Rayman Origins Character Makeovers

[CLM]

Hi everyone, I'm new. I'm a Rayman fan and as soon as I saw this place, I knew I would have to register.
Anyway, enough about me, on with the topic:

In the Rayman Origins topic, people are mostly talking about them playing and beating the game. This is fine. I just thought it might be good to make a topic about the character makeovers in Rayman Origins. Do you like what they did? Why or why not?

Mr. Dark: I hate it. I hate it so much. He's a Teensie? I mean, come on. That totally ruins the mysteriousness of the character, and plus, they could have chose a much better character to reveal him as (such as Rayman's brother or something). Mr. Dark was awesome in the first game, but he's just a minor side character. And plus he's the same person as the magician... Great...

Betilla: Well, what can I say? She was barely present in the first game. I never played Rayman Junior or anything, just the original game. So I know next to nothing about her (and don't care, to be honest). In Rayman Origins, she's basically a piece of eye-candy. She has no real character (then again, neither do most of the characters). I have to say I prefer her in the newer games, because now she actually has some sort of purpose other than to give you powers every now and then, and then get kidnapped. That is, to wear a miniskirt and have unrealistically large legs!

Rayman: Rayman's look is obviously taken directly from Rayman 3 (and of the Rabbid games, dare I mention them). I like this a lot, because his look in there was my favorite out of the first 3 games. His character is basically that of an idiotic hero. I mean, I know that the storyline (if you can call it that) shows reason for his idiocy, but meh. I don't care to be honest. I just liked the brave hero Rayman better than this "clumsy, accidental hero".

Globox: Same as Rayman (kinda). It's late and I should be going to sleep, lol.

Teensies: What? Teensies in the Rayman 1 setting? Dammit. Ubisoft sure knows how to make weird continuity mistakes.

Sure, I like the gameplay and the fact that Ubisoft has finally proved that they remember at least something from the original game, but I feel indifferent to most of the characters, and I have a very negative opinion about Mr. Dark's character in here. Otherwise, I don't care all that much.

[Adsolution]

Welcome!

About the teensies, I personally don't see any continuity issues. They didn't show up in Rayman 1, but that doesn't mean they never existed.

[CLM]

Thanks!

And yeah, I know that it's technically possible that the Teensies were in the Rayman 1 setting. It's just that you don't encounter them throughout the game (except Mr. Dark, I guess, even though he's supposed to be of Rayman's species, presumably).

[maxxyboy1000]

Mr. Dark: I hate it. I hate it so much. He's a Teensie? I mean, come on. That totally ruins the mysteriousness of the character, and plus, they could have chose a much better character to reveal him as (such as Rayman's brother or something). Mr. Dark was awesome in the first game, but he's just a minor side character. And plus he's the same person as the magician... Great...

What? Mr. Dark's a Tennsie!?

...*goes and checks website*...

ARGH! OMG! WTH?

That is so stupid. Why must Mr. Dark be a teensie? That is so wrong!
Why must Ubisoft do this to me? Why!?
They just ruined his image for me.... Argh!

[CLM]

Yeah, that's exactly how I reacted, too. Sorry you had to find out this late, lol.
I agree, it is at terrible choice (in fact, if it was up to me, I wouldn't even reveal him). He isn't even a boss. He's just a minor side character that appears in one level (or something, it's hard to keep track of the game's strange storytelling). But he isn't a boss. The final boss is some kind of... Well... I'm not gonna spoil it for you. If you're really interested, then go look it up. But the final boss is really disappointing, I'll tell you that much.

[maxxyboy1000]

Yeah, that's exactly how I reacted, too. Sorry you had to find out this late, lol.

That's ok

The final boss is some kind of... Well...

OMG! I just looked it up...

[Kurui]

Well I love the chibi Magicians. I hope he stays that way.....forever!!11 But Rayman looks stupid now XD

[THEdragon]

Well I love the chibi Magicians. I hope he stays that way.....forever!!11 But Rayman looks stupid now XD

Rayman 1-style Magician is more adorable. *Soulless glare*

The enemy redesigns I'm fine with, Globox and Rayman I'm fine with, Betilla looks kinda... Euargh.... The Mr Dark teensie thing I never really looked to deeply into, but... In Rayman origins, Rayman is supposedly this one-of-a-kind magical being with missing limbs due to a lum accident caused by zombie chickens but... In Rayman 1 every character was limbless and there were other characters the same species as Rayman? I dun get how those are supposed to tie together into the storyline but.... XD

Polokus got bored of all the limbless creatures in his world so he killed them all off (except Rayman) with a big steamroller and recreated them all differently and erased Rayman's memory and then made Rayman be reborn but made it look like the faries did it. And blame the zombie chickens for his uniqueness.

