Rayman 1

[Chacanger]

This is exactly how I remember this fight. You go in and die, questioning your life decisions that led you there

She was defintley the most difficult boss that's for sure, and the screen before her where there were pins everywhere was always a bit tricky when I was younger. After that, it was all plain sailing, the only difficult part after that was Mr Dark but that was no where as hard.

[Kiza/Raybox]

Seeing these replies keep me ready to any difficulties in Rayman 1, my goodness! :_0
Jeez, I just noticed Rayman's hungry...

[Nancy78]

She was defintley the most difficult boss that's for sure, and the screen before her where there were pins everywhere was always a bit tricky when I was younger. After that, it was all plain sailing, the only difficult part after that was Mr Dark but that was no where as hard.

Hey, what about the part near Joe's? I've beaten Space Mama on PSX version - I got stuck on her on the PC version - and then I got stuck at the level where you have to jump from one ball to the other to cross the water.
This is literally the only Rayman game I've never finished

[Chacanger]

Hey, what about the part near Joe's? I've beaten Space Mama on PSX version - I got stuck on her on the PC version - and then I got stuck at the level where you have to jump from one ball to the other to cross the water.
This is literally the only Rayman game I've never finished

To be honest I never had that much trouble on that part and I was playing on the DOS version so it was harder to see the fish, I think I had more trouble with the rope cutting part in Mr Stones Peaks.

Edit: I guess that's why I made a way harder version of that stage in my Rayman Expert mod/romhack, that ended up being way too difficult.

[Nancy78]

To be honest I never had that much trouble on that part and I was playing on the DOS version so it was harder to see the fish, I think I had more trouble with the rope cutting part in Mr Stones Peaks.

I'm impressed with your level of skill The rope cutting part can be tricky, I get ya

[Mortamon Saturn]

The water part in Eat at Joe's is much easier once you realize you can punch the sabertooth fishes to get rid of them. I beat that section on the first time the last time I beat the game for my Wii U Advance playthrough.

I found Candy Château significantly harder in Redemption than in the original game, and I couldn't even beat Mr Dark there, but maybe I just don't know how to play games anymore?

Which is why I said the final challenges. It was also an issue for me during my first playthrough!
This version of Mr Dark may also been the first thing in any version of Rayman to drain me of approximatively 99 lives! Now I can beat that boss pretty consistently but it took a lot of learning to get to that...

I'm not sure why people say Rayman 1 is hard, especially when they talk about Space Mama, this footage shows how reasonable the boss fight is ...
https://youtu.be/j2R1ISjUAjM

Inaccurate... Rayman should have died the moment the washing machine first flew around the screen!

She was defintley the most difficult boss that's for sure, and the screen before her where there were pins everywhere was always a bit tricky when I was younger. After that, it was all plain sailing, the only difficult part after that was Mr Dark but that was no where as hard.

And yeah, even the level before her was a pain, even for me who never found the game that hard!
It was also even more memorable for me as I had the Saturn release, and uniquely the penultimate section's background was changed to the one of the boss in that port, so it really caught me off-guard to suddenly see this alien environment showing up!

[Master]

Honestly punching is too nice, I'd prefer a far more grisly method of dispatch to those bastard fish, considering how many lives I've lost to them in the past.

[Tribelle2026]

Rayman 1 is the only Rayman game I haven't beaten. I played it years ago and gave up on the first level of Picture City.

[dr_st]

She was defintley the most difficult boss that's for sure, and the screen before her where there were pins everywhere was always a bit tricky when I was younger.

Would that be the level where you have to fight the urge to control Rayman's flight using the helicopter, and just let the jump momentum from eraser to eraser carry you exactly between the pin?

[PluMGMK]

The water part in Eat at Joe's is much easier once you realize you can punch the sabertooth fishes to get rid of them.

Not so sure… I think I realized that when I first played, but I wasn't fast enough punching them so it didn't really help…

She was defintley the most difficult boss that's for sure, and the screen before her where there were pins everywhere was always a bit tricky when I was younger.

Would that be the level where you have to fight the urge to control Rayman's flight using the helicopter, and just let the jump momentum from eraser to eraser carry you exactly between the pin?

Yeah, that one. Or as KMG Associates put it:

Warning: this level has been known to send Rayman owners into fits of passion and destroy their game machines! Dexterity and a lot of patience is the key to getting through this one. The obstacles are pretty straight forward, you just have to be really quick with your hand movements.

(I'm legit amazed and delighted that that website still exists and is exactly as I remember it from almost twenty years ago!)

[Hunchman801]

It's definitely not just you Humch, I had the same problem, and I'm pretty sure I still know how to play games (or at least I did in 2020)!

Yes, same here. I had to quit in the middle of the penultimate fight with Mr Dark. The next time, I already knew what to expect and it was much easier.

Glad to hear I'm not alone! I think I tried again the following day, but there was one transformation that always got me.

Hey, what about the part near Joe's? I've beaten Space Mama on PSX version - I got stuck on her on the PC version - and then I got stuck at the level where you have to jump from one ball to the other to cross the water.

