (DSi) 66.33%[8]	(GBA) 84[9]
Rayman 2: The Great Escape	(DC) 92.71%[10] (PC) 90.70%[11] (N64) 88.83%[12] (PS1) 87.23%[13] (PS2) 85.17%[14] (3DS) 64.96%[15] (NDS) 58.65%[16]	(N64) 90[17] (PS2) 90[18] (3DS) 61[19] (NDS) 58[20]
Rayman 3: Hoodlum Havoc	(GBA) 82.38%[21] (PS2) 80.13%[22] (PC) 78.31%[23] (GC) 78.24%[24] (Xbox) 76.91%[25]	(GBA) 83[26] (GC) 77[27] (PS2) 76[28] (Xbox) 75[29] (PC) 74[30]
Rayman: Hoodlums' Revenge	(GBA) 59.27%[31]	(GBA) 61[32]
Rayman Origins	(Wii) 92.67%[33] (X360) 88.57%[34] (PS3) 87.85%[35] (3DS) -[36] (Vita) -	(Wii) 92[37] (X360) 88[38] (PS3) 87[39] (3DS) -[40] (Vita) -[41]

Since his debut in 1995 on the Atari Jaguar, Sega Saturn, PlayStation and PC Rayman has become a popular and recognizable video game character over the past decade, along with his trademark lack of limbs and Helicopter power, having appeared in several titles up for many platforms until the present day. Since the first game's release in 1995, the Rayman games have become highly successful and popular with many fans.

At the end of May 2010, as a result of rumors that Rayman creator Michel Ancel was leaving Ubisoft and the Beyond Good & Evil 2 project, fellow game designer and close colleague Nicolas Choukroun posted on Ancel's unofficial Facebook page stating that Ancel had instead moved into another studio to work on a new Rayman game.^[42]

The game was revealed as Rayman Origins at Ubisoft's E3 2010 conference.

References

External links

• RayWiki, a free wiki encyclopedia about Rayman

Rayman series Main series Rayman · 2: The Great Escape · 3: Hoodlum Havoc (Hoodlums' Revenge) · Origins Spin-off series Junior · Brain Games · Arena/Rush · Golf Related articles Rayman (character) · The Animated Series · Tonic Trouble

Rabbids series Games Rayman Raving Rabbids (handheld) · 2 · TV Party · Rabbids Go Home · Travel in Time · Alive & Kicking Characters Rabbids · Rayman Related articles Rayman series · Rabbids TV series