Rayman Origins

There was a time when the video game business was more artisan than industrial, when developments were conceived as authentic works of art. With the massification of this world, that touch has been lost, being relegated to a small percentage of the launches that take place each year. Luckily, there are still titles like ‘Rayman Origins’ to remind us of that time.

Ubisoft shamelessly appeals to our nostalgia with this title that aims to recover all the essence of platforms in two dimensions, but without giving up a technical section of the highest quality, so much so that it could pass for an animated film. In principle it was going to be distributed by downloadable episodes, but its creators came to their senses and finally we will have a complete title with all the laws for PlayStation 3, Xbox 360 and Wii. Its premiere is scheduled for November 25 , while the portable versions will arrive later.

The subtitle ‘Origins’ is not chosen at random, as this chapter aims to return the saga to its beginnings, a terrain that it should never have abandoned. Since the launch of the first installment in 1995, the franchise has tried its luck with three-dimensional platforms, minigames under the line ‘Raving Rabbids’ and spin-offs of all kinds, but finally Ubisoft returns to the point where it began.

Recovering the foundations of the platform genre

As I have already said, this title represents an obvious return to the origins of the ‘Rayman’ saga, which at the same time represents a return to the basics of side scrolling platforms. That implies a very tight difficulty, with jumps that will require all our expertise, constant traps at every step and enemies that will only be there to pummel us. Despite this, Ubisoft ensures that it will be an accessible game for those who are not initiated in the franchise.

There will also be levels of diving or shooting to give more variety to the matter, as well as gigantic bosses that will be in charge of selling dearly the end of each scenario. In total, ‘Rayman Origins’ will have 60 levels located in 12 different worlds, and of course there will be secret locations that we will have to sweat to reach.

The multiplayer will have a very important weight in the game, and in fact it is especially emphasized during its promotion. It is a local four-way cooperative where we can control Rayman himself, as well as Globox and two teens. Knowing how to collaborate with our colleagues will be very important, not only to be able to finish the screens, but also to gain access to secret places that would otherwise be unreachable.

An argument that will serve as a prequel

Another aspect in which this game will boast the name ‘Origins’ is its plot, which aims to explain the beginnings of the limbless hero . For this we will travel to Glade of Dreams, a world created by the dreams of Bubble Dreamer, a creature with different shapes and whose nightmares are filling this idyllic place with terrible creatures.

Our beloved protagonist and his friends, with the help of old acquaintances like the fairy Betilla, will be in charge of stopping these evil nightmare beings to save their world. Of course, at this time Rayman was still an immature and out of control young man, far from being the hero we met in previous games, so the story will also help us to know how this evolution in the character took place.

Thus, the director Michel Ancel and the writer Gabrielle Shrager intend to return in the most effective way possible the past glory to this character, something mistreated in recent years. The recovered charm of him and all his teammates will be one of the great reasons to win this title.

Rayman Origins: a delight for the senses

It cannot be denied that we are facing a title that falls in love at first sight, with a technical section that is pure love in each sprite . Moving away from the almost monochromatic-looking clone graphics engines that reign today, Ancel pulls out his pixel brush to design one of the most beautiful 2D works ever seen.

Of course, do not believe that for this reason the large numbers are going to be renounced, because the game will be capable of running in 1080p at 60 frames per second. It will be the first title to use a new technology dubbed the UbiArt Framework, which allows game creators to focus on pure design, facilitating the task of creating content by automating the more technical aspects of development. The French government has collaborated by subsidizing this tool, which can be used free of charge by the community.

The audio section is also being worked with special care, since the music and sound effects will be synchronized with the actions of the player to acquire an important role in the experience. Everything to ensure that ‘Rayman Origins’ is one of the most careful and special works of this generation, which most likely will not be received with great success in sales, but with the recognition of the most traditional players.

Collector’s Edition

In addition to the standard version, Ubisoft has announced a collector’s edition that for now will be exclusive to the European territory. This will come in an attractive box that becomes a diorama where we can see Rayman and Globox moving around a stage, and will be completed with a 50-page art book and a CD with the soundtrack. It will only be available for Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3, and its price will be 64.99 euros.

The cover will be similar in both editions, with the exception that the standard cover will have a white background and the collector will have a blue background. In any case, both have the magic touch that this title gives off, and that you can see once again in the trailer that I leave as the closing of the article.

Video | Youtube