Rayman (series)

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  • This article is about the Rayman series in general. For the character, see Rayman. For the original game, see Rayman 1.
Notable characters that have appeared in the Rayman series.

The Rayman series is an action platform video game series. The series was created by French games designer Michel Ancel, and each instalment has been published by Ubisoft. The protagonist of the games is the heroic Rayman, a character destined to combat the forces of evil and preserve the equilibrium of the universe. The games take place in a fantastical world known as the Glade of Dreams, which was dreamed into existence by the god Polokus and is sustained by a mystical keystone known as the Heart of the World.

The Rayman series began in 1995 with the release of the original Rayman game, a 2D sidescrolling platformer set in a region known as the valley. This was followed in 1999 by Rayman 2, a 3D platformer sequel. The year 2003 saw the release of another 3D platformer, Rayman 3. In 2005, Phoenix Interactive attempted to develop a new 3D platformer under the title Rayman 4; however, this was cancelled in favour of Rayman Raving Rabbids, a different 3D platformer which was being developed by Ubisoft Montpellier. However, it was similarly cancelled. Many of its elements were recycled into a spin-off party game, also titled Rayman Raving Rabbids, which went on to spawn its own series of sequels, which bore progressively less resemblance to the Rayman series. In 2011, Rayman Origins, a side-scrolling 2D platformer sequel, was released. In 2012, a mobile spin-off of Rayman Origins was released, titled Rayman Jungle Run. In 2013, a direct sequel of Origins, titled Rayman Legends, was released. Later in 2013, a mobile spin-off of Rayman Legends was released, titled Rayman Fiesta Run. In 2015, another mobile spin-off of Legends was released, titled Rayman Adventures.

Backstory

Polokus, the creator of the Glade of Dreams.

In the beginning, there were only the Lums – little beings of pure energy. They came in several coloured varieties, each with their own attributes, but the most important were the one-thousand Yellow Lums. One day, the Lums focused their energy into thought, and created a god named Polokus (also known as the Bubble Dreamer). Polokus's power was such that his smallest thought or desire became reality. Through his dreams (which were composed of friendly creatures called Electoons), he created the Glade of Dreams, the world in which the Rayman series takes place.

The Glade of Dreams is a rich and magical world, featuring many diverse environments, from relatively realistic forests and mountains to surreal landscapes of music and art supplies. It has two Moons and two Suns. Polokus populated his world with fairies, Teensies and a plethora of other fantasical creatures. The balance of the Glade is maintained by the Heart of the World, a glowing core of energy composed of the original one-thousand Yellow Lums. When Polokus had completed his world, one task remained: creating time. In order to accomplish this, Polokus sank into a deep sleep. In his dreams, he left the Glade, and travelled to the place where all the gods of all the worlds meet. Together they set about dreaming up the future. Wise men say that, at the dawn of time, a war broke out between the gods for control of the one-thousand Yellow Lums. This is commemorated by the Game of the Gods. It is also told that the Glade was originally shaped like a flat disc, and only later became a spherical planet.

For a time following Polokus's departure, the Glade of Dreams was blissful and idyllic. However, Polokus's nightmares could also take on a life of their own. When Polokus had his First Bad Dream, a monstrous being known as Jano was created. Jano launched an invasion on the Glade with his spawn, the Darktoons, which were the antithesis of the Electoons. In order to combat Jano, Betilla the Fairy and her sisters – a group of benevolent nymphs – traveled to the Primordial Forest and used their magic to create Rayman, a hero who could help to maintain the balance of the Glade and protect it from evil. However, the nymphs accidentally lost a sack of Lums on their way to the ritual, and as a result, Rayman was born without limbs. In his first adventure – which is referenced but never shown – the young Rayman put an end to Jano's invasion and restored peace to the Glade.

According to one of the Relic mosaics in the PlayStation Vita version of Rayman Origins, Rayman was originally bald, and once had a wife or girlfriend of his own species. As the two slept in the forest one night, Rayman was ambushed by an army of tiny blonde hair creatures, which fused themselves to his head. Terrified by this development, Rayman's partner chased him with a giant pair of scissors. In an effort to escape, Rayman fell over a cliff, but was amazed to find that his new hair could act as a helicopter, flying him to safety.

