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Rayman 3 (Game Boy Advance, early production)

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Rayman 3 for the Game Boy Advance was originally developed as a Game Boy Advance version of Rayman 2, and elements from Rayman 3 were incorporated during its development so that it could be marketed as a Game Boy Advance version of the latter. Hoodlums do not feature prominently, being only present in three levels of the game—Hoodlum Hideout, Wretched Ruins and Scaleman's Keep—and the Black Lum swallowed by Globox, who is not named as André, is only a minor character in the game. Instead, Robo-Pirates are common enemies and Admiral Razorbeard is the main antagonist, fought in his Grolgoth like in Rayman 2. Most levels in the game were designed as handheld adaptations of those from Rayman 2, which they strongly resemble, and were only renamed late in the game's development, as shown in early leaked builds which still use the original names.

The first known prototype for the game is a preview version which was discovered and dumped in 2020.[1]

On January 1, 2024, another 68 releases of the game at various degrees of its development were published online, along with extensive game design documentation.[2]

Event prototypes

The following prototypes were all built to showcase the game at specific events. They are presented as demos, where the player can press the start button to switch to the next playable level. Most of these prototypes contain more levels than are normally playable, most of which are in an unfinished state, sometimes with broken graphics and/or gameplay mechanics.

Rayman 2 - RLE Demo (France Committee presentation)

 
RLE Demo (France Committee presentation)

Date: January 18th, 2002

The very first known build is the RLE demo. It only contains a single level, without any objects in it besides Rayman. At this point the game was still known as a Game Boy Advance version of Rayman 2 and Rayman has a design which matches that.

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    Rayman's idle animation, showcasing his early design which closer resembles that of Rayman 2.
  •  
    An unused animation of Rayman hitting his body against the ground.
Id Prototype name Final name Phase Accessible Image
0 The Woods of Light Wanderwood Forest 1 ✔  

Rayman 2 - Pre-Alpha

 
Pre-Alpha

Date: March 1, 2002

This demo contains 10 maps, 2 of which are normally accessible. The first is an early version of the second phase of Wanderwood Forest, originally known as the Woods of Light, and the second is an early version of the first phase of Boulder Brink, originally known as the Precipice. This prototype also contains a slightly changed design for Rayman, although it is still inspired by Rayman 2.

Id Prototype name Final name Phase Accessible Image
0 The Woods of Light Wanderwood Forest 1  
1 The Woods of Light Wanderwood Forest 2 ✔  
2 The Fairy Glade Shining Glade 1  
3 The Fairy Glade Shining Glade 2  
4 The Precipice Boulder Brink 1 ✔  
5 The Precipice Boulder Brink 2  
6 The Echoing Caves Vertigo Wastes 2  
7 The Echoing Caves Vertigo Wastes 2  
8 The Sanctuary of Rock and Lava Wicked Flow 1  
9 The Sanctuary of Rock and Lava Wicked Flow 2  

Rayman 2 - Pre-Alpha (B)

 
Pre-Alpha (B)

Date: March 8, 2002

This prototype is very similar to the previous one, featuring the same maps. There are however some notable changes, such as the introduction of Green Lums, and the in-game HUD being positioned like in the final game.

Id Prototype name Final name Phase Accessible Image
0 The Woods of Light Wanderwood Forest 1  
1 The Woods of Light Wanderwood Forest 2 ✔  
2 The Fairy Glade Shining Glade 1  
3 The Fairy Glade Shining Glade 2  
4 The Precipice Boulder Brink 1 ✔  
5 The Precipice Boulder Brink 2  
6 The Echoing Caves Vertigo Wastes 2  
7 The Echoing Caves Vertigo Wastes 2  
8 The Sanctuary of Rock and Lava Wicked Flow 1  
9 The Sanctuary of Rock and Lava Wicked Flow 2  
10 Duplicate of map 0

Rayman 3 - Focus Group

 
Focus Group

Date: March 18, 2002

The focus group demo is the first known build of the game which is labeled as Rayman 3 rather than Rayman 2. The game however still retains its Rayman 2 inspired look.

