| Rayman Origins | |
|---|---|
| Developer(s) | Ubisoft Montpellier |
| Publisher(s) | Ubisoft |
| Designer(s) | Michel Ancel |
| Writer(s) | Gabrielle Shrager |
| Composer(s) | Christophe Héral[1], Billy Martin |
| Engine | UbiArt Framework |
| Platform(s) | PlayStation 3, Wii, Xbox 360, Nintendo 3DS, PlayStation Vita |
| Release date(s) | PlayStation 3, Wii & Xbox 360
Q1 2012 PlayStation Vita |
| Genre(s) | Platform |
| Mode(s) | Single-player, Multiplayer |
| Rating(s) | |
Rayman Origins is a platform game developed and published by Ubisoft for PlayStation 3, Wii, Xbox 360, Nintendo 3DS and PlayStation Vita.[4] The game was released on November 15, 2011 in North America, November 24, 2011 in Australia and November 25, 2011 in Europe for PlayStation 3, Xbox 360 and Wii. It will also be released for Nintendo 3DS and PlayStation Vita on a later date. The story follows Rayman, his friend Globox and two teensies as they fight Darktoons and other evil creatures that have infected the Glade of Dreams.
Contents |
In the Glade of Dreams, a world created by the mysterious Bubble Dreamer, Rayman, his best friend Globox, and some Teensy friends (the Grand Minimus and Goth Caster) are chilling out at the Bubble Dreamer's resting grounds, the Snoring Tree. However, their snoring disturbs an old granny from the Land of the Livid Dead, who retaliates by sending an evil army of horrendous creatures and the Darktoons across the world, capturing the Electoons that inhabit the world, imprisoning Betilla the Nymph and her sisters, and plunging the Glade into chaos. As a result, the ensuing disaster causes the Bubble Dreamer to have nightmares, allowing Rayman's nemesis Mr. Dark to escape the Land of the Livid Dead.
Althought they are captured, Rayman and his friends are able to escape the Darktoons. They are then tasked by a Caster Teensy known as the Magician with gathering enough Electoons to cure the Bubble Dreamer and restore the Glade of Dreams. Their efforts to locate the Electoons allows them to gain access to the various lands of the Glade. Eventually they make their way to a stargate that the Nymphs are unable to open. It is then revealed that in order to open the stargate, Rayman and company must first rescue the kings of the Glade, who have been turned into Darktoon versions of themselves by Mr. Dark.
Upon freeing the Glade Kings, the Nymphs are able to open the stargate, granting Rayman access to Mr. Dark's hideout in the land of Moody Clouds. Unfortunately, once they arrive, they discover that the Magician is, in fact, Mr. Dark. During a fever-pitch chase where they defeat mechanical versions of the first two Darktoon bosses and pursue Mr. Dark through his now-crumbling lair, the four hop on a Moskito and three Bzzzts to combat Mr. Dark's getaway vehicle.
Upon his defeat, Mr. Dark unsuccessfully tries to stop his vehicle from puncturing the power source for the hideout. The resulting chain of events causes the hideout to explode, which (supposedly) sends Mr. Dark and the Darktoons back to the Land of the Livid Dead, while Rayman and friends free-fall back to the Snoring Tree, where they proceed to resume their chilling out.
An in-game subplot involves locating ten ruby teeth for the guardian of the Dead Door, the entrance to the Land of the Livid Dead. Upon gaining entry, Rayman is forced through a veritable gauntlet of obstacles to locate a missing Nymph who Mr. Dark has turned into a Darktoon. Upon completing the mission, Rayman is thanked by the Nymph, who states that her experiences were "a nightmare".
