Rayman : Origins

By Reardon Jones

Well this was a nice change of pace to the current array of games. 

Ubisofts Rayman: Origins is a great tribute to the 2D left to right platformer. It's fun for all ages, yet not without its challenges.

Crafted by well renowned video game creator Michel Ancel, Rayman Origins is a 2D voyage through a series vibrant environments.

Ranging across 6 different and well designed worlds covering 60 levels, Rayman Origins is a beautiful, artistically designed game.

With a 2D platform in this age of technology you really have to appreciate the look of Rayman. It's bright, eye-catching and fun. With strange creatures and varying landscapes such as arctic peaks, underwater caverns, caves and crumbling mountains (requiring a bit of TNT), the game is a treat to the eyes.

The best way to describe Origins is a cross between the old Sonic the Hedgehog games and the latest Donkey Kong Country games. 

Rayman: Origins flows from left to right through different challenges and across difficult terrain including rapid waters and varying winds delivering hours of instant fun.

Initially, Origins is quite easy as it acclimatises the gamer to the controls and gameplay. It sure did trick us into believing the whole game would be a breeze.

This isn't the case. The difficulty steadily climbs throughout the game with levels becoming somewhat more challenging as you progress.

With unlimited lives and "very"  regular checkpoints it really is hard not to progress (Word of Warning: Collect as many collectables as you can as you can't progress without them).
 
Lums are the currency in Origins. The more Lums you collect in a level provides different unlockables and more importantly, access to later levels. Take your time to collect Lums the first time out as it saves you from repeating stages later on.

A great aspect of this game is Rayman’s little mosquito pal. In the true sense of Left to Right moving games, any level with this guy is great. Dodging flocks of birds or homing missiles riding on the back of a mosquito requires skill yet makes for some terrific fun.

In a game with few dissapointments, we must mention the lack of hard bosses. Spread out sporadically throughout the game, the bosses are rarely challenging and too infrequent.

The original soundtrack is a gem. I'm putting it out there that it is one of the best soundtracks I have heard in a game. Rayman will have you bopping along with the excellent  score.

Rayman Origins also includes a Co-op adventure for up to four players. Playing as Rayman, Globox or two of the Teensies, gamers compete against eachother across a variety of levels to collect as many Lums as possible. The Co-Op adventures really do make for some great family fun.

All in all Ubisofts Rayman: Origins is a solid platformer for those who enjoy a straight start to finish, collect as many items as possible game.

Die hard fans of the series will remember Rayman 3: Hoodlam Havoc. The third game released in the Rayman series has been re-released after a high definition makeover and is now available as a downloadable game for PS3 and XBox 360.

Similar to that of Mario Bros. Sonic and the Kong, it should provide some nostalgic moments for classic gamers.

Game: Rayman : Origins
System: Playstation 3, XBox 360, Nintendo Wii
Developer/Co-Developer: Ubisoft Montpellier
Publisher: Ubisoft

Rating: 80%

(Ratings Key/Explanation)