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Rayman in the Phantom Show
| Rayman in the Phantom Show | ||
|---|---|---|
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| Published by | Ubisoft | |
| Developed by | Ubisoft Milan, Ubisoft Paris | |
| Soundtrack by | Christophe Héral, Grant Kirkhope | |
| Release date | August 30, 2023 | |
| Genre | Tactical role-playing | |
| Gameplay mode | Single-player | |
| Platforms | Nintendo Switch | |
Rayman in the Phantom Show is the third DLC of Mario + Rabbids Sparks of Hope, featuring Rayman. It was released on August 30, 2023.
In this adventure, Rayman teams up with Rabbid Peach and Rabbid Mario. The Phantom, an enemy previously featured in Mario + Rabbids Kingdom Battle, now works as a studio director for the Space Opera Network, and needs their help as the studio's TV ratings hit a new low.
David Gasman reprises his role as the voice actor for Rayman, while the soundtrack is composed by Christophe Héral, also the composer of the Rayman Origins and Rayman Legends soundtracks, and Grant Kirkhope.
Announcement
On September 10, 2022, it was announced at Ubisoft Forward 2022 that Rayman will feature in a DLC for Mario + Rabbids Sparks of Hope, the last of a series of three. A teaser was published for the occasion, showing Rayman's hair in the middle of a row of Rabbid ears.
On June 12, 2023, a subsequent teaser was revealed at Ubisoft Forward 2023. In the video, Rayman comes across Rabbid Mario, Rabbid Peach and Beep-0 at a reception, where they seem to be in the process of checking in. Rabbid Peach aims her Triple-Troll weapon at Rayman while Rabbid Mario greets him with a handshake, but the latter falls unconscious when Rayman's hand is pulled from his body. Rabbid Peach then thoroughly observes Rayman's absence of arms and legs, leading him to push her aside.
On August 1, 2023, a new trailer was published, revealing the title of the DLC to be Rayman in the Phantom Show and its release date as August 30, 2023.
Plot
The game begins with Rayman, having travelled using a shell, arriving at the Space Opera Network, holding a golden ticket decorated with phonograph horns. He soon encounters a Rabbid wearing a cloak and a skull mask called a Stooge, and then exclaims that he knew that the invitation was fishy, and that a Rabbid was behind it. Upon defeating it and other enemies, he exits the Repository and enters the Network Reception.
There, he comes across Rabbid Mario, Rabbid Peach and Beep-0 at the reception, where they seem to be in the process of checking in. Rabbid Peach aims her Triple-Troll weapon at Rayman while Rabbid Mario greets him with a handshake, but the latter falls unconscious when Rayman's hand is pulled from his body. Rabbid Peach then thoroughly observes Rayman's absence of arms and legs, leading him to push her aside. Beep-0 then intervenes, assuring Rayman, whom he calls "Mr. Eggplant", that they are not "run-off-the-mill Rabbids", but heroes. Before they can discuss the situation further, they are ambushed by Goombas and Stooges, and join forces against them.
Upon defeating the enemies, Rayman and the Rabbids introduce themselves to each other and find out that they have all received the same invitation. They praise each other's fighting abilities and decide to team up for the time being. Immediately afterwards, an elevator comes down into the room, and the Phantom comes out of it and towards them. Rabbid Mario and Rabbid Peach, recognizing the enemy they previously fought in the Spooky Trails area of Mario + Rabbids Kingdom Battle, are held back by Rayman as they try to attack him, and the Phantom reveals a bouquet of flowers, appeasing the Rabbids. He goes on to explain that he is now a changed person, no longer corrupted by the Megabug, and that he needs their help to restore the studio's ratings as his actors have left him. The Rabbids are instantly convinced by the Phantom's promises of fame and glory, and while Beep-0 is initially reluctant, he is eventually won over by flattery. The heroes are then tasked with performing in three different locations, the Western Set, the Medieval Set and the Pirate Set.
It quickly turns out, however, that all three sets are overrun with creatures of Darkmess. In the Western Set, where the Phantom is shooting a movie titled The Ballad of Plungerhands McMurdy, the heroes are tasked with punching wood cutouts of bandits, after which they must defeat their leader, a Bravado called "Iron Hands" Sydney Rabbidwhacker. In the Medieval Set, where the The Double Marriage of the Careless Shepherdess is being shot, they are pit against a live action dragon played by a giant Flamin' Stooge. Finally, in the Pirate Set, where the Phantom is shooting Captain Opera-Beard and the Bumbling Brigands of Toilet Water Bay, the heroes must fight a Sea Stooge and defeat a kraken.