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    The snail creature which only appears in this prototype.
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    A test level for Mode7 gameplay where the player can freely move Rayman around, jump and rotate the camera.
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    A snail creature who only appears in this prototype.
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    The snail turning around.
Id Prototype name Final name Phase Accessible Image
0 The Woods of Light Wanderwood Forest 1 ✔  
1 The Woods of Light Wanderwood Forest 2 ✔  
2 The Fairy Glade Shining Glade 1  
3 The Fairy Glade Shining Glade 2  
4 The Precipice Boulder Brink 1 ✔  
5 The Precipice Boulder Brink 2 ✔  
6 The Echoing Caves Vertigo Wastes 2  
7 The Echoing Caves Vertigo Wastes 2  
8 The Sanctuary of Rock and Lava Wicked Flow 1  
9 The Sanctuary of Rock and Lava Wicked Flow 2  
10 Missile sur pattes #1 Magma Mayhem 1  

Rayman 3 - Nintendo E3 Approval

 
Nintendo E3 Approval

Date: April 18, 2002

The Nintendo E3 approval demo is the first known build where the game has been redesigned to better fit the style of Rayman 3.

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    The title screen.
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    The main menu.
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    Early animations for Rayman wall jumping had him facing away from the player.
  •  
    An early design for the burnable water lilies can be seen here.
Id Prototype name Final name Phase Accessible Image
0 The Woods of Light Wanderwood Forest 1 ✔  
1 The Woods of Light Wanderwood Forest 2 ✔  
2 The Fairy Glade Shining Glade 1 ✔  
3 The Fairy Glade Shining Glade 2  
4 The Echoing Caves Vertigo Wastes 2  
5 The Echoing Caves Vertigo Wastes 2 ✔  
6 Beneath the Sanctuary of Rock and Lava The Underlands 1 ✔  
7 Beneath the Sanctuary of Rock and Lava The Underlands 2  
8 The Precipice Boulder Brink 1 ✔  
9 The Precipice Boulder Brink 2  
10 The Sanctuary of Rock and Lava Wicked Flow 1  
11 The Sanctuary of Rock and Lava Wicked Flow 2  
12 Missile sur pattes #1 Magma Mayhem 1  

Rayman 3 - E3 GameCube

 
E3 GameCube

Date: May 13, 2002

This is the first known build to feature a waterski level. In this version the helicopter bombs don't instantly kill the player, but instead deals a single point of damage, thus making the level easier.

Id Prototype name Final name Phase Accessible Image
0 The Woods of Light Wanderwood Forest 1 ✔  
1 The Woods of Light Wanderwood Forest 2 ✔  
2 The Fairy Glade Shining Glade 1  
3 The Fairy Glade Shining Glade 2  
4 Sanctuary of the Big Trees Hoodlum Hideout 1 ✔  
5 The Marshes of Awakening #1 Swamp of Bégoniax 1  
6 The Echoing Caves Vertigo Wastes 2  
7 The Echoing Caves Vertigo Wastes 2 ✔  
8 Beneath the Sanctuary of Rock and Lava The Underlands 1 ✔  
9 Beneath the Sanctuary of Rock and Lava The Underlands 2  
10 The Precipice Boulder Brink 1 ✔  
11 The Precipice Boulder Brink 2  
12 The Sanctuary of Rock and Lava Wicked Flow 1  
13 The Sanctuary of Rock and Lava Wicked Flow 2  
14 Duplicate of map 15
15 The Canopy Wretched Ruins 2  

