Rayman

Rayman
Current Rayman logo used since Rayman Origins
Genres	Platform
Developers	Ubisoft Montpellier Ubisoft Milan Ubisoft Shanghai Ubisoft Casablanca Ubisoft Bulgaria Ubisoft Romania
Publishers	Ubisoft Gameloft Feral Interactive Nintendo
Creators	Michel Ancel
Platform of origin	Sony PlayStation
First release	Rayman 1 September 1995
Latest release	Rayman Adventures 3 December 2015
Spin-offs	Raving Rabbids

Rayman is a platform video game series created by Michel Ancel and owned by Ubisoft. The original Rayman was a 2D sprite based platformer similar to those of the 16 bit era. Rayman 2: The Great Escape moved the series into 3D, and added more variety to the gameplay with new actions such as being pulled through a marsh by a snake, riding a rocket, and the ability to temporarily swim in water. Rayman 3: Hoodlum Havoc kept the same core platforming of Rayman 2, 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 mostly 2D; Rayman DS and Rayman 3D are the only exceptions to this, as both are ports 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 were able to try out 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, PlayStation 2, Nintendo DS, and PC despite being made around the motion-sensing Wii controller, and simply replaced physical actions with traditional button presses and stick movements. Rayman M features Rayman characters racing on foot through platformer like stages and battling in a separate arena mode. There has also been a Rayman educational game, Rayman Junior, which focused less on gameplay and more on learning.

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. As of April 2014, the main series had sold over 25 million units worldwide, while Raving Rabbids series had sold 14 million.^[1]

Games

Year	Title	Developer	Platform(s)
			Console	Computer	Handheld	Mobile
1995	Rayman	Ubisoft Montpellier Ubisoft Milan	Atari Jaguar, PS1, Sega Saturn, PS3	MS-DOS	PS Vita, GBC, PSP, 3DS, DSi, GBA	Symbian, iOS, Android
1997	Rayman Designer	Ludimedia Mindscape		Windows
	Rayman By His Fans	Ubisoft Montpellier
	Rayman Gold
1998	Rayman Dictées	Micro Application
	Rayman 60 Levels	Ubisoft
	English with Rayman
	French with Rayman
1999	Rayman Activity Centre
	Rayman CP
	Rayman (SmartSaver Series)
	Rayman Collector
	Rayman 2: The Great Escape	Ubisoft Montpellier Gameloft	PS1, N64, Dreamcast, PS3		PS Vita, PSP	iOS
	Rayman 100 Levels	Ubisoft
2000	Rayman Junior	Aqua Pacific	PS1
	Rayman Revolution	Ubisoft	PS2
2001	Rayman M	Ubisoft Montpellier Ubisoft Milan		Windows
	My First Rayman	Micro Application
	Rayman 2 Forever	Ubisoft Milan			GBC
	Rayman Advance	Digital Eclipse			GBA
2002	Rayman Rush	Ubisoft Shanghai	PS1, PS3		PSP
	Rayman Arena	Ubisoft Montepellier	Xbox, GameCube
	Rayman Golf	Gameloft				Java ME
	Rayman Bowling
	Rayman Garden
2003	Rayman 3: Hoodlum Havoc	Ubisoft Shanghai Gameloft	PS2, PS3, Xbox, Xbox 360, GameCube	Windows, Mac OS X	GBA, N-Gage
2005	Rayman: Hoodlums' Revenge	Backbone Entertainment			GBA
	Rayman DS	DC Studios			DS
2006	Rayman Raving Rabbids	Ubisoft Montpellier Ubisoft Bulgaria	PS2, Xbox 360, Wii	Windows, Mac OS X	GBA, DS	Symbian
2007	Rayman Kart	Gameloft				Java ME
	Rayman Raving Rabbids 2	Ubisoft Paris	Wii	Windows	DS
2008	Rayman Raving Rabbids: TV Party
2009	Rayman DSi	Junglevision Software Making Fun			DSi
2011	Rayman Origins	Ubisoft Montpellier	PS3, Xbox 360, Wii	Windows, Mac OS X	PS Vita, 3DS
	Rayman: Slap Flap, and Go!			Web Browser
	Rayman 3D	Ubisoft Casablanca Ubisoft Bucharest			3DS
2012	Rayman 3 HD	Ubisoft Montepellier Ubisoft Shanghai	PS3, Xbox 360
	Rayman Jungle Run	Pastagames DotEmu		Windows 8		iOS, Android, Windows RT, WP8
2013	Rayman Legends Challenges App	Ubisoft Montpellier	Wii U
	Rayman Legends		PS3, PS4, Xbox 360, Xbox One, Wii U	Windows	PS Vita
	Rayman Legends Beatbox	Supergazol Ubisoft EMEA Ubisoft Montpellier		Web Browser		iOS, Android
	Rayman Fiesta Run	Ubisoft Casablanca		Windows 8		iOS, Android, Windows RT, WP8
2015	Rayman Adventures	Ubisoft Montpellier				mobile only