Once all three tasks have been completed, the Phantom congratulates them and asks the team to join him by the elevator in the Main TV Studio. Rayman shows wariness, but they nonetheless ascend to the Control Room, where the Phantom reveals his duplicity, explaining that he had been plotting his revenge the entire time and only manipulated the heroes into ridding the Space Opera Network of Darkmess. With the help of his newfound fame, as the studio is now number one in the galaxy, he intends to defeat the heroes as part of one last performance. Breaking the fourth wall, he notably taunts Rayman for having become irrelevant and fallen second to the Rabbids.
In battles reminiscent of when he was first encountered, the team eventually defeats the Phantom, destroying the spotlights that provide him with immunity. Beep-0 claims that he was never fooled by their old enemy's promises, but this is quickly dismissed by Rabbid Mario who reminds him that he has already fallen for it once. Rayman then exclaims that it was nice to fight alongside Rabbids for once.
Having found a functioning warp portal, Rabbid Mario and Rabbid Peach decide to head back to Princess Peach's castle, having not found the actor career much to their liking, while Rayman chooses to stay for some time, explaining that the Rabbids here at the studio are actually trying to do some good and simply need some supervision.
Beep-0 then goes on to thank Rayman, promising him that he can count on them, should he need anything. Finally, the game ends with Rabbid Mario hugging Rayman and Rabbid Peach exchanging presents with him. In pictures shown after the credits, the presents are revealed to be a Mario cap with Rabbid ears, which Rayman wears, and a Rayman hoodie, which Mario holds in his hands.
Gameplay
Overall, the DLC plays very similarly to the main game, in that it is a strategy turn-based game with overworld exploration. At first, only Rayman is playable, but he is very soon joined by Rabbid Mario and Rabbid Peach. None of the other characters from the the main game are available in the DLC.
During exploration, Rayman can use his telescopic fist to punch objects, including breakable ones, and start battles with enemies. Charging his fist allows it to reach further, while his grappling fist ability allows him to grab objects with it. He is also able to run, though he will be temporarily stunned if he bumps into an obstacle. In a stark contrast to his platforming roots, Rayman cannot jump during exploration, and must instead rely on other means to move vertically, such as ramps, ladders, stairs, jump tiles and Rabbid-shaped cannons and warp pipes.
In combat, this is possible using jump tiles and the team jump ability, and he can also move around using flying rings. Unlike Rabbid Mario and Rabbid Peach, Rayman cannot equip Sparks, but he possesses the Blaster and Plunger Guard weapons, and can use the Vortex and Rocket costumes, which grant him passive abilities and equip him with new weapons and abilities, namely the Vortex Blaster, the Vortex Guard and the Vortex Pull with the Vortex costume and the Rocket Blaster, the Rocket Ride and the Rocket Guard with the Rocket costume. All heroes also possess the dash ability.
Rabbid Mario and Rabbid Peach's movesets are unchanged from the main game: while the former is equipped with the Dukes and possesses the Counter Blow technique, the latter is equipped with the Triple-Troll and can use the Heal technique. They can, however, equip two new Sparks, Selfie and Cryoquake, which they are revealed to have rescued after defeating Cursa. Their skill trees have also been condensed, merging multiple upgrades from the main game into fewer spots.
Quests and battles
- Main quests
- Spark quests
- Side quests
- A Bridge to Love
- Art at Stake
- Atop the Pirate Watchtower
- Behind the Counter
- Cooking with Alkementor
- Couple Affinity
- Cutout Bandits' Treasure
- Darkmess Waves
- Fantasy Loot
- Green Screen Scene
- Main Studio Blue Key Challenge
- Pirate Set Blue Key Challenge
- Punch Pals
- Royal Pain
- Space Opera Network Drifting Gateway
- Space Opera Network Invitational
- Train Wreck
- Western Set Blue Key Challenge
References to the Rayman series
Rayman in the Phantom Show contains numerous references to the Rayman series:
- Rayman travels to the Space Opera Network via a shell. The crashed shell can still be found in the Repository.
- "The Rayman Show", the track played when Rayman first arrives at the Space Opera Network, remixes multiple themes from the Rayman games. Firstly, a remix of "Chasing a Dream" from Rayman Origins' Land of the Livid Dead can be heard. Shortly after, the main theme of Rayman Legends, "The Tower of Babel", is heard. Near the end of the song, a remix of the main theme played in Teensies in Trouble is played as well.