Rayman 3 - E3

 
E3

Date: May 16, 2002

Id Prototype name Final name Phase Accessible Image
0 The Woods of Light Wanderwood Forest 1 ✔  
1 The Woods of Light Wanderwood Forest 2 ✔  
2 The Fairy Glade Shining Glade 1  
3 The Fairy Glade Shining Glade 2  
4 Sanctuary of the Big Trees Hoodlum Hideout 1 ✔  
5 The Marshes of Awakening #1 Swamp of Bégoniax 1 ✔  
6 The Echoing Caves Vertigo Wastes 2  
7 The Echoing Caves Vertigo Wastes 2 ✔  
8 Beneath the Sanctuary of Rock and Lava The Underlands 1 ✔  
9 Beneath the Sanctuary of Rock and Lava The Underlands 2  
10 The Precipice Boulder Brink 1 ✔  
11 The Precipice Boulder Brink 2  
12 The Sanctuary of Rock and Lava Wicked Flow 1  
13 The Sanctuary of Rock and Lava Wicked Flow 2  
14 Duplicate of map 15
15 The Canopy Wretched Ruins 2 ✔  

Rayman 3 - La Ronde

 
La Ronde

Date: July 19, 2002

Id Prototype name Final name Phase Accessible Image
0 The Woods of Light Wanderwood Forest 1 ✔  
1 The Woods of Light Wanderwood Forest 2 ✔  
2 The Fairy Glade Shining Glade 1  
3 The Fairy Glade Shining Glade 2  
4 The Marshes of Awakening #1 Swamp of Bégoniax 1 ✔  
5 Sanctuary of the Big Trees Hoodlum Hideout 1 ✔  
6 Sanctuary of the Big Trees Hoodlum Hideout 2  
7 Boss Machine Garish Gears 1  
8 Bonus #1 Mega Havoc 1 1  
9 Missile sur pattes #1 Magma Mayhem 1  
10 The Echoing Caves Vertigo Wastes 1  
11 The Echoing Caves Vertigo Wastes 2 ✔  
12 The Cave of Bad Dreams Void of Bones 1  
13 The Cave of Bad Dreams Void of Bones 2  
14 The Menhir Hills Prickly Passage 1  
15 Duplicate of map 0
16 The Marshes of Awakening #2 Swamp of Bégoniax 2 1  
17 Boss Jano Jano's Nest 1  
18 Bonus #2 Mega Havoc 2 1  
19 Duplicate of map 0
20 The Sanctuary of Rock and Lava Wicked Flow 1  
21 The Sanctuary of Rock and Lava Wicked Flow 2  
22 Beneath the Sanctuary of Rock and Lava The Underlands 1 ✔  
23 Beneath the Sanctuary of Rock and Lava The Underlands 2  
24 The Precipice Boulder Brink 1 ✔  
25 The Precipice Boulder Brink 2  
26 The Canopy Wretched Ruins 1  
27 The Canopy Wretched Ruins 2 ✔  
28 The Sanctuary of Stone and Fire River of Fire 1  
29 The Sanctuary of Stone and Fire River of Fire 2  
30 Duplicate of map 0
31 Bonus #3 Mega Havoc 3 1  
32 Tomb of the Ancients Creeping Chaos 1  
33 Tomb of the Ancients Creeping Chaos 2  
34 Duplicate of map 0
35 Duplicate of map 0
36 Missile sur pattes #2 Magma Mayhem 2 1  
37 The Pirate Ship Razor Slide 1  
38 Duplicate of map 0
39 Boss Clark Scaleman's Keep 1  
40 Duplicate of map 0
41 Bonus #4 Mega Havoc 4 1  
42 Duplicate of map 0
43 The Sanctuary of Rock and Lava Wicked Flow 3  
44 The Sanctuary of Stone and Fire River of Fire 3  
45 Missile Race Bumper Car Race 1  
46 Ray Tag #1 Slide Tag 1  
47 Ray Tag #2 Web Tag 1  
48 Ray Tag #3 - 1  
49 Ray Tag #4 - 1  
50 Cat & Mouse #1 - 1  
51 Cat & Mouse #2 - 1  
52 Cat & Mouse #3 - 1  
53 Cat & Mouse #4 - 1  