Rayman

The original Rayman was released in 1995. At the beginning of the Atari Jaguar version, Rayman is seen frolicking with a group of Electoons while they gravitate around the Great Protoon, a glowing orb of energy which seems to be the Heart of the World under another name. Later, a dark and mysterious villain known as Mr Dark appears, stealing the Great Protoon and defeating Betilla the Fairy as she tries to protect it. When the Great Protoon is removed from its rightful place, the Glade of Dreams is cast into imbalance, and nightmarish creatures like Antitoons, piranhas, Livingstones and hunters begin to proliferate, capturing the scattered Electoons and imprisoning them in cages. The Magician calls upon Rayman, asking him to free all of the Electoons, defeat Mr Dark and restore the Great Protoon to its rightful place. Rayman receives the Magician's call while relaxing in a hammock, giving him the thumbs-up and responding ‘No problem!’ It seems that Rayman has become lazy, confident and self-assured since defeating Jano. At this time, Rayman apparently lives in a house on a beach, though his home is never fully seen (the very first level of the game, Pink Plant Woods, is named the Primordial Forest in the original French edition, suggesting that this is very close to Rayman's birthplace). He then travels through the valley's six different lands, rescuing Electoons and defeating powerful bosses. Along the way, Rayman meets his creator, Betilla the Fairy, for the first time; she gives him several powers to help him on his way, and is kidnapped by Mr Dark for her efforts. Rayman eventually reaches Mr Dark's lair in the Candy Château, where the villain transforms himself into monstrous hybrids of the previous five bosses. Ultimately Rayman defeats Mr Dark, rescues Betilla and returns the Great Protoon to its rightful place, restoring the balance of the Glade of Dreams.

The cover of Rayman Junior.

Rayman Junior

From 1996, Rayman appeared in several educational computer games designed especially for children, notably a game based on the original Rayman game in which the player has to solve several reading and mathematics questions throughout modified versions of the original levels. This game had several names, and was released for the Sony PlayStation in 2000 as Rayman Junior in Europe and Rayman Brain Games in North America.


Other educational Rayman games include the following:

Rayman (Game Boy Color)

The Game Boy Color adaptation of Rayman was released in 2000, and features a simplified version of the original game's story. In this game, the Tings reveal themselves to be tiny fairies encased in glassy spheres. They act as guides, helping Rayman to find his way and explaining the story to him. Rayman is told that the evil Mr Dark has kidnapped the Toons in order to steal their magical energy for his own use, so Rayman sets out to stop him and restore peace to his world. The aforementioned characters are the only ones who appear in the game, which is notable for featuring a climactic battle between Rayman and Mr Dark in the Rocky Peaks; this contrasts with the original game, where Mr Dark shape-shifts in various hybrids of the previous bosses during the final battle.


Rayman 2

The cover of Rayman 2.

Rayman's next adventure, Rayman 2, features a darker story and somewhat more realistic environments. Prior to the opening of the game, the Glade of Dreams is invaded by an army of Robo-Pirates from space, led by the diabolical Admiral Razorbeard. The pirates enslave tens of thousands of innocent creatures, imprisoning them on their colossal flying ship, the Buccaneer. Rayman joins a resistance movement, and travels with his friend Globox to the Great Forest, where the pirates are massing. In the middle of a fight, Rayman's powers suddenly disappear – he receives a telepathic message from Ly the Fairy, who tells him that the Robo-Pirates have just smashed the Heart of the World, scattering the one-thousand Yellow Lums across the Glade of Dreams, destroying the cosmic balance and stripping Rayman and Ly of their magical powers. As Rayman is captured by the pirates, he tells a frightened Globox to run and find Ly for help. Rayman is imprisoned in a jail cell on board the Buccaneer, and it seems that the Glade's last hope has been lost. However, Globox gives himself up to the pirates in order to be reunited with Rayman. Globox gives him a Silver Lum, which he received from Ly and smuggled into the ship. The Silver Lum restores Rayman's ability to shoot with his magic fist, allowing him to smash into a vent and escape. Globox accidentally knocks Rayman off the Buccaneer and they both fall to the ground.