Rayman Origins is a side-scrolling platformer, simultaneously playable with up to four local players who may drop in or out at any time. Players can choose to control either Rayman, Globox or two Teensies, with additional costumes available as the game progresses.[5]
Players travel through each level, fighting enemies and rescuing imprisoned Electoons. As the game progresses, players gain new abilities such as running up walls, gliding in midair, swimming and shrinking in size to reach new areas. Certain segments also sees players riding a mosquito, where players can shoot enemies or suck them up and fire them. If a character is hit by an enemy or obstacle, he will inflate into a ballooned state until another player can bring him back into the game by slapping him, similar to New Super Mario Bros. Wii, although players can collect hearts that will protect them from one hit. However, if all players are inflated simultaneously, or if a character is hit during single play, play returns to the last checkpoint. Throughout each level, players can collect gold-coloured Lums, and when a character collects a Lum King it temporarily doubles the smaller Lums value.[4][6] There are also Skull Coins placed in hidden or dangerous areas that are worth 25 Lums each should they be successfully collected.
In order to progress through certain parts of the story, players need to free Electoons. The most common way to get Electoons is to free them from cages; there is one at the end of each level, with more to be found in hidden areas. More Electoons can be earned by collecting a certain amount of Lums within a level and clearing Time Trials that are unlocked after clearing a level once. Scoring high marks in these challenges can also earn medals and trophies. Players can also unlock special 'treasure chest' levels, in which they must chase a runaway treasure chest across a dangerous course, to receive a ruby tooth.[7] Completing all of the teeth grants access to the Land of the Livid Dead.[8]
Rayman Origins was to detail the origin and early times of its titular character. Set in the Glade of Dreams, a world created by the Bubble Dreamer, a creature which takes on different forms throughout the game, his nightmares were to have started transforming the world, as good Electoons turn into the Darktoons and evil creatures appear; Rayman and his friends must stop this and save the Glades of Dreams.[6]
The game features characters and creatures from the first game in the series such as Betilla the Fairy, Mr. Dark and other enemies. Ubisoft was marketing the game as an origins story, in which it is explained how an immature and uncontrollable Rayman and his friendly companion Globox become the heroes of Rayman 2: The Great Escape, and later games,[9] with the characters sporting more immature personalities which they apparently possessed prior to the events of 'later' games in the series.[9] The game is said to be accessible for players unfamiliar with the Rayman franchise.[5]
This storyline was eventually scrapped entirely, and the game was re-envisioned as a sequel[10] to the previous games of the Rayman franchise. The Bubble Dreamer vaguely references events of past games.[11]
The game was officially announced at the end of Ubisoft's E3 2010 press conference as a downloadable episodic title [12] for PlayStation Network and Xbox Live Arcade with release on PC, Nintendo 3DS, iPad, and iPhone "to be considered".[13] The first episode was originally to be released by the end of 2010, but was delayed until 2011.[14][15] Following a dearth of information in the new year, the project was confirmed as alive in April 2011.[16] In May 2011, it was announced the title has been expanded to a full-retail title, with a tentative release of Q4 2011.[17]
The game is the first title to use UbiArt Framework, an in-house graphics engine. These development tools allow artists to easily create content and then use it in an interactive environment. The artists only have to pose the model and edit the silhouette - UbiArt software takes care of image distortion automatically. 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.[5] According to Yves Guillemot, only five people were working on the game when it was first announced.[18] Ubisoft has acquired a financial subvention from French government dedicated to supporting art for developing UbiArt tools.[5] The engine is optimized for HD resolutions, allowing games to run in full 1080p HD at 60 frames per second.[19]
| Reception | |
|---|---|
| Review scores | |
| Publication | Score |
| 1UP.com | A- |
| GameTrailers | 8.5/10 |
| IGN | 9.5/10 |
| Nintendo Power | 9.5/10 |
The game has received critical acclaim. Nintendo Power gave the game a score of 9.5/10, calling it 'a platforming masterpiece.'[20] IGN also gave it a 9.5, saying that "Rayman Origins is the best looking platformer this generation and also the most fun." [21] 1UP.com gave the game an A- Rank, praising its varied level design and calling it "the best 2D platformer not called Mario."[22] Joystiq gave the game 5 stars out of 5, saying it "embodies the kind of creativity and craftsmanship that have been largely missing in 2D platfomers since their heyday in the 16-bit era."[23] GameTrailers gave the game a score of 8.5.[24] GameSpot named it Best Platformer of 2011.[25]
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