Rayman 3 - ECTS

 
ECTS

Date: August 9, 2002

  •  
    The flying vehicle in the final boss can be rotated and collect ammo from Lums to be able to shoot at the Grolgoth.
  •  
    The races have Blue Lums which will grant the player a temporary speed boost once 3 have been collected.
  •  
    An early design for Ly, most likely meant to appear as she was imprisoned by the machine in the first boss.
  •  
  •  
  •  
  •  
    The flying vehicle in the final boss.
  •  
    The level curtains in the hub worlds.
Id Prototype name Final name Phase Accessible Image
0 The Woods of Light Wanderwood Forest 1 ✔  
1 The Woods of Light Wanderwood Forest 2 ✔  
2 The Fairy Glade Shining Glade 1  
3 The Fairy Glade Shining Glade 2  
4 The Marshes of Awakening #1 Swamp of Bégoniax 1 ✔  
5 Sanctuary of the Big Trees Hoodlum Hideout 1 ✔  
6 Sanctuary of the Big Trees Hoodlum Hideout 2  
7 Boss Machine Garish Gears 1  
8 Bonus #1 Mega Havoc 1 1  
9 Missile sur pattes #1 Magma Mayhem 1  
10 The Echoing Caves Vertigo Wastes 1  
11 The Echoing Caves Vertigo Wastes 2  
12 The Cave of Bad Dreams Void of Bones 1 ✔  
13 The Cave of Bad Dreams Void of Bones 2  
14 The Menhir Hills Prickly Passage 1  
15 The Menhir Hills Prickly Passage 2  
16 The Marshes of Awakening #2 Swamp of Bégoniax 2 1  
17 Boss Jano Jano's Nest 1  
18 Bonus #2 Mega Havoc 2 1  
19 Duplicate of map 0
20 The Sanctuary of Rock and Lava Wicked Flow 1  
21 The Sanctuary of Rock and Lava Wicked Flow 2  
22 Beneath the Sanctuary of Rock and Lava The Underlands 1 ✔  
23 Beneath the Sanctuary of Rock and Lava The Underlands 2  
24 The Precipice Boulder Brink 1 ✔  
25 The Precipice Boulder Brink 2  
26 The Canopy Wretched Ruins 1  
27 The Canopy Wretched Ruins 2 ✔  
28 The Sanctuary of Stone and Fire River of Fire 1  
29 The Sanctuary of Stone and Fire River of Fire 2  
30 Boss Rock And Lava Den of Rocky 1  
31 Bonus #3 Mega Havoc 3 1  
32 Tomb of the Ancients Creeping Chaos 1  
33 Tomb of the Ancients Creeping Chaos 2  
34 Duplicate of map 0
35 Duplicate of map 0
36 Missile sur pattes #2 Magma Mayhem 2 1  
37 The Pirate Ship Razor Slide 1 ✔  
38 The Pirate Ship Razor Slide 2  
39 Boss Clark Scaleman's Keep 1  
40 Boss Final Heart of the Ancients 1  
41 Boss Final Heart of the Ancients 2  
42 Bonus #4 Mega Havoc 4 1  
43 Duplicate of map 0
44 The Sanctuary of Rock and Lava Wicked Flow 3  
45 The Sanctuary of Stone and Fire River of Fire 3  
46 Missile Race Bumper Car Race 1  
47 Ray Tag #1 Slide Tag 1  
48 Ray Tag #2 Web Tag 1  
49 Ray Tag #3 - 1  
50 Ray Tag #4 - 1  
51 Cat & Mouse #1 - 1  
52 Cat & Mouse #2 - 1  
53 Cat & Mouse #3 - 1  
54 Cat & Mouse #4 - 1  
55 The Woods of Light Wanderwood Forest 3  
56 Boss Machine Garish Gears 2  
57 The Echoing Caves Vertigo Wastes 3  
58 Boss Rock And Lava Den of Rocky 2  
59 The Sanctuary of Stone and Fire River of Fire 4  
60 Boss Clark Scaleman's Keep 2  
61 World #1 Forgotten Forests 1  
62 World #2 Haunted Dreams 1  
63 World #3 Magmacosm 1  
64 World #4 Pirate Stronghold 1  

Test prototypes

There are 59 test prototypes which were included in the 2024 leak. These prototypes contain a debug menu, accessible by pressing the L button when starting the game, and several cheats not present in the final game. There are several changed throughout the levels, as well as the cutscenes.

