Rayman Origins

Rayman Origins
Developer(s)	Ubisoft Montpellier Ubisoft Paris Ubisoft Casablanca Feral Interactive (OS X)
Publisher(s)	Ubisoft Feral Interactive (OS X)
Director(s)	Michel Ancel Sébastien Morin
Producer(s)	Pierre-Arnaud Lambert
Designer(s)	Lorenzo Avi Juilen Chevallier Romain Claude Axel Cossardeaux
Programmer(s)	Philippe Vimont Yousri Salas
Artist(s)	Celine Tellier
Writer(s)	Gabrielle Shrager
Composer(s)	Christophe Héral Billy Martin
Series	Rayman
Engine	UbiArt Framework
Platform(s)	PlayStation 3, Wii, Xbox 360, PlayStation Vita, Microsoft Windows, Nintendo 3DS, OS X
Release	15 November 2011 PlayStation 3, Wii & Xbox 360 NA: 15 November 2011 AU: 24 November 2011 EU: 25 November 2011 PlayStation Vita NA: 15 February 2012 EU: 22 February 2012 AU: 23 February 2012 Microsoft Windows NA: 29 March 2012 AU: 29 March 2012 EU: 30 March 2012 Nintendo 3DS EU: 8 June 2012 AU: 14 June 2012 NA: 6 November 2012 OS X December 12, 2013
Genre(s)	Platform
Mode(s)	Single-player, multiplayer

Rayman Origins is a platform video game developed by Ubisoft Montpellier and published by Ubisoft for PlayStation 3, Wii, Xbox 360, PlayStation Vita, Nintendo 3DS and Microsoft Windows. It is the fourth main installment in the Rayman series, and the first main installment since 2003's Rayman 3: Hoodlum Havoc. The game was released on 15 November 2011 in North America, 24 November 2011 in Australia, and 25 November 2011 in Europe for PlayStation 3, Wii and Xbox 360. It was released later for PlayStation Vita, Microsoft Windows, and Nintendo 3DS. The OS X version of the game was released on 12 December 2013 by Feral Interactive. 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.

Rayman Origins has received critical acclaim, being highly praised for its graphical style, level design, and sense of humor. Despite its critical reception, it did not perform very well commercially during its original release in November 2011. A mobile game based on Origins, titled Rayman Jungle Run, was developed by Pastagames and released for iOS, Android, and for Windows Phone 8 on 29 May 2013. A sequel, Rayman Legends, was released for Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 3, PlayStation Vita, Wii U and Xbox 360 on 29 August 2013 in Australia, 30 August 2013 in Europe, and 3 September 2013 in North America to similar critical acclaim.

Plot

Rayman and Betilla

At the beginning of the game, Bubble Dreamer, Rayman, his best friend Globox, and a couple of Teensies friends are chilling out at Bubble Dreamer's resting grounds, the Snoring Tree. However, their snoring, with the help of a strange microphone disguised to resemble a flower, 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. The heroes, being woke up, attempt to fight back, but are defeated and captured. Rayman escapes and finds the Darktoons have captured the Electoons that inhabit the world, imprisoned Betilla the Nymph and her sisters and plunged the Glade of Dreams into chaos. This causes Bubble Dreamer to go crazy, and as a result, have nightmares. Rayman and his friends are then tasked by the Magician to gather enough Electoons to cure Bubble Dreamer and restore the Glade. Their efforts to locate the Electoons allow them to gain access to the various lands of the Glade, and rescue the Nymphs along the way.

Eventually, they make their way to a mysterious gate, which can only be opened by rescuing the Glade Kings, who have been turned into monsters as a result of Bubble Dreamer's nightmares. Upon freeing the Glade Kings, the Nymphs are able to open the stargate, granting Rayman access to a hideout in the land of Moody Clouds. There, they discover that their supposed friend, the Magician, is the one responsible for the all the chaos. He secretly admires Mr. Dark, the villain of the original Rayman, and was in fact behind the events that caused the Land of the Livid Dead forces to attack, preoccupying the heroes and using the Lums they gave him to power and use his diabolical machines. The Magician sends Rayman and his friends into a pit with his mechanical monsters, but they escape and return to his office. The Magician then begins to dance and sends them into a dancing funk, using this as a good time to escape. The heroes chase after and fight the Magician in his escape airship, sending it crashing into the power source of his hideout. The resulting chain of events causes the hideout to explode, while Rayman and his friends free-fall back to the Snoring Tree, where they proceed to resume their relaxation.

If players manage to collect the ten ruby teeth throughout the game, they can gain access to the Land of the Livid Dead, where another monster awaits.

Gameplay

Rayman Origins co-operative gameplay

Rayman Origins is a side-scrolling platformer, the same style as the original Rayman game. Rayman Origins is 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.

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 see players riding a mosquito, where players can shoot enemies or inhale and fire them. If a character is hit by an enemy or hazard, they will "bubblize", or inflate into a ballooned state. To get out of this state, another player can slap, or jump on them, similar to New Super Mario Bros. Wii. Players can also collect hearts that will protect them from one hit. However, if all players are bubblized simultaneously, or if a character is hit during single play, they will explode and the play will return to the last checkpoint, normally a Darkblocker where the player had go through before, or the last place where the player broke a cage. Throughout each level, players can collect yellow Lums, which they will need for Electoons. When a character collects a Lum King, it turns all Lums red for a short time. Red Lums are worth two yellow Lums. There are also Skull Coins placed in hidden or dangerous areas. They are worth 25 Lums if successfully collected. If the player gets harmed while collecting a Skull Coin, they will lose it. In this situation, the player must try again to get the coin.

