Holy Crap's Rayman M Walkthrough

[Holy Crap]

...Holy Crap's SUPER-AWESOME!
RAYMAN M Walkthrough
Hello. I, Holy Crap, consider myself to be pretty good at racing in Rayman M - and so far, the Rayman M Scores topic seems to agree.
So I decided to help out some of you who may not be so good at Rayman M (although giving away my secrets to Xenon and Acarr doesn't appeal...).
This Walkthrough will demonstrate how I personally get through each level of the game, noting little things here and there that - although small - can amke a difference. I don't always get everything right though; if you think I've missed something notable, or I'm not going the fastest way, feel free to tell me.

The Basics
These are just some simple little tricks that you might not be aware of. Any terms that will be used consitently in teh walkthrough will be highlighted "Like This".
Triangle
The Triangle button has many uses as you will see below; why it's pretty much a dedicated Speed Button. With this in mind, be sure to keep your thumb ready to hit it like a madman!
Boosting
Alright, you should have noticed the blue things on the ground ("Boosts") that make you go faster. However, you may not have noticed that if you press triangle while Boosting, you go MUCH faster. While boosting, just keep pressing triangle and you should see dust clouds shooting up behind you. The faster you press it the faster you go, so get button mashing!
But be very careful - some boosts point sideways or even backwards, and running on these will throw you waaaay off course. Make sure you only go on boosts that point in the direction you want to go.
Shooting
A simple mechanism; pressing Square or L1 will cause you to shoot a purple ball of energy to hit switches, kill enemies and swing on purple lums (You should know this). I usually press Square HOWEVER there are many times when using L1 is a great advantage, for example while your boosting; usually with Square you'd need to stop pressing triange (thus slowing down) to shoot switches and obstacles, but L1 means you don't have to. Keep this in mind.
Switches
"Switches" are little icons that lie around the place. Shooting them will cause something to happen, but it's nealy always something different. They stand out pretty easily, being orange and all.
Sliding
Nothing tricky here. The slippery surfaces (which I call "Slide") can be very fast; faster than boosting in fact, but hard to control.
Purple Lums
You should know that you can shoot at purple lums and swing through the air. Look out for them, they are often good shortcuts. Be wary though, Boosting and Sliding is usually faster than swinging.
Jumping
Press X. Jump. That's common knowledge. Press it again to glide, helping you to get to far places, that's pretty well known too. However, the problem is, jumping is very slow, gliding especially so, so try to minimise your jumping. However there is a way to make the most of it. Every time you land, press triangle as you hit the ground. This should give you a little speed boost represented by some yellow sparks and your character doing a "roll" or something.
Another thing: If you jump at the edge of some Slide, you can do a "Slide Jump", which basically means instead of the usual slow jump, you get launched through the air. A similar thing can be achieved withy Boost, but it's much less dramatic.
You can also jump with R1; as with shooting this could help (very) slightly, though I personally don't bother.
Beginning Boost
At the start of the race, if you press Triangle at the right time you will do a roll right off the starting line. This can help you get ahead of the AI a little right off the bat, which is helpful since they can sometimes get in the way.
Spring Jumping
A "Spring" is an odd thing. You should have seen them; round, target like objects on the ground. When you walk on them, they make you jump automatically - and very high! Now, what makes them odd is that they can be helpful; Springs often help you get to high places, which are usually shortcuts. However, remember how I mentioned that jumping is very slow? Well springs are even worse - you go much higher, but not faster than a normal jump, meaning it takes a long time before you hit the ground. Be careful of these.
Climbing
Certain vertical surfaces can be climbed on ("Climb") to get to high places. This is very slow, but you can speed up the process by jumping while on the Climb.
PAIN!
When you get hit by some things you'll find that there are stars around your head. As long as they are there, you move slower, and you can't jump or shoot. However, pressing Triangle very fast will help you recover much faster.
Boxes
Some levels feature breakable boxes which disappear when they are shot a certain amount of times, indicated by a number displayed on them. I will refer to these as N-Boxes, where N is the number initially displayed.
Tentacles
In every world you can find "Tentacle"s which stick out of the ground. They'll try to hit you and slow you down, but if you shoot them they'll retreat underground temporarily. They look slightly different in each world, but I'm sure you'llbe able to recognise them.
Chomper
A "Chomper" is basically a big metal set of teeth with eyes. They hurt you if the bite you, but you can bounce on top of them safely. They can't be killed.