Date Name Region Description
October 7, 2002 rayman3 - 20021007 - Rel US
October 7, 2002 rayman3 - 20021007b - Rel US
October 8, 2002 rayman3 - 20021008 - Rel US
October 9, 2002 rayman3 - 20021009 - Rel US
October 10, 2002 rayman3 - 20021010 - Rel US
October 14, 2002 rayman3 - 20021014 - Rel US
October 15, 2002 rayman3 - 20021015 - Rel US
October 16, 2002 rayman3 - 20021016 - Rel US
October 17, 2002 rayman3 - 20021017 - Rel US
October 20, 2002 rayman3 - 20021020 - Rel US
October 21, 2002 rayman3 - 20021021 - Rel US
October 22, 2002 rayman3 - 20021022 - Rel US
October 23, 2002 rayman3 - 20021023 - Rel US
October 24, 2002 rayman3 - 20021024 - Rel US
October 27, 2002 rayman3 - 20021027 - Rel US
October 28, 2002 rayman3 - 20021028 - Rel US
October 29, 2002 rayman3 - 20021029 - Rel US
October 30, 2002 rayman3 - 20021030 - Rel Europe
October 31, 2002 rayman3 - 20021031 - Rel Europe
November 5, 2002 rayman3 - 20021105 - Rel Europe
November 6, 2002 rayman3 - 20021106 - Rel Europe
November 7, 2002 rayman3 - 20021107 - Rel Europe
November 10, 2002 rayman3 - 20021110 - Rel Europe
November 11, 2002 rayman3 - 20021111 - Rel Europe
November 12, 2002 rayman3 - 20021112 - Rel Europe
November 13, 2002 rayman3 - 20021113 - Rel Europe
November 14, 2002 rayman3 - 20021114 - Rel Europe
November 15, 2002 rayman3 - 20021115 - Rel Europe
November 17, 2002 rayman3 - 20021117 - Rel Europe
November 18, 2002 rayman3 - 20021118 - Rel Europe
November 19, 2002 rayman3 - 20021119 - Retail Europe
November 20, 2002 rayman3 - 20021120 - Retail Europe
November 21, 2002 rayman3 - 20021121 - Retail Europe
November 22, 2002 rayman3 - 20021122b - Retail Europe
November 22, 2002 rayman3 - 20021122c - Retail - EURO Europe
November 22, 2002 rayman3 - 20021122c - Retail - US US
November 23, 2002 rayman3 - 20021123 - Retail - EURO Europe
November 23, 2002 rayman3 - 20021123 - Retail - US US
November 24, 2002 rayman3 - 20021124 - Retail - EURO Europe
November 24, 2002 rayman3 - 20021124 - Retail - US US
November 24, 2002 rayman3 - 20021124b - Retail - EURO Europe
November 24, 2002 rayman3 - 20021124b - Retail - US US
November 24, 2002 rayman3 - 20021124c - Retail - EURO Europe
November 24, 2002 rayman3 - 20021124c - Retail - US US
November 24, 2002 rayman3 - 20021124d - Retail - EURO Europe
November 24, 2002 rayman3 - 20021124d - Retail - US US
November 25, 2002 rayman3 - 20021125 - Retail - US US
November 25, 2002 rayman3 - 20021125b - Retail - EURO Europe
November 25, 2002 rayman3 - 20021125b - Retail - US US
November 25, 2002 rayman3 - 20021125c - Retail - EURO Europe
November 25, 2002 rayman3 - 20021125c - Retail - US US
November 25, 2002 rayman3 - 20021125d - Retail - EURO Europe
November 26, 2002 rayman3 - 20021126 - Retail - US US
November 27, 2002 rayman3 - 20021127 - Retail - US US
November 28, 2002 rayman3 - 20021128 - Retail - US US
November 29, 2002 rayman3 - 20021129 - Retail - EURO Europe
November 29, 2002 rayman3 - 20021129 - Retail - US US
November 30, 2002 rayman3 - 20021130 - Retail - EURO Europe
November 30, 2002 rayman3 - 20021130 - Retail - US US