[spiraldoor]

Mr. Dark: I hate it. I hate it so much. He's a Teensie? I mean, come on. That totally ruins the mysteriousness of the character, and plus, they could have chose a much better character to reveal him as (such as Rayman's brother or something). Mr. Dark was awesome in the first game, but he's just a minor side character. And plus he's the same person as the magician... Great...

I have good news for you: that evil Teensy might not be Mr Dark at all. An early version of the game’s script leaked, and it revealed that the villain was the Magician imitating Mr Dark. Most of the dialogue that spelt this out was removed from the game for some reason, but you can still see hints of it; if you look closely at the wall of the Magician’s office, you’ll see several posters that show the silhouette of a rather different-looking Mr Dark, with a hat shaped like an inverted triangle, and long, spindly arms. Another poster says ‘♥ Mister D’. So yeah, don’t worry just yet. It could simply be the Magician.

Betilla: Well, what can I say? She was barely present in the first game. I never played Rayman Junior or anything, just the original game. So I know next to nothing about her (and don't care, to be honest). In Rayman Origins, she's basically a piece of eye-candy. She has no real character (then again, neither do most of the characters). I have to say I prefer her in the newer games, because now she actually has some sort of purpose other than to give you powers every now and then, and then get kidnapped. That is, to wear a miniskirt and have unrealistically large legs!

I’m fine with Betilla’s new look. All I ask is that the characters are actually recognisable as themselves, and in almost all cases, they are.

Rayman: Rayman's look is obviously taken directly from Rayman 3 (and of the Rabbid games, dare I mention them). I like this a lot, because his look in there was my favorite out of the first 3 games. His character is basically that of an idiotic hero. I mean, I know that the storyline (if you can call it that) shows reason for his idiocy, but meh. I don't care to be honest. I just liked the brave hero Rayman better than this "clumsy, accidental hero".

I always thought the hoodie was a bit much, and not quite as ‘cool’ as the artists thought it would be, but I’m glad they’ve settled on one look for him (though I have always preferred the neckerchief).

Teensies: What? Teensies in the Rayman 1 setting? Dammit. Ubisoft sure knows how to make weird continuity mistakes.

Combining the R1 setting with the R2 and R3 setting is the single best thing they’ve done.

Edit: The Magician should have looked more like this:



The blonde hair and hidden eyes were among his few crucial features in the original game; turning him into a grey-haired Teensy with visible eyes was too many changes to swallow at once. I know in my mind that he’s supposed to be the same character, but I don’t feel it the way I do with Betilla, the Lividstones, the Hunters, the stone men and the Darktoons. The lack of ‘feeling’ that this is indeed the same character is especially harmful to the drama in The Reveal.

[CLM]

Yeah, the game isn't very clear on the Mr. Dark matter. Hopefully you're right and it's just the magician.
Also, I have a feeling the creators aren't going as deep in the storyline as we are, lol.

[Kurui]

Those things that dangle from his hat are his hair?0__0........i thought it was supposed to be like random streamers or extensions coming off his hat (like Dark does just different designed) since he doesn't have them anymore when the hat falls off, unless his hair is attach to his hat then hmmmm that's just werid. And I though origional Dark had images of himself in his room too like before on this one. So i thought he just loves himself that much XD

EDIT:
Nah that has to be Dark at the very least, and MAYBE the magician. Or at least in the final version, as if they scrapped the idea of it being anyone else. Because if it wasn't him some things wouldn't make sense in that game.........Also even if the text was still in there, depending on context it'd still could be Dark trying to trick you into thinking it wasnt Dark but his vanity just makes him say he loves himself in indirect ways which makes him even cuter XD But seriously, the site says thats who it is, and if it wasnt then whats with the star on the hat disguise? Why would he needs to trick people if they didn't know about him already and its someone new? Unless someone wants to go on a farfetched thing about pulling stars of hats makes you evil in that world. I dont buy that. So conclusion, the only thing that'd make sense is if it was Dark all along. From what i know all the characters act a little more childlike in that game.....even Rayman, so theyd just has to make him fit. Plus I think in rayman 1 he runs away, just like in this game too, so its very consistent. And in Rayman 1, we see everything of magicians except his eyes, and we see only Dark's eyes xD which makes that connection even more funnier, its like two disguises at once! To be a good guy he hides his eyes, which probally look too evil and give off his evilness rofl So yeah, the cutest character is %99 likely its magicians and Dark at the same time! Which is awesome especially because I always thought Magicians was secertly evil on teh first game, just like my brothers did. xD

[THEdragon]

I personally don't think the Magician from Rayman 1 was evil... I prefer to think of teensie Magician as a different character.