Yeah, those fish gave me a hard time too. I probably didn't know that you could punch them at first.

Which is why I said the final challenges. It was also an issue for me during my first playthrough!
This version of Mr Dark may also been the first thing in any version of Rayman to drain me of approximatively 99 lives! Now I can beat that boss pretty consistently but it took a lot of learning to get to that...

I thought by that you meant the levels after Mr Dark's Dare, but this is reassuring too!

It was also even more memorable for me as I had the Saturn release, and uniquely the penultimate section's background was changed to the one of the boss in that port, so it really caught me off-guard to suddenly see this alien environment showing up!

I never knew about this, despite this information already being on the wiki...

She was defintley the most difficult boss that's for sure, and the screen before her where there were pins everywhere was always a bit tricky when I was younger.

Would that be the level where you have to fight the urge to control Rayman's flight using the helicopter, and just let the jump momentum from eraser to eraser carry you exactly between the pin?

Yeah, that one. Or as KMG Associates put it:

Warning: this level has been known to send Rayman owners into fits of passion and destroy their game machines! Dexterity and a lot of patience is the key to getting through this one. The obstacles are pretty straight forward, you just have to be really quick with your hand movements.

(I'm legit amazed and delighted that that website still exists and is exactly as I remember it from almost twenty years ago!)

Doesn't dr_st's description fit part 3 of Pencil Pentathlon more? I must agree about KMG Associates, though.

[Nancy78]

The water part in Eat at Joe's is much easier once you realize you can punch the sabertooth fishes to get rid of them. I beat that section on the first time the last time I beat the game for my Wii U Advance playthrough.

I was literally thinking if this was possible in the morning before work, thank you for proving this to be correct, omg, I was trying to beat it without getting rid of the fishes, omg XD *feels stupid now*

Honestly punching is too nice, I'd prefer a far more grisly method of dispatch to those bastard fish, considering how many lives I've lost to them in the past.

Agreed, they deserve hell for bringing so much pain

[Mortamon Saturn]

The water part in Eat at Joe's is much easier once you realize you can punch the sabertooth fishes to get rid of them. I beat that section on the first time the last time I beat the game for my Wii U Advance playthrough.

I was literally thinking if this was possible in the morning before work, thank you for proving this to be correct, omg, I was trying to beat it without getting rid of the fishes, omg XD *feels stupid now*

Well, that's a great coincidence!
And good luck, it's all about learning the proper timing to hit them, being patient, and finding the best moments to be bold with the few jumps you can make before the nose fishes are done pushing the buoys in some sections!

I can definitely understand why people would be unsure about the ability to hit the fishes as it's the kind of things that has been turned into a sort of myth when some people first figured it out in Rayman Redemption where it's much easier to get the right timing...
Similarly to the possibility of defeating some lightning eyes by hitting them in the original Rayman, which I didn't even figure out until like ~21 years later after my early childhood, despite being a Rayman 1 addict!

I thought by that you meant the levels after Mr Dark's Dare, but this is reassuring too!

It was my bad for the confusing wording which sounded like I was talking about the post-game bonus levels/challenges, sorry about that!

It was also even more memorable for me as I had the Saturn release, and uniquely the penultimate section's background was changed to the one of the boss in that port, so it really caught me off-guard to suddenly see this alien environment showing up!

I never knew about this, despite this information already being on the wiki...

Even 30 years later, we all discover new things!
You know even the developpers thought that part was "something" when they felt the need to change that detail in a port to make it stand out more... That or it was just a programming mistake, probably because Space Mama did stress them out.

It's also funny to think that it's the PAL Saturn version of the game that first introduced the Glade's two Moons at the end of Mr Dark's battle!
The fact the NTSC version didn't have the second one also makes me wonder if it was originally an oversight when designing the visuals and if the next games kept the Moons either as a mistake due to the PAL release, or for the sake of universe continuity if it was intentional...

Doesn't dr_st's description fit part 3 of Pencil Pentathlon more? I must agree about KMG Associates, though.

Yes that's what I thought, and it also reminded me of a small -but infuriating- bit from Part 3 of Eraser Plains. It's the sort of things that forced you to think outside the box as a kid playing the game for the first time!
And darn, I miss that kind of website

[Nancy78]

Well, that's a great coincidence!
And good luck, it's all about learning the proper timing to hit them, being patient, and finding the best moments to be bold with the few jumps you can make before the nose fishes are done pushing the buoys in some sections!

I can definitely understand why people would be unsure about the ability to hit the fishes as it's the kind of things that has been turned into a sort of myth when some people first figured it out in Rayman Redemption where it's much easier to get the right timing...
Similarly to the possibility of defeating some lightning eyes by hitting them in the original Rayman, which I didn't even figure out until like ~21 years later after my early childhood, despite being a Rayman 1 addict!

Thank you, although I first need to prepare myself mentally for trying to beat the game for the third time. I'm going to try Rayman Redemption at first and then I'll probably go yolo, download the PSX version and pray for the best!

No way that you can hit the eyes, no way! I've never thought of trying this. Do they stop shooting the lightening entirely after you hit them or do they stop for some time only?