Preview version

In 2020 a preview version of the game was discovered and dumped. There is no known build date for it, although it is assumed to be dated between October 28th and October 29th 2002 based on the in-game content. Like the test versions this one contains a debug menu, debug cheats and early in-game content.

Level maps

Early assets

  •  
    Unused alternate exit
  •  
    The cage animations are different
  •  
    The kart has a different design

Retail version

Unused assets

The files of the final game contain a number of unused objects and animations.

  •  
  •  
    This animation is meant to play when the player enters a new level. However, it remains unused in the final version due to what appears to be a programming bug.
  •  
  •  
  •  
  •  
    The bouncy platforms have a variant where a trap appears from it after contact. This remains unused in the final version.

Development

Level names

In the majority of the prototypes the level names use their originally intended names from Rayman 2 as shown both in the debug menu and in-game.

Final Debug Menu Prototype
Wanderwood Forest WoodLight The Wood Light
Shining Glade FairyGlade Fairy Glade
Swamp of Bégoniax MarshAwakening #1 Marsh Awakening
Garish Gears Boss Machine Boss Machine
Hoodlum Hideout Sanctuary of Big Tree Sanctuary Of The Big Trees
Magma Mayhem Missile sur pattes #1 Missile Sur Pattes
Vertigo Wastes Echoing Caves The Echoeing Caves
Void of Bones Caves of Bad Dreams Cave Of Bad Dreams
Jano's Nest Boss Bad Dreams Boss Bad Dream
Prickly Passage Menhir Hill The Menhirs Hills
Swamp of Bégoniax 2 MarshAwakening #2 Marsh Of Awakening
River of Fire Sanctuary of Stone and Fire Sanctuary Stone And Fire
The Underlands Beneath The Sanctuary Beneath Sanctuary
Boulder Brink The Precipice The Precipice
Den of Rocky Boss Rock And Lava Boss : Rock And Lava
Wretched Ruins The Canopy The Canopy
Wicked Flow Sanctuary of Rock and Lava Sanctuary Rock And Lava
Creeping Chaos Tomb of the Ancients Tomb Of The Ancient
Scaleman's Keep Boss ScaleMan Boss : Clark
The Mettleworks Iron Mountains The Iron Mountains
Magma Mayhem 2 Missile sur pattes #2 Missile sur pattes
Razor Slide Pirate Ship The Pirate Ship
Heart of the Ancients Boss Final Boss Final
Mega Havoc 1 Bonus #1 Bonus #1
Mega Havoc 2 Bonus #2 Bonus #2
Mega Havoc 3 Bonus #3 Bonus #3
Mega Havoc 4 Bonus #4 Bonus #4
Lum Challenge 1000e lums 1000e lums
Ly's Punch Challenge 1 Challenge Ly #1 Challenge Ly #1
Ly's Punch Challenge 2 Challenge Ly #2 Challenge Ly #2
Ly's Punch Challenge 3 Challenge Ly GCN N/A

The debug menu name for Ly's Punch Challenge 3 comes from the N-Gage version since that level hadn't been added yet when the prototype was made.

Cutscenes

The cutscenes in the early prototypes use mockup images and temporary dialogue.

References

  1. ↑ Gaming Alexandria, Rayman III (GBA, Prototype), https://www.gamingalexandria.com/wp/2020/08/rayman-iii-gba-prototype/
  2. ↑ archive.org, Rayman 3 GBA Prototypes, https://archive.org/details/rayman-3-gba-prototypes
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