[Kurui]

It still makes it funnier if it were the same one. I mean they do have the same voice after all. xD and the whole switching identities on the fly thing is hilarious. But yeah origins Dark is definately Dark. The question is is he the origional magician or was his Dark just pretending to be the magician!

[spiraldoor]

Those things that dangle from his hat are his hair?0__0........i thought it was supposed to be like random streamers or extensions coming off his hat (like Dark does just different designed) since he doesn't have them anymore when the hat falls off, unless his hair is attach to his hat then hmmmm that's just werid. And I though origional Dark had images of himself in his room too like before on this one. So i thought he just loves himself that much XD

Well, yeah, his hair does fall off. It’s a wig, presumably because Teensies don’t have hair.

Nah that has to be Dark at the very least, and MAYBE the magician. Or at least in the final version, as if they scrapped the idea of it being anyone else. Because if it wasn't him some things wouldn't make sense in that game.........Also even if the text was still in there, depending on context it'd still could be Dark trying to trick you into thinking it wasnt Dark but his vanity just makes him say he loves himself in indirect ways which makes him even cuter XD But seriously, the site says thats who it is, and if it wasnt then whats with the star on the hat disguise? Why would he needs to trick people if they didn't know about him already and its someone new? Unless someone wants to go on a farfetched thing about pulling stars of hats makes you evil in that world. I dont buy that. So conclusion, the only thing that'd make sense is if it was Dark all along. From what i know all the characters act a little more childlike in that game.....even Rayman, so theyd just has to make him fit. Plus I think in rayman 1 he runs away, just like in this game too, so its very consistent. And in Rayman 1, we see everything of magicians except his eyes, and we see only Dark's eyes xD which makes that connection even more funnier, its like two disguises at once! To be a good guy he hides his eyes, which probally look too evil and give off his evilness rofl So yeah, the cutest character is %99 likely its magicians and Dark at the same time! Which is awesome especially because I always thought Magicians was secertly evil on teh first game, just like my brothers did. xD

I understand what you mean; I brought up many of the same points when I thought the Teensy was Mr Dark. I agree that some things, like the removal of the star, seem to mean that he is indeed Mr Dark, but there’s also a great deal of evidence to the contrary, not to mention the script’s explicit confirmation that he’s the Magician in disguise.

I really think you’re reaching a bit when you say that the line ‘I always wanted to be like Mr Dark’ is some kind of vain mind-game; what’s wrong with the most obvious explanation? Perhaps ripping off the star is the Magician’s way to show that’s he’s evil, or that he’s assumed the mantle of Mr Dark. Maybe the joke is that the reveal itself is a bit silly and doesn’t really make sense. The site could be misleading us by telling us it’s Mr Dark, in order to preserve the twist that it’s really the Magician turned to the dark side (a twist that was emphasised in the script). It wouldn’t be the first time something like this had happened; the manual for the original Metroid deliberately referred to Samus Aran as a ‘he’ to preserve the ending twist that Samus was a girl.

The fact that Mr Dark and the Magician both run away at the end of their respective games doesn’t make them the same character, especially considering the Magician as an imitator. (It’s also worth noting that the Magician has to use a mechanical helicopter apparatus to escape – Mr Dark can actually fly.) The script also says that Ales Mansay (the Magician) was rubbish at magic – we know that’s not true of Mr Dark.

I also like the idea of Mr Dark and the Magician being two aliases of the same character, but that’s really not the way it comes across in the game. No effort is made to draw a connection between Mr Dark’s glowing yellow eyes and the Magician’s hidden ones; both of these elements are actually omitted. The script actually confirms that the Magician was secretly evil in the first game, or that he had at least the beginnings of evil in him, by saying that he always wanted to be like Mr Dark, so your suspicion wasn’t entirely wrong.