- Replicas of Mr Dark's hat and cloak can be found hanging on a wall in the Repository.
- A replica of Barbara's helmet and hair can be found.
- A replica of a plum juice barrel can be found.
- Replicas of the Magician's hat and staff can be found.
- Cardboard cutouts depicting Robo-Pirates can be seen on the Pirate Set.
- A replica of a tree from the Dream Forest with a plum growing on it can be found.
- Replicas of all four Masks of Polokus can be found.
- The standard skin of Rayman's Blaster is based on a mosquito.
- Rayman's Plunger Guard weapons have the shape of a plum.
- The Legendary skins for the Blaster, The Dukes, and the Triple-Troll are based on Betilla, Globox, and Grand Minimus, respectively.
- One of Rayman's idle animations is playing a guitar, the same way he plays an air-guitar at the end of certain music levels in Rayman Legends. Furthermore, the guitar he plays is identical to one found in a promotional artwork for the same game.
- When Rayman wins a battle, he strikes his iconic peace sign pose from the UbiArt games.
- Various props of Globox can be found.
- Posters of a cowboy toad and what appears to be a variant of a Hatman Ninja can be found in the Western Set.
- A replica of the giant yellow submarine from Rayman Raving Rabbids 2 can be found.
- Before the final battle, the Phantom mentions Globox and Mr Dark. He notably says to Rayman that the former "needs to detox from your stinky sneaker", a probable reference to the introduction scene of Rayman M where the hero's best friend steals his shoes.
- An animatronic of Grunderbite can be found in the main quest The Medieval Set. Upon completing it, Rayman exclaims that he is reminded of his time at Castle Rock.
There are also multiple replicas and props from Mario + Rabbids Kingdom Battle.
Replicas of Mr Dark's hat and cloak hanging on a wall in the Repository
Replicas of the Magician's hat and staff
A replica of a tree from the Dream Forest with a plum growing on it
A replica of the first mask of Polokus
A replica of the second mask of Polokus
A replica of the third mask of Polokus
A replica of the fourth mask of Polokus
The crashed walking shell in the Repository
A replica of the yellow submarine from Rayman Raving Rabbids 2
A replica of Barbara's helmet
A barrel of plum juice
Cardboard cutouts of Razorbeard, a Henchman 800 and the Spyglass Pirate on the Pirate Set
Memories
Memories are collectibles found in Mario + Rabbids Sparks of Hope. They contain notes by JEANIE about various elements of the game such as characters, enemies, and locations, and can be either read or played as audio.
In Rayman in the Phantom Show, an additional 14 memories can be found. They are instead dictated by Beep-0, presumably because of JEANIE's absence from the DLC.
| Name | Quote | Location |
|---|---|---|
| The Space Opera Network | After decades of poor ratings, the Space Opera Network bet everything on a live comback concert by the Phantom. It wound up in bankruptcy with the opera singer as its largest creditor. Rumor has it that afterwards, the Phantom held a live telethon where viewers paid GOBS of money to have him stop singing so the network would return to its original programming, making him a small fortune. | Sold by the Salesbot 9.99+TX |
| Rayman | This Rayman character is fascinating indeed. He has hands, but no arms - at least none that I can see. He has feet, but no legs. He has different costumes, each of which enhances his fighting abilities in various ways. Rayman came to the Space Opera Network the same way we did - by invitation. However, he is far less trusting of our circumstance - probably just nerves brought on by stage fright. | Sold by the Salesbot 9.99+TX |
| Bravados | Where's JEANIE now, I wonder? Probably making all kinds of unauthorized changes to the WM ARC. I shall therefore have to do my best with the enemy analysis. The Bravados are detestable little long-range fighters that are always on the move, climbing to elevated positions from which to fire upon us from medium-range, where we remain under constant threat of their counter attacks and Gust super effects. | Sold by the Salesbot 9.99+TX |
| Giant Flamin' Stooge | Budget cuts at the Space Opera Network necessitated the last-minute procuring of a Giant Flamin' Stooge as a primary antagonist when a prospect of an animated dragon becomes too expensive. The Giant Flamin' Stooge has formidable scene presence, thanks to its terrifying weapon and area-of-effect fire attacks. Its strategy is simple - shoot Heroes in range and to have them scatter away from cover. | Sold by the Salesbot 9.99+TX |
| The Kraken | I um... I don't know what to say about THIS, other than I'm fairly certain it's a set piece from the low budget sci-fi film "The Robot vs. the Kraken vs. the Bride of the Giant Shrinking Man". The prop department has stuck some Darkmess Eyes on the Kraken, giving it an even more bizarre and yet menacing appearance than in the film. | Sold by the Salesbot 9.99+TX |
