Ray Breakout: Difference between revisions

'''Ray Breakout''' is a hidden minigame which can be played only in the [[Rayman (Atari Jaguar)|Atari Jaguar]], PC and [[Rayman Classic|mobile]] versions of [[Rayman 1|the original ''Rayman'' game]]. The minigame is essentially a ''Rayman''-themed version of the Atari-developed arcade game ''Breakout'', replacing the paddle with [[Rayman]] and replacing the bricks with [[plum]]s.

In [[Rayman (Atari Jaguar)|the Atari Jaguar version]] of [[Rayman 1|the original ''Rayman'']], ''Ray Breakout'' is unlocked by entering the code 1364 during the introductory animation in which [[Rayman]] is seen chasing his various body parts and assembling himself. The code is given after the player has beaten [[Mr Dark]], at the end of the credits. However, the code is also hidden in the main game in the third part of [[Anguish Lagoon]]. While [[Rayman]] rides [[Bzzit]], the friendly [[mosquito]], four clusters of [[Ting]]s in the shape of the numbers '1', '3', '6' and '4' are passed, giving the player a hint as to how the minigame is accessed. These [[Ting]] clusters are only present in [[Rayman (Atari Jaguar)|the Atari Jaguar version]].

In the PC version of [[Rayman 1|the original ''Rayman'']], ''Ray Breakout'' is accessed by inputting a specific [[List of cheats in Rayman 1#In-map_codes|cheat code]] on the map screen. The cheat code varies, depending on the version, and on whether the player has defeated [[Mr Dark]] or not.

In [[Rayman (Atari Jaguar)|the Atari Jaguar version]], at the beginning of ''Ray Breakout'', the player finds [[Rayman]] doing a handstand (an ability which he had in [[Rayman (early production)|early versions of the game]]) on a pink, square-shaped platform which is floating in a dark area. The minigame is themed around the character of [[the Magician]], with his theme playing throughout the minigame. The floor of the platform is decorated with yellow moons and stars, and its walls are decorated with yellow stars as well as images of [[the Magician]]'s hat and baton. A large image of [[the Magician]]'s hat, set in front of a large pink star and surrounded by four orbiting spheres, is also the only visible part of the otherwise black background.

With his feet, [[Rayman]] is balancing a white ball which, like the yellow buoys in the game's [[Eat at Joe's]] level, bears the name of [[Joe|Joe the Extra-Terrestrial]], while a number of identical balls to the right of the screen indicate how many tries [[Rayman]] has left. A formation of [[plum]]s of various colours – red, purple and orange, the same colours as [[spiky fruit]]s – is floating at the top of the screen. These [[plum]]s all have the standard green leaves, however. When the player presses the 'jump' button, [[Rayman]] kicks the ball, setting it in motion; after this point, the gameplay is almost exactly like that of the original ''Breakout'' game, but with a ''Rayman'' theme. When the ball hits a red [[plum]], it changes to a purple [[plum]]; when the ball hits a purple [[plum]], it changes to an orange [[plum]]; when the ball hits an orange [[plum]], the orange [[plum]] disappears. The goal of the minigame is to get rid of all the [[plum]]s.

The player moves [[Rayman]] from left to right. He acts as a ‘paddle’ – if he misses the ball and it reaches the floor, it is lost, and [[Rayman]] must use one of his spares. [[Rayman]] gives the ball a hard kick whenever it comes to his feet. If [[Rayman]] is within a short distance of the ricocheting ball, he will automatically lunge for it in an attempt to stop it reaching the ground; this cannot be controlled by the player, and has the drawback of temporarily pausing [[Rayman]]'s movement as he recovers himself. Occasionally a [[plum]] flashes with vibrant colours for a few seconds; if [[Rayman]] manages to hit a flashing [[plum]] with the ball, it vanishes and releases a [[Ting]], which descends slowly to the ground. If [[Rayman]] manages to catch a [[Ting]], he will gain a spare ball. (Although the maximum number of spare balls which can be seen on the right of the screen is three, it is possible to have an even higher number; however, additional spares will be invisible.) When [[Rayman]] causes all the [[plum]]s to disappear, the next stage begins. There are nine different stages of progressively increasing complexity and difficulty; once they are all complete, the previous stages are replayed randomly – it is not known if they ever end. If the player loses all their tries, the message ‘you lose’ is displayed, and they must restart the entire minigame from the very beginning of the first stage.  

