Rayman Review The Limbless Hero That Gave PlayStation Its First Great Platformer

Sam has been arguing for months that the original Rayman should be taken seriously in platformer discussions. And I think he may be right after playing Ubisoft’s debut PlayStation exclusive, which took around two dozen hours to complete. It was released in the United States on 7 September 1995 via Wikipedia. Although originally intended as a quirky character design, Rayman turned out to be the first genuinely good platformer for PlayStation, showing the potential of the new console to support both precise gameplay and the visually spectacular 3D graphics that everyone else wanted to get involved in.

Rayman was developed by Ubi Pictures via Wikipedia and published by Ubi Soft via Wikipedia, and it came out at a pivotal point in gaming history when many developers were trying to figure out what the PlayStation could do differently. Whilst nearly all of the other developers were busy chasing after polygons and 3D environments, Michel Ancel and his team created a 2D platformer that utilised the PlayStation’s upgraded sprite capabilities to generate some of the most fluid, most expressive, and most creative character animations anyone had ever seen. The capture of the Toons by Mr Dark via MobyGames provides a setup for a very serious rescue mission that develops into one of the toughest and most rewarding platforming experiences of the 1990s.

Through a combination of the pure mechanical superiority that made Rayman so great and the sheer presentation that makes it so beautiful, it has become one of the top-rated PlayStation exclusives.

How Rayman Brought Innovation to Platformers

What was immediately apparent about Rayman was not the fact that he didn’t have any limbs — it was the fact that every single one of the animations was both extremely expressive and extremely fluid. In contrast to 16-bit era platformers that had a very limited number of sprites and therefore produced a lot of choppy movement, Rayman benefited from the increased memory and processing power of the PlayStation to produce a wide variety of highly expressive and smoothly animated animations that gave the character a sense of life and personality.

The running animation alone uses dozens of frames of animation to create a sense of momentum that feels natural, as opposed to mechanical. As Rayman runs faster and faster, his legs begin to spin in a way that is reminiscent of cartoons, and his entire body begins to lean forward, giving off a sense of physics that is quite realistic. Not only does the helicopter hair ability slow down Rayman’s fall, but it also conveys Rayman’s concentration through a series of small facial expressions and body positions that sell the amount of effort he puts into slowing himself down. There are also different types of animations for landing that depend on the length and force of Rayman’s jump; if he jumps high and lands badly, Rayman will stumble upon landing; however, if he jumps short and lands perfectly, he will stick the landing with no problem.

The difference in animation quality between Rayman and other platformers is more than simply cosmetic; it affects the way the game plays. Due to the fact that Rayman’s movements are both visually and physically heavy, players develop a greater sense of spatial awareness and timing. Additionally, due to the numerous frames of animation, players receive more visual feedback about the length of Rayman’s jumps and the timing of his landings than they would in a game with fewer sprite frames. Therefore, if the player misses a platform, they are able to see exactly how much momentum Rayman carries past the platform rather than simply guessing why he missed it.

The animations for the enemies in the game are of a similar quality to those of the character. Livingstone enemies do not simply march back and forth — they have personalities expressed through their idling animations, reactions to Rayman’s appearance, and exaggerated defeat animations that make defeating them fun. In addition to providing enemy behaviour that is responsive to Rayman’s actions, flying enemies also synchronise their attacks to create a coordinated response that requires players to develop a strategy to counterattack. Each boss fight is a puzzle that requires players to understand the enemy behaviour to solve and each enemy type presents the player with new tactical considerations that continue to make combat exciting until the end of the extended play time.

Artistic Design and Presentation

Rayman’s artistic design and presentation were not only impressive for 1995, but also set an artistic vision that influenced character design across the video game industry. The hand-drawn animation style, the detailed backgrounds, and the consistent art design of the world created a world that was both magical and believable.

The genius behind Rayman’s design is the simplicity of the character. Whilst removing limbs from the character was a quirky aesthetic decision, it removed the complexities of animating limbs whilst also creating a silhouette of the character that is instantly recognisable from a distance. Additionally, the floating hands and feet of Rayman allowed for larger and more exaggerated expressions and movements than traditional proportioned characters could possibly produce. Rayman’s large nose and expressive eyes also allow the player to understand Rayman’s emotions quickly and easily, even during fast-paced gameplay sequences.

The backgrounds of the game contain an enormous amount of detail that reward exploration of the world. Each world maintains a distinctive theme, yet each world is visually cohesive with the rest of the world. For example, the Dream Forest combines lush greenery with whimsical architecture that suggest a lived-in fantasy world. The Band Land world takes musical instruments and turns them into platforms and obstacles that both look fantastic and produce audio cues when successfully navigated. The Pink Plant Woods world produces an alien environment that feels otherworldly and yet maintains the same artistic design and colour scheme as the rest of the game.