On his journey to find Ly the Fairy, Rayman meets Murfy (a helpful greenbottle) and the Grand Minimus (the king of the Teensies) for the first time. When Rayman finds Ly, she asks him if he has heard of Polokus, and he tells her that he has not. Ly informs Rayman that Polokus's power is immense, and that he is their only hope of defeating the Robo-Pirates, but that he has been sleeping for many years. In order to reawaken Polokus and enlist his help, Rayman must track down the Four Masks of Polokus – ancient artefacts that the god hid around the Glade of Dreams, and which, when reunited, could bring him back. In order to do this, Rayman must defeat the masks' remaining Guardians, whose personalities range from reasonable to insane. Each time he finds a Mask, Rayman is briefly transported to Polokus's resting place, where he meets the ancient god for the first time and gives him his Masks, one by one. Rayman must also collect all one-thousand Yellow Lums scattered throughout the game to repair the Heart of the World, and free dozens of friendly creatures that the pirates have imprisoned in cages. Along the way, Rayman carries out many tasks, rescuing his friends Ssssam the Watersnake, Carmen the Whale, Globox, and Globox's 650 babies. At one point, while searching for an Elixir of Life to cure his friend Clark the Giant, Rayman encounters his first foe, Jano, the monster whom he was created to defeat. Jano is now the Guardian of the Cave of Bad Dreams, a subterranean grotto where Polokus's nightmares are imprisoned. Although they have a protracted battle, Rayman defeats Jano, who apparently comes to respect Rayman when he chooses the Elixir of Life for his friend rather than a mountain of gold. They part on good terms. Eventually, Rayman collects all four Masks, reawakening Polokus, who uses his power to destroy almost every Robo-Pirate in the Glade of Dreams. However, Polokus's power does not extent into the air, so he cannot take down Razorbeard and his prison-ship, the Buccaneer. Rayman travels to the Buccaneer to free its prisoners and defeat Razorbeard himself. After a long battle, Razorbeard flies away in his escape pod and blows up the Buccaneer with Rayman inside. Rayman was believed by his friends to have died in the explosion, the only thing left of him being his left shoe. At his funeral, Rayman arrives safe and sound and is reunited with his foot. After his long and difficult adventure, he is told that the Robo-Pirates are gone and the Heart of the World is back together. Rayman is then told to rest, as it is unknown what challenges tomorrow will bring.

Rayman: The Animated Series

Produced in 1999, Rayman: The Animated Series was a short-lived television series with little connection to the games. In the first episode, Rigatoni, the villainous boss of an intergalactic circus, captures Rayman and takes him to his circus. Rayman, however, does not take this and jokes around with Razorbeard, who is now portrayed as Rigatoni's servant. Rayman finds out how badly the other circus freaks are being treated and helps them escape. Angered, Rigatoni phones Inspector Grub and tells him to find Rayman and his new friends and bring them back. Meanwhile, outside the vast city of Aeropolis, Rayman and the gang see an old man struggling to fix a car. The man promises he will let them have the car if they can fix it and Cookie (one of the other fugitives) successfully manages to do so. After evading Inspector Grub, they seek refuge in what seems to be the detective's house.

The cover of Rayman 2 Forever.

Rayman 2 Forever (Game Boy Color)

Rayman 2 Forever, also known simply as Rayman 2 in North America, follows the same gameplay style as seen in the previous Game Boy Color game. The story is similar to that of Rayman 2, but with far less characters and plot elements. All of the levels are based on Rayman 2, though they still play in 2D. The game reuses assets and music from the previous Game Boy Color game. It is the first handheld Rayman game to include a save system other than through passwords, this time utilizing the cartridges battery save.


The cover of Rayman M.

Rayman M

In Rayman M, a multiplayer spin-off game, Rayman, as well as both friends and foes from Rayman 2, return for a competition. This surprising biathlon contains two parts: racing and battle, with the Sony PlayStation version only having the racing. The game includes the ability to play as several different characters, as well as changing costumes which are unlocked throughout the course of the game. A multiplayer mode is available as well as a single player mode. In the single player mode there are different challenges to complete for both the racing and battle courses.