As [[Rayman]] reaches more and more advanced stages, new types of [[plum]] appear. There are green [[plum]]s, which cannot be vanished (and thus do not need to be vanished in order to finish the stage); [[Rayman]]'s ball simply bounces off green [[plum]]s without affecting them. They serve mainly as obstacles to the goal of vanishing the red, purple and orange [[plum]]s. Green [[plum]]s have grey leaves. There are also blue [[plum]]s; these are similar to the green [[plum]]s, except that they are much bouncier, causing [[Rayman]]'s ball to speed up whenever it hits one of them. They have pink leaves, and cannot be vanished. Finally there are pinkish-orange [[plum]]s with brownish-red leaves; in the stages where these [[plum]]s appear, the entire formation of [[plum]]s slowly descends towards [[Rayman]], and hitting this special [[plum]] causes all the [[plum]]s to temporarily reverse their descent. These [[plum]]s cannot vanish.

Compared to [[Rayman (Atari Jaguar)|the Atari Jaguar version]], the scenery is of slightly higher quality, and the chip-generated rendition of [[the Magician]]'s music is replaced with the CD-quality version. In the bottom-left corner of the screen, there is now a counter telling the player how many vanishable [[plum]]s remain in the current stage. The special [[plum]]s are recoloured in this version – all [[plum]]s now have green leaves; the pinkish-orange [[plum]]s are now grey; the orange [[plum]]s appear more yellow in this version, due to slight palette differences. The special [[plum]]s play unique sound effects when hit, but do not flash.

There are also differences in gameplay mechanics. [[Rayman]] decelerates much slower, and hitting a [[plum]] that's too close will cause the ball to fall through his feet; executing a quick lateral motion at this point may cause [[Rayman]] to lunge and save the ball. The green [[plum]]s grow darker and eventually vanish if the ball hits them enough times, however it is not required to complete the level. Flashing [[plum]]s are now more common – a [[plum]] is almost always flashing in this version. Because flashing [[plum]]s disappear immediately when hit, regardless of their normal color (red, purple, yellow), focusing on flashing [[plum]]s allows levels to be completed faster. However, [[Ting]]s released by them no longer replenish the player's spare balls, instead merely adding to [[Rayman]]'s normal [[Ting]] count. On certain levels (seemingly at random), instead of [[Ting]]s, flashing [[plum]]s release [[Golden Fist]]s, [[Speed Fist]]s and [[Big Power]]s.  

There are 7 stages in the PC version, but 2 of them use exactly the same layout, except the entire construction is shifted very slightly sideways. 5 of the 6 level variants have corresponding levels in [[Rayman (Atari Jaguar)|the Atari Jaguar version]]; the last layout is unique. The starting level varies every time the game is played, but after that, the stages progress in the same (circular) order. [[Rayman]] announces ‘Yo, dude!’ every time a stage is completed. If all 7 are completed, [[Rayman]] exclaims ‘Yeah!’, and the message ‘Great’ is displayed. If the player runs out of balls, or hits Escape to quit the game, the message ‘See you soon’ is displayed, while the sound effect for the [[Hunter]]'s laugh is played. Regardless of whether the game is completed, or ended prematurely, the player is returned to the map of [[the valley]], and no other bonuses are granted, except whatever [[Ting]]s or [[:Category:Power-ups|Power-ups]] [[Rayman]] has collected along the way.

[[File:Ray Breakout Classic Completed.png|320px|thumb|right|class=sprite|The minigame being completed in [[Rayman Classic|the mobile version]] with touch controls.]]

In [[Rayman Classic|the mobile version]], it is the same as in the PC version. There is however a bug making it impossible to move before releasing the ball when not using a controller. This makes the mini-game a lot harder to beat as the player may be forced to release the ball under a [[plum]], having it bounce right down. Completing the minigame will, like the PC version, take the player back to the world map.

*[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zkWmuPi-MUU ''Breakout'' minigame playthrough at YouTube (PC)]

*[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6rV56Y5Lacc ''Breakout'' minigame playthrough at YouTube (Atari Jaguar)]