Band Land

The loading-screen image symbolising Band Land

The first scenery of Bongo Hills, as seen in the PC version.

In a scene of clouds and sheet music, Rayman proceeds among music instruments (drums, maracas, cymbals...) and battles against wrong notes. After having escaped from the trumpets, he will find himself face to face with the deafening Mister Sax...

—Manual, Rayman

Band Land (French: Le Ciel Chromatique – The Chromatic Sky) is the second world in the original Rayman game. As its name suggests, it is a world which consists mainly of music and musical instruments.

The first level of Band Land is Bongo Hills, a grassy terrain where vast instruments sprout from the ground. It is followed by Allegro Presto, is a cold, blue, vertiginous labyrinth of slippery musical staves. This is where Rayman first encounters Mr Sax, the malevolent giant saxophone who rules Band Land; and also where he receives the helicopter ability from Betilla the Fairy. The next level is Gong Heights, a balmy region of golden clouds and inhabited by meditating monks. The final level is Mr Sax's Hullaballoo, which resembles a combination of the three preceding levels. This is where Rayman finally confronts and defeats Mr Sax.

Sights such as giant drums, flutes and xylophones are characteristic of Band Land. Rayman often finds himself battling trumpets and moths while dodging dangerous wrong notes, spiky balls and cymbals. The 'ground' usually consists of drum material or slippery musical staves, from which the player must be careful not to fall. As Rayman progresses, he ascends higher into the sky: the levels feature increasing amounts of clouds, snow and lightning. Most of the platforms in Band Land are music-related: Rayman can use rocket-maracas to fly, bongos to cross chasms, and walking drums to reach inaccessible heights.

The boss of Band Land, Mr Sax

Image gallery

Maracas rockets allow Rayman to fly high in the skies of Band Land	Wrong notes are sharp like a razor	Tiny wrong notes (Rayman Junior only)
Trumpets blow at Rayman	Rayman encounters a monk in Gong Heights	Moths are amongst the toughest enemies in the game
Rayman on a sprinkler, surrounded by spiky balls	The first encounter with Mr Sax	Rayman is pursued by Mr Sax
Strange flute trees can be found in Band Land	Red monsters are the tallest enemies in the game	Cymbals have the unfortunate habit of squashing Rayman

In other games

Rayman 4 (cancelled prototype)

In 2005, Phoenix Interactive began work on a new 3D Rayman platform game tentatively titled Rayman 4. The developers intended to feature several environments from the original Rayman, including Band Land. Several pieces of artwork were produced. However, the game was ultimately cancelled.

Band Land in 3D, as imagined by concept artist Guillaume Bonamy for Rayman 4.

Another scenery of Band Land in colour

Rayman Origins

Rayman Origins features adjacent environments based directly on Band Land: the Desert of Dijiridoos and the Grumbling Grottos. These worlds combine Band Land's musical component with an arid desert landscape. It is not clear if these locations are part of Band Land, near Band Land, or simply different places that look strangely similar to Band Land.