Rayman has been out of the game for quite some time ever since the rabbids took over, and a lot of gamers were wondering if we’d ever see another true sequel in the Rayman series. Luckily, their worries were put to rest when Rayman Origins was announced as a episodic downloadable title at the end of Ubisoft’s E3 2010 conference. Since then, no one had heard anything about it and it was believed to be dead, until it was confirmed that it was still in development and was now a full retail title. A huge announcement like that causes some worry, will the game have enough content to justify the $60 price point or will it be another ODST?
As being new to the Rayman franchise, I was worried I wouldn’t fully appreciate it, or understand it. That worry was shotgunned out the window once I started the first level that was available. The world burst onto the screen with a full spectrum of colors, with what seems to be the most adorable and heart warming character animations and level design I’ve seen in recent years and you can tell the music was specifically made for each scenario, and each tune was unique as the last. These elements combined grant you with pure satisfaction to both ears, and eyes.
The game controls just like you’d expect a platformer to, you run/jump your way through each obstacle in aims to reach the next area safely. Rayman Origins does pose a challenge, one hit and you’re done. You can only have one extra life, and upon defeat you are sent back to the begging of the area, causing some frustration but a much more satisfying victory. Available in the demo was another level which was more of a side-scrolling shooter as you take control of a cartoonishly ridiculous Mosquito. The flight controls were also traditional to the shoot-’em-up genre, letting you move up or down, and tapping the action button to fire.
You are given access to five characters (one which you must unlock by collecting certain things), while each character looks unique, they all felt like the same character. Since the game does have local co-op this decision must have been made to not make each player feel left out. Though I would have like to have seen some variety in each character. Promised are 60+ levels in the final build, but I’m worried that the game won’t have enough content to justify the $60 price point.
Rayman Origins looks to be one of the year’s best, but may not have enough content for the price and the characters don’t have much variety. It boasts tons of co-op and single player fun, and is absolutely gorgeous. I can’t wait to get my hands on the finished product as it seems to be a nice change of pace from this years action packed titles.
Look forward to Rayman Origins which is set to release November 15th on Xbox 360, Playstation 3, Nintendo Wii, 3Ds, and Playstation Vita (at a later date).