Characters

Protagonists

• Rayman is the main protagonist and titular character 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 in the later franchises), 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.^[2]
• 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.
• Barbara is a young and funny barbarian Lady who becomes Rayman's travel companion. She is hot-headed and adventurous with a kind heart. She uses her axe and hat to fight against her enemies.
• 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 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.
• Bzzit is the son of a large mosquito named Moskito who Rayman befriends in the first game. He helps Rayman out by giving him a ride during various flying sections.
• 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. Tarayzan gives Rayman a magic seed, the Musician provides him with a super helicopter power, and Joe lends him a firefly.
• Bubble Dreamer (a.k.a. Polokus) is the creator of Rayman's world, who appears in Rayman 2: The Great Escape, Rayman Origins and Rayman Legends. He dreams up creatures that then come in to existence.

Antagonists

• Mr. 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, Mr. Dark shape shifts into fused versions of his main Henchmen and flees after he is defeated. Ever since fleeing the scene, he has not reappeared fully. His minions are:
  • Moskito, a giant mosquito and the boss of the Dream Forest. He is also the father of Bzzit, one of Rayman's allies.
  • Mister Sax, a giant saxophone and the boss of the Band Land.
  • Mister Stone, a stone behemoth and the boss of the Blue Mountains.
  • Space Mama, an overweight stage actress and the boss of Picture City.
  • Mister Skops, a giant scorpion and the boss of the Caves of Skops.
• 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 Rayman's world. He rules from a gigantic ship, known as the Buccaneer. Razorbeard is infamous for his attacks that have reduced 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 sadistic villain. Razorbeard is also extremely frustrated and he has a short fuse, as he throws minor temper tantrums whenever one of his henchmen comes to tell him bad news. Like Mr. Dark, Razorbeard fights Rayman at the game's climax, and after being beaten by Rayman, he flees the scene. In Rayman 2, he is voiced by Ken Starcevic.
• André is a maniacal dark lum and the main villain in Rayman 3 and Rayman: Hoodlum's Revenge. Globox has a strange fondness for him. 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. Shortly we learned in the past he turns into a dark lum when scared by Rayman's hand's shadow puppet. 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.
• The Magician is a Teensy and the main villain in Rayman Origins and its sequel Rayman Legends. An obsessive admirer of Mr. Dark, he initially poses as an ally to Rayman and his friends, recruiting them for the collection of lums, which he presumably uses as a power source for his mechanical base in the Moody Clouds, from which he plans to take over the Glade of Dreams. When the heroes make their way into the base at the game's climax, the Magician reveals his true identity as the base's mastermind, before dropping them into a pit and forcing them to battle mechanical incarnations of previous enemies (in a similar manner to the battle against Mr. Dark's henchmen at the climax of the original Rayman). When the heroes manage to escape and make their way back to the Magician, he attempts to flee aboard an airship, but they give chase on the back of Moskito, eventually causing him to crash into the base's core. The ensuing explosion supposedly kills the Magician and destroys the base, while the heroes survive and fall back to the Glade of Dreams unharmed. However, he proves to have survived the explosion from Rayman Origins and has multiplied into 5 villainous dark teensies. Using their superior minds, they took control to an extent of the nightmares. As Rayman and friends grow closer to the last dark teensie, the nightmares grow more uncontrollable and at Olympus Maximus they turn into a ravaging horde and betray the last dark teensie. After the final boss, The Darkness, is beaten, the last one is sent to the moon.
• The Livid Dead are a race of elderly skeletons who reside in an underworld known as The Land of the Livid Dead. In Rayman Origins, they are annoyed by Rayman and his friends' loud snoring, so they declare war on the surface world, sending it into chaos. They return in the sequel and are harmless.
• The Nightmares of Polokus are the central villains of the Rayman games. As of Rayman Legends, they are defeated.
• Hades Hand is the final boss of Rayman Legends. It is the most powerful of all Nightmares.