Ok, I think that's all the basic stuff! You probably (hopefully) knew most of that already; the Triangle stuff and the Climb tip are given to you as hints by the game. Keep all this in mind, and now we can get to the levels!

NOTE: I'm trying to keep this topic clean and simple, as a result, it is Locked - users may not post here. If you have any comments, questions or suggestions, send me a PM or go to the Rayman M/Arena or Rayman M Scores topics.

Also remember that I'm playing the Playstation 2 Version; as a result this Walkthrough does not allow for version differences and mentions PS2 specific controls.

[Holy Crap]

First Ruins

Current Best Times:
Lap Record - 00:34.368 - Holy Crap
Race Record - 01:47.405 - Holy Crap

Start/Finish Line - 1st Checkpoint
To start off you should see some boosts and some walls. This is simple and obvious, just weave around the blocks while Boosting. Then you come to the three electric fences. Jump the first and second fences. If you pull of a successful Boost Jump you should be able to clear them both in one jump with a little help from the gliding ability. After you jump over the electric fence, don't land but intead glide to the first step. Ascend the staircase. Don't bother pressing triangle when you land since you'll have to jump immediately anyway; the roll will probably just send you right into the wall. The 1st Checkpoint is at the top.
1st Checkpoint - 2nd Checkpoint
From the top of the stairs you'll see three floating platforms above the ground. Ignore the platforms and drop down below. If you position yourself correctly, you should land directly on top of a Boost. Boost along the ground and then quickly ascend the Climb, staying on the right-hand side. Once at the top, don't take the far right-hand path. Intead boost towards the back wall. Shoot the switch from a safe distance and a Spring should appear. Boost onto the spring and bounce upwards. From here you should see a 4-Box; this is the path you should take. Try to hit this box on the way up if possible. Break the box - this slows you down but it's worth it in the long run - and then Slide past the 2nd Checkpoint.
2nd Checkpoint - Start/Finish Line
This part is simple but not entirely easy. Slide along the thin path and be careful not to fall off. Once you get to the final straight, it widens significantly. Curve around this wide section so that when you reach the edge you are facing the finish line. This way, a successful Slide Jump should launch you right over it. Alternatively, if you're trying to set the next lap as a record, you can simply drop off the edge and get the final boost. This method is slower for the current lap but gives you a slight advantage for the next one.
Future Laps
Only one thing is different from the first lap - now that the 4-Box is broken, you should be able to land right on the start of the Slide after hitting the Spring.

Think I've got something wrong? Send me a PM or humiliate me publicly in the Rayman M/Arena or Rayman M Scores topics.

[Holy Crap]

Nebulous Tower

Current Best Times:
Lap Record - 00:46.520 - Holy Crap
Race Record - 02:23.907 - Holy Crap

Start/Finish Line - 1st Checkpoint
At the start you should see some big rectangular blocks moving up and down. After you start, run towards the platform on the right. By the time you get onto it, it should be going up. Use your now elevated position to get the Purple lum and wing onto the thin platform which slides in and out of the wall. Depending on your timing, you may have to glide briefly to ensure you land on it. Follow the floating platforms around the corner, jumping when necessary and remembering to use Triangle. You should then come to 5 square platforms. Jump across them. As you jump onto the long platform ont he other side, shoot the Tentacle which sites on it. Follow the platforms, shooting the next tentacle as you jump also. Hit the purple lum and swing over the Checkpoint.
1st Checkpoint - 2nd Checkpoint
Swing onto the climb on the tower. Jump off it to the right and land on the platform. Roll, then jumpto a higher platform on the right. Roll and jump onto the big Climb. Climb to about halfway, but then jump off to the right once again. Roll on the platform, jump, get on the climb, jump off, roll, jump once more and then Climb to the top of the tower. Drop down the inside of the tower, avoiding the horizontal bars and then land on the slide below. Avoid the springs here until you get to the second last one. Use that to jump up and hit the purpple lum, then swing onto the upper level over the Checkpoint.
2nd Checkpoint - Start/Finish Line
Weave along this upper platform Boosting and hit the spring at the end. Use this to hit a Purple Lum and swing onto another Spring. Use this to hit one last Purple Lum and swing onto the thin, horizontal platform which contains the finish line. Try to land on the left side of it, near the wall.
Future Laps
If the sliding platform is already out, roll as soon as you land on the finish line. This lap is exactly the same except you start on the sliding platform.