[Mortamon Saturn]

No way that you can hit the eyes, no way! I've never thought of trying this. Do they stop shooting the lightening entirely after you hit them or do they stop for some time only?

If you hit them ~4 times, they close permanently and stop doing anything! Although many are hard to reach due to the solid tiles around them and thus require that you position yourself in very specific ways to... forever put them to sleep.

(For example, you have to hang to the platform here so the fist can reach the eyes.)

It's unlikely you'll get much use of it in the official Rayman 1 as a result and many are straight up impossible to touch, but they're infinitely easier to hit in Redemption/ReDesigner where a much lower number of them cannot be taken down (and there's a sound cue indicating they're hurt, unlike the original where the damage is silent).

[dr_st]

She was defintley the most difficult boss that's for sure, and the screen before her where there were pins everywhere was always a bit tricky when I was younger.

Would that be the level where you have to fight the urge to control Rayman's flight using the helicopter, and just let the jump momentum from eraser to eraser carry you exactly between the pin?

Yeah, that one. Or as KMG Associates put it:

Warning: this level has been known to send Rayman owners into fits of passion and destroy their game machines! Dexterity and a lot of patience is the key to getting through this one. The obstacles are pretty straight forward, you just have to be really quick with your hand movements.

(I'm legit amazed and delighted that that website still exists and is exactly as I remember it from almost twenty years ago!)

Doesn't dr_st's description fit part 3 of Pencil Pentathlon more? I must agree about KMG Associates, though.

Yes, I got the two mixed up. They are both very challenging, but in different ways.

It was also even more memorable for me as I had the Saturn release, and uniquely the penultimate section's background was changed to the one of the boss in that port, so it really caught me off-guard to suddenly see this alien environment showing up!

I never knew about this, despite this information already being on the wiki...

Even 30 years later, we all discover new things!
You know even the developpers thought that part was "something" when they felt the need to change that detail in a port to make it stand out more... That or it was just a programming mistake, probably because Space Mama did stress them out.

It can very well be a mistake, but it does make some sense gameplay-wise. The level is called Space Mama's Crater, after all. It is reasonable to think that as you progress deeper into the crater, you get closer to the location of the final battle, and the scenery changes. The music (Suspense) that plays in that section is also ominous and alien (although it plays in other sections as well).

On the other hand, it's been established, that Space Mama is an actress, and the battles with her are merely staged plays. The play scenery in Eraser Plains is limited to the battle, the "crater" too probably exists only on stage, which strengthens the 'mistake' theory.

[Reese Riverson]

Of course, this is only my personal opinion and everyone has the right to enjoy it regardless of their age.

This is why I'm hoping to get my niece to play it. I want her to enjoy a little Rayman in her life.

[Nancy78]

If you hit them ~4 times, they close permanently and stop doing anything! Although many are hard to reach due to the solid tiles around them and thus require that you position yourself in very specific ways to... forever put them to sleep.

Capture d’écran (156853).png
(For example, you have to hang to the platform here so the fist can reach the eyes.)

It's unlikely you'll get much use of it in the official Rayman 1 as a result and many are straight up impossible to touch, but they're infinitely easier to hit in Redemption/ReDesigner where a much lower number of them cannot be taken down (and there's a sound cue indicating they're hurt, unlike the original where the damage is silent).

Thank you so much for all the help

[PluMGMK]

You know even the developpers thought that part was "something" when they felt the need to change that detail in a port to make it stand out more... That or it was just a programming mistake, probably because Space Mama did stress them out.

It can very well be a mistake, but it does make some sense gameplay-wise. The level is called Space Mama's Crater, after all. It is reasonable to think that as you progress deeper into the crater, you get closer to the location of the final battle, and the scenery changes. The music (Suspense) that plays in that section is also ominous and alien (although it plays in other sections as well).

On the other hand, it's been established, that Space Mama is an actress, and the battles with her are merely staged plays. The play scenery in Eraser Plains is limited to the battle, the "crater" too probably exists only on stage, which strengthens the 'mistake' theory.

I'm inclined to think it was intentional, because the scrolling works differently. In the boss fight, the background autoscrolls continuously, but in the preceding level it scrolls as you move, like a normal background.

Doesn't dr_st's description fit part 3 of Pencil Pentathlon more?

Yes Evidently I skim-read it and thought about the bit where you're on the sharpener and have to jump over obstacles forward and back, and mixed it up somewhat with the bit where you're on a sharpener shooting yin-yangs from under pins

The fact the NTSC version didn't have the second one also makes me wonder if it was originally an oversight when designing the visuals and if the next games kept the Moons either as a mistake due to the PAL release, or for the sake of universe continuity if it was intentional...

Oh jinkies, now it's my turn to have my mind blown by something "well-known"

[Hunchman801]

The fact the NTSC version didn't have the second one also makes me wonder if it was originally an oversight when designing the visuals and if the next games kept the Moons either as a mistake due to the PAL release, or for the sake of universe continuity if it was intentional...

Maybe Ancel always had the idea of a world with multiple moons, but given how different Rayman 2 is from its predecessor, I doubt that continuity was the main concern back then.