The events of this game do not seem to be connected to those of the main series. The game was released as Rayman Arena in North America and as Rayman Rush on the Sony PlayStation.


Rayman 3

The cover of Rayman 3.

At the beginning of Rayman 3, Rayman and his best friend Globox are sleeping in a forest in the Glade of Dreams. Nearby, a Red Lum sees something so terrifying that it transforms into a malevolent Black Lum known as André. André converts other Red Lums to Black Lums simply by touching them. By stripping the wool from animals, the Black Lums weave costumes for themselves, becoming new enemies known as Hoodlums. André schemes to infect the Heart of the World, using its energy to create an unstoppable Hoodlum army.

Eager in his intents, he storms through the doors of the Fairy Council, unaware that, with the help of Murfy, Rayman and Globox had already arrived there, frantically searching for him. Globox, standing in a hallway, screams and accidentally swallows André, where André soon decides to reside. On the advice of the Grand Minimus, Rayman and Globox travel across the Glade of Dreams and visit three different Teensie doctors, each of whom attempts to remove André from Globox and hopefully destroy the Black Lum. Along the way, the heroes have a run-in with the Knaaren, a race of subterranean warriors who worship a god known as the Leptys. When Rayman defeats their champion, Reflux, the Knaaren reward him: with the Sceptre of the Leptys, they grant him the power to transform Black Lums into Red Lums with a simple grimace, a power Rayman once had in the original Rayman game. Then Rayman and Globox are allowed to go along their way. When they reach the third Teensie doctor, he decides to join forces with the first two, and together they manage to extract André. However, André escapes, and tracks down the Knaaren warrior Reflux, who was disgraced by his defeat at the hands of Rayman. André convinces Reflux to steal the Sceptre of the Leptys from his king, granting the evil duo tremendous power, which they can use to destroy Rayman.

Rayman and Globox chase André and Reflux to several different locations, destroying the Hoodlum Headquarters, and finally arriving at the Tower of the Leptys. There they find Reflux and André, now essentially fused into a single body and imbued with the godly power of the Leptys. Throughout the battle, Reflux becomes more and more powerful. He embeds the Sceptre in his back, allowing him to draw on its power directly, and causing him to grow to gigantic size, develop wings, and spawn Hoodlums from his back. Following his final defeat amidst the otherworldly clouds of the Leptys, Reflux crystallises and shatters, revealing that André was hiding inside his back and using the power of the Sceptre to spawn minions during the battle. Rayman uses his grimace to convert André back to a Red Lum, causing all other Black Lums to return to their original blissful state. Rayman and Globox fall back to the forest they were sleeping in at the start of the game. As Rayman attempts to get some sleep, Globox says that he misses André, and asks Rayman to bring him back by scaring a Red Lum. Rayman says that he doesn't think that's a good idea, and that he wouldn't know what could scare a Lum. As the heroes fall asleep, the player is shown an apparent flashback in which the hands of the sleeping Rayman suddenly come to life and walk off. The hands see a Red Lum and scare it by making shadow puppets, causing it to transform into André and revealing that Rayman's unconscious hands had set the events of the entire game in motion.

Rayman 3 (Game Boy Advance)

In this handheld sidescroller, Admiral Razorbeard strikes back at the Glade of Dreams by capturing Globox, and it is up to Rayman to save his friend yet again. The events of this game may take place between those of Rayman 2 and Rayman 3, or may simply be considered an alternate version of Rayman 3’s story. Globox swallows a Black Lum, similarly to Rayman 3, although it doesn't appear to be André and was apparently done to save a group of Teensies. Admiral Razorbeard returns as the main villain, with him wanting revenge from the events of Rayman 2. Throughout the course of the game Rayman will meet a bunch of characters from Rayman 2, such as Ssssam and Ly, who will help him out in similar ways. Most levels are based on Rayman 2, with minor inclusions from Rayman 3, and the soundtrack consists largely of remixes from Rayman 2.

When Rayman eventually makes it to the pirate's stronghold, he is once again faced with Razorbeard's machine, the Grolgoth. Upon defeating it and Razorbeard, Globox is rescued and the Black Lum flies out from his mouth. Globox then goes on to tell his children how he saved the world, with a little help from Rayman.