It took me a while to come round to the idea of the Magician as a Mr Dark admirer, mainly because I was disappointed that Mr Dark wasn’t really in the game. For me the last nail in the coffin of the ‘Mr Dark = the Magician’ theory was the posters on the wall in The Reveal. They clearly aren’t posters of a Teensy: the figure depicted in them is tall, dark, shaped a bit like a pointed hourglass and has long, thin, angular arms. Judge for yourself:



This is a completely different design, and if you ask me, it’s probably how the real Mr Dark is going to look when they bring him back in the upcoming 3D Rayman sequel that Ancel’s been talking about (they’ve got to replace those Rabbids with someone). Besides, Mr Dark doesn’t strike me as the sort of person who loves looking at pictures of himself – his lair in the original game was decorated with images of all of the game’s bosses, and none of them were tacky posters! One of the ones in Origins even says ‘♥ Mister D’, which is kind of hard to rationalise as some kind of vain self-love. Another thing that’s worth thinking about is that, if I’m right, the Magician is the most complex character in the Rayman series, and the only one with a clear and meaningful arc of development. He went from being a lowly sidekick in one game to the constructor of a colossal mechanical flying city in the next. He’s not really evil: he just hates the Bubble Dreamer because he’s a useless, childish, decadent leader who does nothing to prevent his nightmares from harming his creations. I’d love to see the Magician interacting with the real Mr Dark in a future Rayman game.

[Kurui]

Those pictures still look more like the Dark in Origins than compared to the Dark in Rayman 1, design wise anyway even though they are somewhat different from both. (Yes i actually make black silhouettes out of both the origionala nd origins dark to compare because Im strange like that) xD I still much like it better if hes just a vain villain with alter egos. It makes more sense logically and its funnier overall that way. And finally gives him a good sense of character that was missing from the first game totally outside a few small actions.

And with them changing so many character's looks, it wouldn't have to be a stretch that Dark lost some of his originalness anyhow >_<. Dark didn't have too much of a personality in the first game anyhow like I said, and he has much more in origins and kept the same things as before action wise (Running away ftw), though he appears to be a great deal more intelligent in Origins (if its him).

The pulling the star off of a hat still doesn't make sense unless its Dark, no matter how you look at it (if there really isn't this character recurring in another Rayman game throughout - from what i heard this is the only game its in). Pulling stars off hats doesn't make you evil.....even in the silliest way possible. It wouldn't. D: Is there a symbol for this character in the game without his star somewhere evil-showing? That we might not notice until he pulls it off (or at least Rayman won't notice, etc.)? I didn't watch the full game just yet to see if a hat symbol without a star appears anywhere yet that could be a connection between this magician and the evil he really is. That's the only way so far it'd make sense.

Though then they really shouldn't talk about him being Dark or even put his name as Dark on websites, videos, and anywhere else if it isn't. i don't know why they'd do that if it wasn't. Especially if they already planned to reveal that he isn't. It wouldn't make sense.

And usually things that don't make sense aren't true~ I learned that from Judge Judy XD

My guess is still that they were originally not going to make it Dark, changed their minds and decided to make it him because people wanted him back, but leaving it open so that if fans totally whine about it they can make up some long elaborate 'this wasn't really Dark" story. At least thats what I'd do to cover my own arse xD

Still they are better off keeping this guy as Dark and magician. Its good for the plot much. Very twisted and beautiful~ not to mention so effing cute. And cute characters should always stick around! *This Dark/Magician charatcer has already become my fav of rayman ever. hes gotta return, I dont care who he is XD *

[Adsolution]

Another thing that’s worth thinking about is that, if I’m right, the Magician is the most complex character in the Rayman series, and the only one with a clear and meaningful arc of development. He went from being a lowly sidekick in one game to the constructor of a colossal mechanical flying city in the next. He’s not really evil: he just hates the Bubble Dreamer because he’s a useless, childish, decadent leader who does nothing to prevent his nightmares from harming his creations. I’d love to see the Magician interacting with the real Mr Dark in a future Rayman game.

I've considered this a few times, and I absolutely adore the idea. It's something I'd very much like to see shine in future Rayman games. After all, a game in this era, especially one in 3D (as said to be the upcoming new Rayman game), needs to have a more in depth story to be passed as acceptable, and weaving a story through the entire series to make them strongly canonical would truly be an achievement and bring new life to the series.

[THEdragon]

Why does it tear my soul apart every time someone says how much they love teensie-dark-Magician?

Anyways, I still refuse to accept Rayman 1 Magician as the same character as origins Magician... XD

[spiraldoor]

Those pictures still look more like the Dark in Origins than compared to the Dark in Rayman 1, design wise anyway even though they are somewhat different from both. (Yes i actually make black silhouettes out of both the origionala nd origins dark to compare because Im strange like that) xD I still much like it better if hes just a vain villain with alter egos. It makes more sense logically and its funnier overall that way. And finally gives him a good sense of character that was missing from the first game totally outside a few small actions.

