Spontaneous Sunday: Rayman Revolution

Welcome to the 2nd Spontaneous Sunday, the blog series in which I play a game that I've never played before and make a write-up about what I like and dislike about it, in an effort to expand my design knowledge. This weeks game is Rayman Revolution (2000, Ubisoft, PS2). It is a re-release of Rayman 2: The Great Escape (originally released on PS1, N64, PC and Dreamcast in 1999) and it different in several ways. It was a launch title for the PS2 and was released on 22nd December 2000. It is a 3D adventure/platformer game.

My copy is the platinum version that was released in 2002. I bought it on Preston market a year or so ago and hadn't played it up until now. The box and disc are in such good condition that I think I may well be the first person to play this copy. I played the game on my PS2, which I bought several years ago from a pawn shop for £10. It came in a plastic bag with a raffle ticket stuck to it with all the peripherals included, so I believe it was an unwanted raffle prize and, like the game, might not have ever been played before I got my hands on it! It is probably the 3rd or 4th PS2 that I've owned.

The game's box art.

What do I expect from the game?

Like Assassin's Creed Chronicles: China in last weeks Spontaneous Sunday, I didn't know much about this game before playing it. I had only ever played the original Rayman on the PS1 so I wasn't familiar with the progression/order of the games that followed and didn't know which instalment this was. I expected the game to be good and I expected to enjoy it, as I greatly enjoyed the original Rayman and I think it is an iconic 2D game that has become a classic with age. Later games in the series have been well received by players - due in part to the environment art and unique art style, so I expected the environments and art style in this game to be good also.

First Impressions - What did I think of the game in its first few minutes?

The first thing that I noticed about the game was that the font was the same as in the original Rayman, and it was instantly very familiar and nostalgic. The music on the front end and throughout felt mysterious and interesting and it suited the game very well. The intro cutscene has the camera sweeping across a dark sea, with a narration that sets the scene and the backstory of the game well, before entering a coastal prison containing several characters including Rayman himself. Through it's intro cutscene, the game immediately and effectively establishes who the bad guys are, which is often the case in a platformer game as it makes it easier for younger players to follow.

The game is 3D but features many of the mechanics first seen in the original, 2D Rayman, so it will be interesting to see how the designers achieved this. This is the reverse of last weeks game, which was a 2D game featuring mechanics adapted from a 3D game. Rayman is fully voiced in this game, unlike in the original, which was odd at first but I soon got used to it. The first level features the player escaping from a prison, having been captured by the games antagonist faction. Coincidentally, this was also the case in Assassin's Creed Chronicles: China.

A shot of the intro cutscene.

What do I like about the game, what does it do well?

The familiarity of the Rayman franchise and the platformer genre instantly appealed to me and was a source of nostalgia. Rayman is a familiar, well-known and likeable character, so I found the game to be easily accessible from the start because I didn't need to familiarise myself with a new hero.

The game ticks all of the classic platformer boxes. It is charming. It has a unique morally good protagonist and cute good guys versus clearly evil bad guys. It has a bright and colourful art style and cartoony graphics with wacky creatures and characters. It encourages exploration and collection and gives the player clear goals. It instructs the player well through hint-stones throughout levels and a flying  insect companion called Murfy who appears to give hints and advice - meaning that the player is given instruction within the game and doesn't have to pause it thus interrupting gameplay. The mechanics and controls are simple and easy to pick up. All of these factors come together to make it a strong platformer that effectively plays to its target audience - young gamers. 

Murfy appears often to guide the player and give hints and direction.

Having a cute mascot to instruct the player makes the world of difference,
especially with younger players, and became a staple of platform games.

The art style and the general look of the game is one of its strongest assets. The graphics are surprisingly good considering that it is a PS2 launch title and remake of a game originally released on PS1. The environments are very attractive and colourful, with hand painted textures, foliage, things to collect, creatures, water and occasional buildings that are very nicely designed - all in low-poly. One environment that stood out in particular was a building that appeared at first to be a pirate ship on land (the game's enemies are pirates from space). Once inside, the building becomes a sprawling prison/dungeon that leads into an underground cave lit in green that contains a big machine that needs to be destroyed. As in other classic platformers, the environments change theme as the game progresses - it begins in a woodland theme then leads into a desert theme and presumably onto other themes after that. The levels are interesting and well designed for exploration. Every level has its own music that suits the game perfectly. I can highly recommend the game's soundtrack. Here's some shots of the game's environments:

Beach environment.

The land pirate ship environment.

A room within the ship/prison.

The cave beneath the ship/prison.

The player reaches the desert themed areas after a turning point in the story;
the change in environment reflects the story's progression.

The game's mechanics are largely the same as in the original Rayman - punches, helicopter glide, swinging and so on. New mechanics include the ability to fire orbs as a ranged attack and Rayman's ability to swim. The game is well-paced and the gradual introduction to mechanics is well executed. The player slowly and steadily reaches stages where a certain mechanic is needed to progress and they learn as they go, while also aided by Murfly and hint-stones. I was impressed by the way that the designers handled the tutorial/early stages of the game. The mechanics, originally seen in the original 2D Rayman, work well in 3D. 

What don't I like about the game?

While playing the game, I failed to find any serious issues that really detracted from the game experience. The only issues I could find were minor polish issues, most of which can be attributed to the the simple fact that its an old game and game development has advanced a lot since 2000. Issues included: being able to spin the camera to see under/out of the game world, floating level art such as trees/rocks, subtitles not matching the voice audio, and a limited number of sound affects that become noticeably repetitive. The frame rate also suffered slightly in particularly detailed areas. These are all forgivable given the game's age and limitations of the PS2 as a console. Some of the issues should probably have been picked up on and rectified during the QA process. The lack of a world map, especially given the game's non-linear, free-roam format, was a mild inconvenience and the only issue I can think of that affected the gameplay.

Final Thoughts

Rayman Revolution is a solid platform game with good graphics, attractive environments and strong gameplay, and it is made even better by how familiar, charming and unique the franchise is. The game is well-suited to younger players and older players seeking nostalgia alike. It received praise from critics upon release and has since been featured on several "best game" lists. With it being a PS2 launch title, it most likely influenced the formula for other platformers that followed. Minor polish issues are present but are forgivable given the game's age. Playing the game got me thinking about the history of platform games, which were once one of the most prolific genres, and has inspired me to look into the "platformer recipe" and what makes a good platformer.

That's all for this week's Spontaneous Sunday!