| The Phantom | The Phantom has been quite busy since we last saw him at Spooky Trails - a whirlwind relationship with Bea, the Warden of Terra Flora; co-host of the annual Galactovision song contest; and an album (A Thousand Hours of Mario Falling Into Lava), all under the watchful eye of the paparazzi. And most recently? Director of the Space Opera Network. Whatever you might say about him - he knows how to milk his 15 minutes. | |
| Plungerhands McMurdy | The show using this set is entitled The Ballad of Plungerhands McMurdy. A typical episode involves the titular character strolling into a small town looking for respite, only to tangle with a greedy "indoor plumbing baron". Galaxy Confidential called it "adequately entertaining", and gave the show its "Nice To Have On In The Background" Award (honorable mention). | |
| The Careless Shepherdess | The show broadcast from this set is entitled The Double Marriage of the Careless Shepherdess - an hour-long musical dramedy in which the Phantom plays "Cyprien Fairclough", a young swashbuckling prince with a voice like a nightingale and throngs of female admirers. Let's just say it involves a LOT of makeup, stuntpeople, reverse-aging technology, and award-winning editing to get viewers to buy into the concept. | |
| Captain Opera-Beard | The show utilizing this set is Captain Opera-Beard and the Bumbling Brigands of Toilet Water Bay. It's won several awards, I think - not so much for its acting, music, writing, direction, humor, or overall quality - but its wardrobe and sound mixing are top notch, and have helped the show maintain an iron grip on the top spot with viewers during the Wednesday 02:00 - 03:00 a.m. time slot. | |
| Morning Galaxy Magazine | These sets were from a show called Morning Galaxy Magazine With The Phantom! An insipid tabloid. Let's see, DJ Cheep Tuna was a guest, the artist Gerspard... Sullivan's Train Talk? Cooking with Alkementor? Even Sweetlopek and the Dryad had a show - "Building A Bridge To Love!" EVERYONE was invited on this stupid thing but us! | |
| S.O.N. Movie-of-the-Week | The prop warehouse fills me a sense of déjà vu - and now I realize why! The warehouse is FILLED with props and set pieces modeled after our OWN adventures! The Space Opera Network optioned the rights to our life stories for a film. It appears to be stuck in turnaround - GOOD! They sent us the script - they replaced me with a wise-cracking parrot in order to make me "warmer and more relatable". Can you imagine?! | |
| Spark Road Trip | We discovered that when packing for a trip, it's extremely difficult to decide which Sparks to bring. In the end we brought them all, including two brand new Sparks we saved after the conclusion of our adventure versus Cursa - Selfie and Cryoquake. We thought it'd be fun for the Sparks to have a little R' n' R after everything. Goodness knows they deserve it. | After completing the Unlikely Team-Up battle |
| The Phantom 2 | The Phantom lured Rayman, Rabbid Mario, Rabbid Peach, and myself to the Space Opera Network under false pretenses, so we might boost the viewership from which he draws his power. Should his spotlight have grown any larger, he would have become invincible. Fortunately, I chose the perfect moment to strike. Once again, I was onto him from the onset! | After completing the Operatic Showdown battle |
| The Golden Tickets | I wish I could say we had a fair and reasoned discussion about how to use the three golden ticket invitations to the Space Opera Network, but as Rabbid Mario and Rabbid Peach were the only Heroes with me when I recieved the transmission, we elected to tell the others AFTER we warped there. I suppose we got carried away, but let's be honest - some of us Heroes naturally dazzle on screen, others... not so much. | After completing the All Hands Ahoy! battle |
Hidden message
Prior to the game's release, creative director Davide Soliani shared a message with the community, revealing that a "secret hidden message" would show upon 100% completion of the DLC, and adding that he is on a mission to "bring Rayman back to the glory he deserves".[1]
The hidden message in question is shown to the player after completing all quests and obtaining all weapon skins and memories, and is as follows:
The bleakest dark yields to the faintest light; a light that exists within each of us. You are not alone, we are a multitude, linked together by a thin red thread that sews together our hearts and souls. Tighten the knot and we will be together forever, lighting the way.
Gallery
Screenshots
Artworks
Concept art
External links
References
- ↑ Rayman Pirate-Community discussion forums, RAYMAN IS BACK in 3D in new Mario + Rabbids Sparks of Hope DLC, https://raymanpc.com/forum/viewtopic.php?p=1456994#p1456994