Rayman: Hoodlums' Revenge

In Rayman: Hoodlums' Revenge, a handheld spin-off of Rayman 3, it is revealed that part of André's spirit remained in Globox's body when André was expelled. The spirit of André summons back the Hoodlums to get their revenge on the world for being defeated. One of their plans is to create a clone of Reflux to kill Rayman.

Rayman and Globox are napping in the Clearleaf Forest, when Globox hears a strange sound and goes to follow it, only to be captured by the Hoodlums. Rayman wakes later that afternoon to find Globox missing, and goes searching for him with the help of Murfy, fighting the Hoodlums along the way and destroying Reflux's plum juice factory. Rayman later reunites with Globox as he fights the witch Bégoniax.

As the duo go further, Rayman starts noticing Globox's strange split personality, the other side of him being very cruel and rude. When he defeats the Firemonster, André's spirit announces his full possession over Globox, to Rayman's dismay.

Eventually, Rayman defeats the Reflux clone, expelling André's evil spirit from an unconscious Globox. Globox then wakes, returned to his normal self, and the two walk off together in the forest, Rayman stating they made a great team.


Rayman Raving Rabbids

Following the release of Rayman 3, two attempts were made to develop a 3D platforming sequel. The first was cancelled outright, and the second was cancelled and recycled into a party game (which went on to spawn its own spin-off franchise). Eventually, aspects of both platformers were combined to create a 2D sidescroller for the Game Boy Advance, which was released in 2006.

Rayman 4 (cancelled prototype)

The first attempt was made by Phoenix Interactive in 2005. This studio began work on a game titled Rayman 4, and commissioned a substantial amount of concept artwork, much of which was gradually leaked to the public over the following years. This artwork shows that the game would have featured faithful 3D recreations of many environments from the original Rayman game, such as Band Land and Picture City, as well as a plot involving Bad Rayman. After four months of pre-production, the game was cancelled.

Rayman Raving Rabbids (cancelled prototype)

The second attempt was made by Ubisoft Montpellier, the studio which developed the first three Rayman games. In 2006, a 3D platform game designed by Michel Ancel and known as Rayman Raving Rabbids was set to be released. This game, which Ancel has referred to as Rayman 4, would have been an epic adventure story in which Rayman teams up with his former enemy André to save both of their girlfriends and defeat a Rabbid invasion through force. However, this game was ultimately cancelled, and its assets were recycled into Rayman Raving Rabbids – a party game which was followed by a string of sequels.


The cover of Rayman Raving Rabbids.

Rayman Raving Rabbids

Rayman Raving Rabbids was the game which came out of the two previous cancelled platformers, this time as a party game for the Nintendo Wii. The game was later ported onto several other consoles. In the game the player has to complete mini-games in order to advance through the daily games the Rabbids force Rayman to participate in. For every day, Rayman will earn a plunger, which he then uses to eventually escape through the window.


Rayman Raving Rabbids (Game Boy Advance)

In 2006, the Game Boy Advance version of Rayman Raving Rabbids was released. It is not a party game, but a 2D sidescrolling platformer, very similar in gameplay to the Game Boy Advance version of Rayman 3. The game is essentially a fusion of Phoenix Interactive's Rayman 4 project and Ubisoft Montpellier's original Rayman Raving Rabbids platformer. The story is closer to that of the cancelled Rayman Raving Rabbids: the Glade of Dreams is invaded by an army of vicious Rabbids, which are led by a colossal war machine known as the Rabbids' ship, and Rayman sets out on a quest to take them down. The levels and art style, however, are closer to those of Phoenix Interactive's Rayman 4 project. Many of the game's levels are either locations from the original Rayman game that Phoenix planned to revisit, or locations that were originally designed by Phoenix's concept artists. The game features familiar enemies like Livingstones, Antitoons, hunters and piranhas. Along the way, numerous characters from Rayman 2 and Rayman 3 make cameo appearances – most notably Ly the Fairy, who plays a major role in the game. Rayman eventually destroys the Rabbids' ship and restores harmony to the Glade of Dreams once more.