Colour scheme selection for important interactive objects such as Tings and Electoons, provide bright and contrasting colours that stand out from the detailed backgrounds. Enemies use colour schemes that differentiate them from environmental objects whilst maintaining the same artistic design and colour scheme as the rest of the game. The use of red for hazards such as spikes and bottomless pits is a visual cue that communicates danger consistently throughout the game.

Sprite scaling and rotation effects are another example of the 2D capabilities of the PlayStation that the 16-bit systems of the time were unable to match. Rayman’s helicopter spinning creates smooth rotation effects that feel natural and not choppy. Rotation effects in the backgrounds such as gears and clouds create depth without overwhelming the main action and serve to improve gameplay by providing clear visual cues about movement and environmental changes.

Whilst light effects are minimal, the mood and atmosphere of the different regions of the world contribute to the emotional value of the different areas. Caves that are darker in tone feel mysterious and ominous whilst brighter outdoor environments convey a sense of adventure and exploration. The transition between different areas of the world use clever lighting and colour shifts to create a sense of journey and travel through different climates and environments.

The Respectful Difficulty Curve

As reported by several players via GameFAQs, the game is approximately 23 hours to complete, which seems like a long time to spend playing a platformer. However, Rayman earns every hour of gameplay through challenging, yet fair gameplay that teaches the player advanced techniques whilst maintaining the difficulty curve at an acceptable level for the player. There is no unnecessary padding through repetition in this game; there is substantial gameplay depth that is slowly uncovered by the player.

The learning curve is expertly designed and exhibits a tremendous amount of psychological insight into the needs of the player. The initial levels of the game are almost too easy, which makes the player feel confident whilst the game slowly teaches the player the fundamental skills needed to move the character. By the time the player encounters difficult levels, the player has acquired sufficient control over the basics to learn the more advanced techniques. The Moskito levels, which present entirely new gameplay mechanics, do so in controlled environments before demanding mastery in increasingly complex situations. Additionally, the introduction of new abilities always starts with a simple application of the new ability, before the new ability is critical to navigate the increasingly complex challenges presented to the player.

The placement of cheque points in the game reflects a genuine respect for the player’s time, whilst still maintaining the challenge level of the game. Checkpoints occur regularly enough to avoid frustrating repetition of mastered levels, but are spaced far enough apart to require the player to demonstrate consistency over meaningful chunks of gameplay. The most challenging platforming sections of the game generally feature cheque points at logical progression points, as opposed to random intervals, thus producing tension without the anxiety of losing a large portion of your progress.

Design of secret areas in the game encourage the player to thoroughly explore the world, without feeling obligated to do so in order to advance. The hidden Electoons and extra areas in the game are rewards for players that experiment with movement abilities and investigate unusual environmental features. Many times the discovery of secret areas requires the player to discover advanced techniques through trial and error, rather than being explicitly shown by the designers. The most satisfying secrets involve using multiple abilities in novel ways that feel like genuine discoveries to the player, as opposed to obvious designer intentions.

Finally, the last few levels of the game find that optimal balance between extreme difficulty and fairness. Each death in the final levels provides a lesson to the player about timing, position, or ability usage. The notoriously difficult final stages require near flawless execution from the player, but provide sufficient visual and auditory feedback for the player to feel like improving their skills is possible, rather than impossible. Success in the final levels of the game feels earned through the development of genuine skill, as opposed to relying on luck or memorising patterns.

Modern Legacy and Ongoing Relevance

Rayman’s commercial success provided evidence that 2D platformers could be successful on PlayStation, alongside the console’s 3D showcases. European sales of 400,000 copies of the game by the end of 1995 via Wikipedia and global sales of 900,000 copies by 1997 via Wikipedia confirmed the popularity of the traditional platforming experience. Recognition as the best selling Rayman title with 3.03 million copies via Guinness World Records confirms the enduring popularity of Rayman across multiple generations of players.

The impact of Rayman on the design of future platformers became apparent across the late 1990s and early 2000s. The emphasis on fluid character animation, expressing personality, and gradually expanding the character’s moveset was reflected in a number of spiritual successors and influential franchises. Today’s independent platformer developers frequently cite Rayman’s animation philosophy and challenge design as direct inspirations for their own approaches to developing platformers.

Given today’s gaming landscape, many aspects of Rayman’s design feel both prescient and relevant. The focus on character expression and personality-driven gameplay anticipate modern expectations for compelling protagonists. The emphasis on environmental storytelling and immersive world-building anticipate current expectations for immersive game worlds. Finally, the thoughtful and respectful difficulty curve of Rayman represents principles that current game developers continue to fail to implement effectively.

Despite its historical significance, access to the original version of Rayman remains relatively limited. Recent reports indicate that Michel Ancel has quietly announced plans to remake the game with improved HD visuals and additional cheque points via GamesRadar. Clearly, Ubisoft recognises the ongoing relevance of the original game. Additionally, the ranking of number 44 game of 1995 amongst users via Glitchwave indicates that the gaming community continues to appreciate the original version of the game, despite the limited modern availability of the game.

New Player Ready