Reception

Aggregate review scores
As of 29 January 2012.

Game	GameRankings	Metacritic
Rayman	(GBA) 85%[3] (JAG) 85%[4] (SAT) 85%[5] (GBC) 79%[6] (PC) 77%[7] (PS1) 75%[8] (DSi) 66%[9]	(GBA) 84[10]
Rayman 2: The Great Escape	(DC) 93%[11] (PC) 91%[12] (N64) 89%[13] (PS1) 87%[14] (PS2) 85%[15] (3DS) 65%[16] (NDS) 59%[17]	(N64) 90[18] (PS2) 90[19] (3DS) 61[20] (NDS) 58[21]
Rayman 3: Hoodlum Havoc	(GBA) 82%[22] (PS2) 80%[23] (PC) 78%[24] (GC) 78%[25] (Xbox) 77%[26] (X360) 69%[27] (PS3) 68%[28]	(GBA) 83[29] (GC) 77[30] (PS2) 76[31] (Xbox) 75[32] (PC) 74[33] (PS3) 72[34] (X360) 69[35]
Rayman Origins	(Wii) 91%[36] (Vita) 90%[37] (X360) 89%[38] (PS3) 88%[39] (PC) 87%[40] (3DS) 71%[41]	(Wii) 92[42] (Vita) 88[43] (X360) 87[44] (PS3) 87[45] (PC) 86[46] (3DS) 71[47]
Rayman Legends	(WIIU) 93%[48] (XONE) 92%[49] (PS3) 92%[50] (PS4) 90%[51] (PC) 90%[52] (X360) 89[53] (Vita) 83%[54]	(WIIU) 92[55] (XONE) 91[56] (PS3) 91[57] (PS4) 90[58] (X360) 90[59] (PC) 89[60] (Vita) 87[61]

Since his debut in 1995 on the Atari Jaguar and PlayStation, 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.^[62] The game was revealed as Rayman Origins at Ubisoft's E3 2010 conference.

References

1. "Facts & Figures". Ubisoft. Retrieved 21 April 2012.
2. "Electronic Gaming Monthly's Buyer's Guide". 1996.
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23. "Rayman 3: Hoodlum Havoc Reviews". GameRankings. Retrieved 29 January 2012.
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37. "Rayman Origins Reviews". GameRankings. Retrieved 29 January 2012.
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49. "Rayman Legends Reviews". GameRankings. Retrieved 29 January 2012.
50. "Rayman Legends Reviews". GameRankings. Retrieved 29 January 2012.
51. "Rayman Legends Reviews". GameRankings. Retrieved 29 January 2012.
52. "Rayman Legends Reviews". GameRankings. Retrieved 29 January 2012.
53. "Rayman Legends Reviews". GameRankings. Retrieved 29 January 2012.
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56. "Rayman Legends Reviews". Metacritic. Retrieved 29 January 2012.
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60. "Rayman Legends Reviews". Metacritic. Retrieved 29 January 2012.
61. "Rayman Legends Reviews". Metacritic. Retrieved 29 January 2012.
62. "Michel Ancel Now Working On New Rayman?". 29 May 2010.

External links

• Official website