Rayman Raving Rabbids (Nintendo DS)

The Nintendo DS version of Rayman Raving Rabbids follows a similar plot to the console version. Instead of mainly consisting of mini-games, it now has the player play through 2D platforming stages as well. The game recycles a lot of assets from Rayman DS, a Nintendo DS port of Rayman 2.


Rayman Origins

The cover of Rayman Origins.

Rayman Origins is a 2D sidescrolling platformer sequel released in 2011. At the beginning of the game, Rayman, Globox, Polokus (named in the game as Bubble Dreamer) and some Teensies are sleeping peacefully on a branch of the Snoring Tree, when a nearby microphone carries the sound of their snoring all the way down to the Land of the Livid Dead. An undead Granny becomes increasingly irritated by the racket, and furiously sends an army of Darktoons, Psychlops and other nightmare creatures to invade the Glade of Dreams. The heroes are captured and imprisoned. When they break free, they find that their enemies have gone on a rampage, capturing Electoons and locking them up in cages. Since the Electoons are the stuff of Polokus's dreams, this has caused the bonds that hold the Glade together to begin fraying. The heroes set out to free the Electoons, which gradually build bridges to new locations that they can visit, and the nymphs (including Betilla the Fairy), who are being held prisoner by Darktoons. Along the way, the heroes must collect Lums, which they can trade to the Magician for more Electoons.

At some point in the game, a mysterious mechanical city known as the Moody Clouds appears in the sky. In order to reach the Moody Clouds and solve its mystery, the heroes must track down and free the Four Kings of the lands, all of whom have been transformed into vicious monsters by the imbalances of the Glade. With the help of all the nymphs, the Kings, the Dreamer's Door is activated, and the heroes can use it to transport themselves to the Moody Clouds. After fighting their way through the mechanical city and overcoming legions of robotic enemies, they discover who is responsible for creating this mechanical fortress and its robotic army: the Magician. Over the years since the original Rayman, the Magician had become obsessed with Mr Dark, and the walls of his headquarters are covered with posters showing pictures of the old villain (one even saying ‘♥ Mister D’). An early version of the game's script reveals a scrapped scenario that goes into much more detail about the Magician's motivations, in which his real name would have been Ales Mansay. In that scrapped plot, he was bullied in magic school for his poor magical abilities, and always secretly wanted to be like Mr Dark. He considered Polokus to be a childish and useless god who allows his nightmares to endanger his own people. In order to bring an end to Polokus's chaotic reign and impose a new order of discipline and reason, the Magician built the Moody Clouds, and an army of mechas with which to take over the Glade of Dreams. He planted a microphone in the Snoring Tree to start a war with the Livid Dead, simply to manipulate Rayman into collecting Lums which the Magician could use to power his creations, though none of this is present in the final game. After the heroes defeat mechanical duplicates of two of the game's previous bosses, they confront the Magician, who distracts and confuses them with a disco number before running away. A difficult chase sequence ensues as the Moody Clouds begins to disintegrate, with debris and machines collapsing and falling through the air. Then the Magician boards a flying ship, and the heroes must chase him through the sky on the backs of their mosquito friends. Eventually the ship collides with the Moody Clouds' glowing energy core, causing a colossal explosion. The heroes land on the Snoring Tree and immediately go back to sleep. The Magician's fate is unknown.

By collecting the ten shiny Skull Teeth strewn throughout the game and giving them to Mister Death, the heroes can access the Land of the Livid Dead, the game's optional final level in which undead Grannies like the one seen at the beginning of the game are the primary enemies. At the end of this very difficult level, the heroes encounter the monstrous Big Mama, a tentacled, squid-like beast. When they defeat her, she transforms into a nymph and thanks the heroes for their help.

The app icon for Rayman Jungle Run.

Rayman Jungle Run

Rayman Jungle Run is a 2D running game released on September 2012. It is the first unique Rayman game to be released for smartphones. Featuring a similar art-style to Rayman Origins, it involves running through various levels, and utilising Rayman's various abilities to overcome obstacles. The player has no control of where Rayman is running, only what actions he may use. The game has won various awards and has been given editor's choice listings on Google Play and the Apple App Store.


Rayman Legends

The cover of Rayman Legends.