That’s not the point: what matters is that the figure in those posters does not look like the Teensy. He has very distinct features that the Teensy does not share. That’s why I think it’s a new Mr Dark design. (Along with the much more concrete ‘♥ Mister D’ poster, and the ‘I always wanted to be like Mr Dark’ line.)

I disagree that it’s better if he’s just a villain with alter-egos: that explanation would strip away all of the Magician’s development between the games, reducing it to a mere masquerade performed by a one-dimensional villain. It doesn’t make much sense to me, particularly when you throw the dual Teensy-retcon into the mix and note the fact that no real attempt was made to link Mr Dark and the Magician’s appearances. Another great thing about them being different characters is that the real Mr Dark is still out there, and could be included in a future Rayman game. I’m sure most fans would be glad to hear this, as many of them were disappointed that the cutesy dancing Teensy they saw at the end of Origins was absolutely nothing like the villain they had been hoping would return.

The pulling the star off of a hat still doesn't make sense unless its Dark, no matter how you look at it (if there really isn't this character recurring in another Rayman game throughout - from what i heard this is the only game its in). Pulling stars off hats doesn't make you evil.....even in the silliest way possible. It wouldn't. D: Is there a symbol for this character in the game without his star somewhere evil-showing? That we might not notice until he pulls it off (or at least Rayman won't notice, etc.)? I didn't watch the full game just yet to see if a hat symbol without a star appears anywhere yet that could be a connection between this magician and the evil he really is. That's the only way so far it'd make sense.

No, it doesn’t make sense. That’s the joke. I tried to use this as an argument when I was in the position that you’re in now, but the star-ripping scene is so vague and ambigious that it doesn’t really work as solid evidence of anything in particular.

Though then they really shouldn't talk about him being Dark or even put his name as Dark on websites, videos, and anywhere else if it isn't. i don't know why they'd do that if it wasn't. Especially if they already planned to reveal that he isn't. It wouldn't make sense.

It makes sense that they would suggest Mr Dark was present in the game to set up the twist that he isn’t. I just wish the twist itself had been handled better.

Still they are better off keeping this guy as Dark and magician. Its good for the plot much. Very twisted and beautiful~ not to mention so effing cute. And cute characters should always stick around! *This Dark/Magician charatcer has already become my fav of rayman ever. hes gotta return, I dont care who he is XD *

The Magician’s corruption and downfall is much more twisted and interesting than the Magician turning out to have been Mr Dark all along. In any case, ‘cute’ is not a word that I associate (or want to associate) with Mr Dark.

[BabyDragonChef]

I'm ok with the main character designs, and I think Betilla's redesign is very nice looking. I think the only one I don't like too much is the Magiciain, I'd rathermore wish he had his original design, and Mr. Dark shouldn't be a Teensie.

[Shrooblord]

Another thing that’s worth thinking about is that, if I’m right, the Magician is the most complex character in the Rayman series, and the only one with a clear and meaningful arc of development. He went from being a lowly sidekick in one game to the constructor of a colossal mechanical flying city in the next. He’s not really evil: he just hates the Bubble Dreamer because he’s a useless, childish, decadent leader who does nothing to prevent his nightmares from harming his creations. I’d love to see the Magician interacting with the real Mr Dark in a future Rayman game.

Interesting theory. I like it. Where did you learn that the Magician is the one who created the flying city? Did this also become clear from that script?

I would say that maybe there are two Magicians, both named after 'The Magician'. After all, none like Rayman exist in the Glade of Dreams, but what if Rayman came from another place in his world? That would allow for two places to have 'the Magician' - one being Rayman's valley and one being the Glade. Mr Dark being the evil mastermind he appears to be, he must have also travelled to the Glade, allowing the Teensie Magician to come in contact with him. As such, the Valley's Magician could still be Mr Dark, which is a possibility I'd like to embrace, though not cling to should there be proof of the contrary, while also allowing the Glade's Magician to be a Teensie (and not a Rayman-like person) as well as a Mister Dark fan.

Of course there's always the possibility of shapeshifting. Maybe if Mr D and the Valley's Magician are the same, the Magician outfit is simply that - an outfit. Maybe Mr Dark doesn't have one exact form and maybe even that cloaked and brim-hatted villain with glowing eyes isn't the true him either.