Rayman 2

[RayCarrot]

It is interesting to note that they physically blocked off access to the path leading to Globox Village in the 3DS version, so I wonder if that was the case. Though I do find it funny that they went through the effort, considering the iOS version still has the path but simply removed the Purple Lum to get there. Whether that implies they wanted to put Globox Village in at some point or not though, I'm not sure.

What's even weirder here is that the free demo version of the game on iOS has the Lift minigame in it, yet it was never added in the full paid version! I wonder if they had intentions to port the minigames but just never had time to complete it?

 

[Master]

It is interesting to note that they physically blocked off access to the path leading to Globox Village in the 3DS version, so I wonder if that was the case. Though I do find it funny that they went through the effort, considering the iOS version still has the path but simply removed the Purple Lum to get there. Whether that implies they wanted to put Globox Village in at some point or not though, I'm not sure.

What's even weirder here is that the free demo version of the game on iOS has the Lift minigame in it, yet it was never added in the full paid version! I wonder if they had intentions to port the minigames but just never had time to complete it?

Oh that's an unexpected twist, I should've checked if RayWiki had anything more on the matter

Given your experience with the technical side of Rayman 2, have any of the technical folk seen anything else in the iOS or 3DS ports that hints at or explains anything more about why they might have cut-off Globox Village and not included it or the minigames?

 

[RayCarrot]

Not to my knowledge, no. From what I've heard they removed most references to Globox Village in those ports. Apparently reaching the loading trigger in The Fairly Glade on iOS softlocks the game because the code to load the level was removed (yet the load trigger itself still exists in the level).

 

[Game Ze 2]

Nice, that seems to be a pretty early version of the game they're talking about here. The pirates were still from a "galactic circus" and Polokus was still "the Magician", as seen in early artwork. Not sure about the "Gate of Divine Power" though.

It's also interesting how the sanctuaries were meant to be different back then: I imagine that the "Temple of Fire" gave birth to the Sanctuaries of Stone and Fire and Rock and Lava, "Sea" is obviously Water and Ice, maybe "Wind" became the Iron Mountains, and "Ancients", well, Tomb of the Ancients? Maybe they decided it was not a fit location for one of the four masks in the end. As for the machine, it could be the one from the Fairy Glade, but I'm not sure about the prison. Maybe one of those mid-game levels with pirate stuff all around?

I forgot to mention, the magazine also mentioned that "五毒蛇" would be a type of enemy in the game.

I read this article again and it says' 五毒蛇神'.

 

[bbayles]

I've been poking around in the Dreamcast version of Rayman 2. I found a cheat code that seems to be unknown. The game checks for it the same way it does the "random textures" and "change VMU icon" codes. You can enter it on controller 2 at any point (except during the auto demo), but you have to put it in very quickly.

The code is: Left, Y, A, A, Y, X, B, Down

This sets a timer at memory address 8c0c67d0 and a pointer at 8c0c67cc. The timer counts down if a save file is active, and doesn't count down if you're playing with no memory card selected.

I have no clue what in-game effect it's supposed to have! Hopefully somebody here will have an idea?

 

[Tribelle2026]

It's crazy how Rayman 2 came out 25 years ago and people are still discovering new things

 

[Greengoop]

Well, I’d expected somebody to have just datamined the whole thing by now! Impressive find, how’d you do it?

 

[bbayles]

Well, I’d expected somebody to have just datamined the whole thing by now! Impressive find, how’d you do it?

I use a reverse engineering tool called Ghidra to analyze memory snapshots from flycast. I've come up with lots of previously unreported cheat codes this way, including some for Rayman Saturn.

 

[Tribelle2026]

I use a reverse engineering tool called Ghidra to analyze memory snapshots from flycast. I've come up with lots of previously unreported cheat codes this way, including some for Rayman Saturn.

Are you going to be checking Rayman 3 for cheats?

 

[Hunchman801]

Interesting discovery! Could it be that it the cheat was simply never implemented, or does it look like something that was removed?

 

[dr_st]

It's amazing replaying Rayman 2 levels is so much easier than playing them for the first time. Never mind the missing boss sections - just the fact that there are no yellow lums to collect. Usually it takes me quite a few tries in The Prison Ship to get them all, since you have to constantly move around while sliding and flying. But replaying? I did it just now for fun, and it took less than five minutes, with zero hits.

 

[Game Ze 2]

The South Plain in TT DVD OST seems to hear the melody of Rayman 2's theme from around three minutes.

 

[DaveRattlehead]

It's amazing replaying Rayman 2 levels is so much easier than playing them for the first time. Never mind the missing boss sections - just the fact that there are no yellow lums to collect. Usually it takes me quite a few tries in The Prison Ship to get them all, since you have to constantly move around while sliding and flying. But replaying? I did it just now for fun, and it took less than five minutes, with zero hits.

And even collecting the yellow lums is relatively easy the first time you play it except for a few specific sections. Honestly, I think the hardest part of Rayman 2 is hitting the second switch at the beginning of The Iron Mountains

 

[Hunchman801]

And even collecting the yellow lums is relatively easy the first time you play it except for a few specific sections. Honestly, I think the hardest part of Rayman 2 is hitting the second switch at the beginning of The Iron Mountains

I'm sure some people have a technique for this, but it's always felt completely random to me.

 

[Master]

I swear there's supposed to be some auto-targeting there that they forgot to add for that second switch, I don't have as much trouble shooting that switch in certain versions compared to others.

These days I try to see if I can do the one-switch cheese where you just shoot that one switch and try to jump through the gap in the lasers. It's not 100% succesful but if the second switch is getting tedious...

 

[dr_st]

Yes, that switch is notoriously random. Fortunately it's just a very small part of the level, and you are given basically unlimited attempts. You will hit it sooner or later. Annoying for speedruns - that it may be, but other than that - not as bad as some other parts.

 

[Game Ze 2]

I completed R2PS1 yesterday!

 

[Hunchman801]

Congrats! How did you like that version?

 

[Game Ze 2]

There are many unique modifications in this version, and the dubbing is very good. This version also has many technical issues, but considering it's a PS1 game, it's already quite good. Ubisoft Shanghai has produced this unique version, and as a Chinese Rayman fan , I am proud of it .

 

[Hugo]

There are many unique modifications in this version, and the dubbing is very good. This version also has many technical issues, but considering it's a PS1 game, it's already quite good. Ubisoft Shanghai has produced this unique version, and as a Chinese Rayman fan , I am proud of it .

I didn't realize this. I grew up with the PS version. I really like the modifications, they feel very purposeful, unlike the clumsy efforts to expand the world in RR. I suppose when you are challenged with making the game smaller, you have constraints that force careful design, but I still feel a real artistic flair. And then there is the most dramatic and popular modification, the Razorbeard fight.

Recently, I've seen alternate versions of games like ports and reboots, where no effort has been made to enhance the experience in terms of design, nor do they address existing bugs, and the only changes made are the addition of gimmicky bonus features to attract attention. I'm grateful to Ubi Soft Shanghai for demonstrating what is possible by trying to understand the intention behind the design and enhance it.