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 and are guarded by several enemies that collectively use a forcefield to protect the cage, the team must defeat every single enemy that uses the forcefield, then the cage can be destroyed. The cage can only be damaged on the side which has a green padlock. Most of the cages are hidden away in secret passages, so once the Electoons are free, they will create a portal which leads to the outside of these passages. Each level contains a medallion that shows how many Electoon challenges the players completed, such as break a single cage, collect a specific amount of Lums or beat the clock whilst the level has been completed. In every level there are hidden cages ranging from 1 to 3. 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 either of 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 in order to receive a skull tooth. Completing all of the teeth grants access to the bonus level, The Land of the Livid Dead.

While every version of the game is nearly identical due to the game engine's high versatility, there are some minor differences across platforms. The Wii version of the game takes advantage of the versatility (though not the motion controls) of the Wii Remote to provide three different control schemes, while the Nintendo 3DS version displays the player's current progress during a particular level on the touchscreen. The PlayStation Vita version has some additional unlockable content, and the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 versions support online achievements.

Development

The game was officially announced at the end of Ubisoft's E3 2010 press conference as a downloadable episodic title for PlayStation Network and Xbox Live Arcade with release on PC, Nintendo 3DS, iPad, and iPhone "to be considered". The first episode was originally to be released by the end of 2010, but was delayed until 2011. Following a dearth of information in the new year, the project was confirmed as alive in April 2011. In May 2011, it was announced the title has been expanded to a full-retail title, with a tentative release of Q4 2011.

The game is the first title to use UbiArt Framework, an in-house graphics engine which allows 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, as the 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. According to Yves Guillemot, only five people were working on the game when it was first announced. Ubisoft obtained a French government grant, dedicated to supporting the arts, for developing UbiArt tools. The engine is optimized for HD resolutions, allowing games to run in full 1080p HD at 60 frames per second. The engine was further developed for Rayman Legends to include dynamic lighting and integration of 3D models.

Reception

Critical response

Reception

Aggregate score

Aggregator	Score
Metacritic	(WII) 92/100 (VITA) 88/100 (X360) 87/100 (PS3) 87/100 (PC) 86/100 (3DS) 71/100

Review scores

Publication	Score
1Up.com	A-
Eurogamer	8/10
Game Informer	8.5/10
GameTrailers	8.5/10
IGN	9.5/10
Joystiq
Nintendo Life
Nintendo Power	9.5/10

Rayman Origins received widespread critical acclaim. Review aggregator website Metacritic gave the Wii version 92/100, the PlayStation Vita version 88/100, the Xbox 360 version 87/100 the PlayStation 3 version 87/100, the PC version 86/100, and the Nintendo 3DS version 71/100.

1UP.com gave the game an A- Rank, praising its varied level design, saying "Origins' brilliance is it keeps that simplicity on the surface, but ends up feeling incredibly varied thanks to its level design", and calling it "the best 2D platformer not called Mario."

Eurogamer rated the game 8/10, calling it "a delightful, playful, and occasionally exhilarating platformer" while opining that the level design was inferior to the Mario series in that "the same ideas are repeated too often." GameTrailers gave the game a score of 8.5/10.

IGN gave it a 9.5/10, saying that "Rayman Origins is the best looking platformer this generation and also the most fun. A truly realized vision at the top of its genre, Rayman Origins is an extravaganza with plenty of action to keep it fresh from start to finish and beyond,"

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."

Nintendo Life awarded it a 10/10 and called it "The very pinnacle of 2D platforming and undoubtedly one of the Wii’s very best games". Nintendo Power gave the game a score of 9.5/10, calling it 'a platforming masterpiece.'

Awards

GameSpot named Rayman Origins "Best Platformer of 2011". IGN nominated Rayman Origins for "Game Of The Year". Giant Bomb named Rayman Origins the tenth best game of 2011.

Sales

Despite the game's positive reviews, it didn't live up to its sales expectations having only sold 50,000 copies in its first month in the US. However, Ubisoft revealed that the game has been profitable.

Sequels

Main article: Rayman Legends

A sequel to Origins, titled Rayman Legends, was originally being developed exclusively for the Wii U and was planned for a release in Q1 2013. The game follows on from the gameplay of Origins whilst adding new asymmetric gameplay elements via the Wii U GamePad, as well as new characters and an improved graphics engine. The sequel was first hinted at via a marketing survey in April 2012. A leaked teaser video on YouTube confirmed the existence of the sequel, entitled Rayman Legends. It was later announced that the sequel's release was being delayed until September 2013 and would also be released for the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360. The game was also revealed to be released on PlayStation Vita and Microsoft Windows via Steam.Later in September 2017 Ubisoft ported it to the Nintendo Switch.

Rayman Jungle Run

A mobile platformer developed by Pastagames based on the style of Origins, titled Rayman Jungle Run, was released on 20 September 2012 for iOS and on 27 September 2012 for Android devices. The Android version was developed by DotEmu. Retaining the look of Origins, Jungle Run sees Rayman automatically running through 63 levels (plus 7 Land of the Livid Dead levels) with players tasked to jump and punch through obstacles and collect as many lums as possible in each stage. Collecting all 100 lums in each stage earns a skull tooth which go towards unlocking the Land of the Livid Dead level for each world. IGN gave the game a score of 8.8, calling it "a brilliant solution to one-touch platforming." iTunes named it the iPhone game of the year. A version for Windows 8, Windows RT and Windows Phone was released on 7 March 2013. A sequel, Rayman Fiesta Run, was released on November 7, 2013, featuring additional gameplay features carried over from Rayman Legends.

External links

• Official website

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