The Marshes of Awakening

I did see Globox get captured by two Piratesss. They took him somewhere out beyond the Marshes.

—Ssssam the Watersnake, Rayman 2

The Marshes of Awakening is a location in Rayman 2. It follows the Fairy Glade in all versions of the game except for Rayman Revolution, in which is follows the first visit of the Menhir Hills, and features the entrance to the Cave of Bad Dreams in all versions except for the Game Boy Color and the PlayStation versions. This is where Rayman encounters and rescues Ssssam the Watersnake, who helps him to pass through the marshes by water-skiing.

The Marshes of Awakening were originally called "The Marshlands of Awakening".

Original version

The Marshes of Awakening
← The Fairy Glade	The Bayou →
The Cave of Bad Dreams

Phase 1

Around a large body of swamp water, Rayman must climb over some netting and jump on the lily pads for Yellow Lums. On the other side of the netting, there is a cage floating in the waters, larger than most other cages, in which Ssssam is imprisoned in. When Rayman releases him from this cages he then asks him if he knew anything about the Four Masks of Polokus, but he doesn't know, and confirms that Globox has been recaptured by the Robo-Pirates and taken beyond the Marshes. He then offers the limbless hero to water-ski across the swamp water by shooting his scarf and holding on with a beam similar to that when Rayman swings on a Purple Lum.

Across the water, there are Yellow Lums to catch, and several piranhas, Zombie Chickens and an axe pendulum to avoid, as well as a switch to flick that reveals more Yellow Lums. Ssssam will then go round in a circle a few times, giving Rayman more than one chance to break the cages and collect the Yellow Lums there, before moving on.

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  The Spiral Door in the Hall of Doors which takes Rayman to the Marshes of Awakening.

Phase 2

The water-skiing carries on, and now there are more things to dodge while collecting the Yellow Lums, such as helicopter bombs and even Robo-Pirates. At one point, there is a wooden ledge that Rayman can hop onto to catch more Yellow Lums, and then he can reattach himself to Ssssam. Defeating the pirate on the boat is optional, though risky. Rayman then arrives at a patch of land near a crashed fishing boat. Scrambling onto land, Rayman says farewell to Ssssam, who is visibly sad to say good-bye. Ssssam ends his trip as the game hints at Rayman needing to return to the Marshes later, as Ssssam requests Rayman to return soon.

Return

Rayman must enter the Marshes for a second time after meeting Clark in the Menhir Hills. Clark, in need of the Elixir of Life after swallowing something that has made him ill, requests Rayman to seek out the Cave of Bad Dreams hidden in the Marshes. At the Marshes' entrance, Rayman must take a side trail up a tree root and into a hidden grotto off-limits to Robo-Pirates. Here, Rayman encounters the Guardian of the Cave of Bad Dreams, Jano. Provided that Rayman can remember the name of the place as Clark had told him, Jano will grant access - if not, then he will simply shoo Rayman away.

After completing the Cave of Bad Dreams, Rayman is warped back to the grotto. He then has the option of paying Ssssam a visit and racing through the Marshes or taking the Spiral Door back to the Hall of Doors.

After finishing the Cave of Bad Dreams, the player can spot a smaller version of Jano around the log that leads to the Cave of Bad Dreams' entrance. He is unreachable through normal gameplay, though he can be approached using a moonjump cheat.

Dreamcast version

The Marshes of Awakening
← The Fairy Glade	The Bayou →
The Cave of Bad Dreams

This level is identical to that of the original version apart from graphical enhancements.

Eig briefly appears at the beginning of phase 2, but does not approach Rayman.

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  The Spiral Door in the Isle of Doors which leads to the Marshes of Awakening.
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  Eig popping out of the water.

PlayStation version

The Marshes of Awakening
← The Fairy Glade		The Bayou →
{{{connected to}}}

Before entering the Marshes, Rayman meets the four Teensies in the Hall of Doors, oddly enough, to tell him that the Robo-Pirates have blocked access to the first mask of Polokus. He needs 50 Yellow Lums to pass through the door in the Hall, and if he does, the Teensies will open it, and then warn him about the guards that protect the masks. He will then move on, and enter the Marshes.

The main difference to the level is that the entrance to the Cave of Bad Dreams is not found here, with the cave having become its own, full level in this version. However, the level's loading screen still shows the log that led to the Cave of Bad Dreams in the original version, despite it being removed in-game. The lily pads and the climbing nets are still there though, as well as Ssssam, who appears to have a longer and thinner snout in this version. Some of the water-skiing stays the same as that in the original version, though there are more obstacles such as boxes, bombs, and even cages, plus there is no switch that reveals some Yellow Lums. The island that Ssssam circles at the end of the first phase is also missing, and he will instead just head straight on. The second phase remains the same as in previous versions of the game.

• 
  The entrance to the Marshes of Awakening in the Hall of Doors.

PlayStation 2 version

The Marshes of Awakening
← The Menhir Hills	The Cave of Bad Dreams →
The Minisaurus Plain

Much of this level remains the same, though like the PlayStation version, the log that leads to the Cave of Bad Dreams is absent, as the path to this is found at the end of the level. Also, during the first water ski ride, Eig the swamp monster shows up to follow Rayman and Ssssam while they also have to avoid Zombie Chickens and piranhas.

One of the most notable differences in this version is not even a part of the level. Whilst in every other version of the game this level was obligatory between the Fairy Glade and the Bayou this time, although it can be accessed from completion of the Fairy Glade onwards, Rayman does not actually need to go there until he has met up with Clark. For this reason the player doesn't need to visit the level twice.

Game Boy Color version

Marshes of Awakening
← Fairy Glade	Whale Bay →

This level is the second in this version of the game, and follows that of the original quite loosely. The music is an edited version of the Cave of Bad Dreams.

Part 1

There are many nets and wooden bridges to cross the marshes with in this area, and eventually Rayman will meet Ssssam, uncaged, who will move when Rayman stands on his head.

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Part 2

This part of the level consists mostly of climbing nets, though there are electric bars to avoid and switches to hit in order to progress.

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Bonus level

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Part 3

This part of the level is similar to the Bayou, with small trampolines, pendulums and bombs to avoid. There are also pipes which Rayman slides on, similar to those in Airy Tunes in the Game Boy Color version of Rayman, and planks that give way when Rayman steps on them.

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External links

• The Marshes of Awakening playthrough at YouTube (PC version)
• The Marshes of Awakening playthrough at YouTube (Sega Dreamcast version)
• The Marshes of Awakening playthrough at YouTube (Sony PlayStation version)
• The Marshes of Awakening playthrough at YouTube (Sony PlayStation 2 version) (Part 1/2)
• The Marshes of Awakening playthrough at YouTube (Sony PlayStation 2 version) (Part 2/2)
• The Marshes of Awakening playthrough at YouTube (Game Boy Color version) (Part 1/2)
• The Marshes of Awakening playthrough at YouTube (Game Boy Color version) (Part 2/2)