Think I've got something wrong? Send me a PM or humiliate me publicly in the Rayman M/Arena or Rayman M Scores topics.

[Holy Crap]

Other levels coming soon.

[Holy Crap]

Dark Sewer

Current Best Times:
Lap Record - 00:48.300 - Holy Crap
Race Record - 02:31.010 - Holy Crap

Start/Finish Line - 1st Checkpoint
Roll of the starting line and get the boosts on the left. You can go diagonally to get all the boosts but this actually makes no difference. Boost up the ramp on the left and then Boost Jump over the block. Shoot the upcoming tentacle in the air and then land on the boost on the other side of the block. When you get to the edge of the platform, don't go donw the ramp. Instead, jump and shoot the Purple Lum. Swing to the platform on the left, shooting the upcoming tentacle while in the air (again). Land on the boost, run over where the tentacle was then quickly ascend the climb. Slide donw the ramp and over the checkpoint.
1st Checkpoint - 2nd Checkpoint
From here it's a simple matter of sliding along the path, avoiding the electricity. Also try to avoid running into the pillars in the centre, they will slow you down. Be careful here - the AI like to hit a switch which moves the electricity around, so allow for this. Slide Jump into the open door and boost, weaving around the walls, hitting the switches to take away obstructions. Using L1 to shoot is helpful here. Once out, break the 8-Box - it's a slow process, but (I think) it's worth it in the long run. Take the now revealed spring as a shortcut over the Climb (beware of electricity) and land on the boost above. Shoot the tentacles while boosting around the corner. Once again, L1 is helpful here. Now after you go past the third tentacle, you should aim to boost jump, shoot the switch which raises a square platform ahead of you and then go over the checkpoint and onto the square platform on the left - all in one swift movement.
2nd Checkpoint - Start/Finish Line
From the square platform you're on, jump to the now raised platform next to you. From here you can shoot a Purple Lum which will swing you over the goo below. From here you can see a horizontal platform which you're supposed to land on, then jump and shoot the next Lum. However, before you land on it, if you time it right, you can shoot the Purple Lum prematurely and avoid the platform entirely. This is hard though; I rarely succeed in pulling it off. Using this Lum, swing to the raised section on the right. Boost along this stretch but be careful of the sideways boosts. When you get to the end, DON'T go on the spring. Instead, drop off the edge of the platform and land on the boost below. Be extremely careful when dropping off - if you accidentally grab onto the climb it will really hurt your time. Now, once you've landed on the boost, you can let go of the analog stick for a bit and concentrate on pressing Trangle as fast as you possibly can along this next thin stretch. At the end, Boost Jump onto the Climb and quickly get onto the Slide. Go around the final corner and Slide Jump over the finish line.
Future Laps
Ideally, you should land directly onto the first boost after your slide Jump. After this, follow the lap as before, excpet with some slight changes: Firstly, now that the AI are way behind you (I should hope), their aimless witch hitting won't affect you, so don't worry about the moving electricity. Also, the 8-Box is now broken and the switch which raises the square platform is activated, making this lap much easier (and of course faster!).

Think I've got something wrong? Send me a PM or humiliate me publicly in the Rayman M/Arena or Rayman M Scores topics.