The next game in the series, Rayman Legends, features gameplay and graphics very similar to those of Rayman Origins, but takes place in a more grounded setting, based on myths and legends. The initial leaked trailer seemed to suggest that certain toys will be able to unlock additional content in the game, a feature pioneered by Skylanders: Spyro's Adventure. However, Ubisoft stated that the trailer did not indicate any actual items in the final product. The game was formally announced on E3 2012, and was initially Wii U exclusive. However, the final game was delayed many times, and ended up being released in the third quarter of 2013 for PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, Wii U, PC and the PlayStation Vita. The game was also released for the PlayStation 4 and Xbox One in February 2014.

The game begins 100 years after Rayman Origins, during which the heroes have been in deep slumber, allowing the Bubble Dreamer's nightmares to multiply and overwhelm the Glade of Dreams. Murfy awakens the heroes to set in motion the adventure played through in this installment. The Teensies have once again replaced the Electoons as the imprisoned species in cages, which are scattered throughout every level. The Magician has also multiplied into 5 Dark Teensies, during the adventure, they will summon various creatures to impede the heroes, they ultimately end up being attacked by imp-like creatures in a moon due to being defeated in turn.

The app icon for Rayman Fiesta Run.

Rayman Fiesta Run

Rayman Fiesta Run is a 2D running game released in October 2013. It is a sequel to Rayman Jungle Run and as such it features similar gameplay of running through various levels, and utilizing Rayman's various abilities to overcome obstacles with no control of where Rayman is running, only what actions he may use. It uses the same art-style as Rayman Legends, but with a focus on the food themed worlds which features in both Rayman Legends and Rayman Origins. Much like its predecessor, the game has won various awards and has been given editor's choice listings on Google Play and the Apple App Store.


The app icon for Rayman Adventures.

Rayman Adventures

Rayman Adventures is, similarly to Rayman Jungle Run and Rayman Fiesta Run, a 2D running game. Unlike the previous games, the player can now freely change direction, and if a gamepad is connected, have complete free control of the character. The game is available for free on iOS and Android devices, and therefor focuses on micro-transactions in the form of gems, which can be used to purchase items and speed of waiting times, and costume packs. The game has received the most updates out of any Rayman game, and is as of today still being updated with new content.



Rayman Mini

The app icon for Rayman Mini.

Rayman Mini is a game for the Apple Arcade service. It launced on September 23, 2019. Similarly to previous mobile titles, the player will automatically run in each level, being able to attack and jump to avoid obstacles and collect Lums. By collecting every Lum in a level, the player will be rewarded with an Electoon which can be use to buy outfits for Rayman, Globox and Barbara.

The game features 48 levels, including boss fights.


10th Anniversary

In 2005, the Rayman series celebrate its 10th anniversary with the release of the special Rayman 10th Anniversary compilations for PC, Game Boy Advance, PlayStation 2 and GameCube (France only).

20th Anniversary

In 2015, the Rayman series celebrated its 20th anniversary. Ubisoft released an official timeline for the series, although it does include a few minor mistakes. The most noticeable ones are that Globox would be created by the Teensies and that Rayman Origins is the first Rayman game with a multiplayer mode, which in reality is the Dreamcast version of Rayman 2. The timeline also reveals the language in Rayman 2 to be called Wandaye, although it was earlier known simply as Raymanian in Rayman Revolution.

The official timeline from 2015.


I ♥ Rayman Fan Video Contest

The I ♥ Rayman Fan Video Contest, also known as I Love Rayman Fan Video Contest, was a contest held by Ubisoft in 2015.[1] A special website was opened specifically for the contest, which has since been closed, where the fans could post videos for a chance to win a VIP trip to the Ubisoft Montpellier Studio. The contest was held between October 1 until October 30 and the winner was revealed as Hannah, also known as RayGirl.[2]

Livestream

The livestream information being displayed.

On November 17 a special live stream was held with Michel Ancel and others from the Rayman team. During the stream they played some of the original game, Rayman Adventures and answered a few questions from the chat.

Developer interviews

Several short developer interview videos were posted, known as Dev Flash, where several of the Rayman Adventures developers talked about working with the game.[3][4][5]


References