The Woods of Light

Prepare yourself for a great journey.

—The Grand Minimus, Rayman 2

The Woods of Light, also known as the Clearing, is the first level in Rayman 2 and its remakes. It follows Rayman and Globox's escape from the Buccaneer, and is the first level in all versions of the game, except the Game Boy Color version in which it doesn't appear at all. It is a tutorial level without enemies and significantly shorter than most other levels in the game. This is where Rayman learns that Ly the Fairy was captured by the Robo-Pirates and decides to set her free. It is mentioned that she likes to hang out in this area.

Original version

The Woods of Light
← The Buccaneer (escape)	The Fairy Glade →
{{{connected to}}}

After being separated from Globox when escaping the Buccaneer, Rayman starts looking for his friend and finds himself in these peaceful woods. He quickly meets Murfy, who arrives to teach him the basics of the game's controls as he walks past the Stones of Thought.

Rayman soon finds the first cage in the game, which contains the first Yellow Lum he collects. He has to go down a waterfall, and then up a small valley to find three baby Globoxes crying. They temporarily calm down when they see Rayman, but start crying again when they learn he doesn't know where their father is. Rayman then asks where Ly is, and as the babies burst in tears they tell him she was captured by the pirates.

Rayman decides to head for the Fairy Glade, where she is held captive. Before doing so he frees a group of Teensies who argue over who of them is the king. If he has collected the five Yellow Lums in the level, the Teensies will open a Spiral Door to the Hall of Doors which he will be able to use to leave this level and continue on to the Fairy Glade.

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  The Spiral Door in the Hall of Doors which takes Rayman to the Woods of Light.
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  A few giant mosquitoes briefly appear in the Woods of Light.

Dreamcast version

The Woods of Light
← The Buccaneer (escape)	The Fairy Glade →
{{{connected to}}}

The level is almost identical to that in the original version, though it is graphically enhanced; for example, Popolopoïs and a flower bed were added to the area where Rayman learns to wall jump. The most notable gameplay enhancement is the inclusion of a Purple Lum found high up in the air at the near end of the level. Rayman can only reach this once he climbs between the two walls to the top of the ledge, and then the Purple Lum will take him onto another ledge that gives him access to the Globox Village, a location exclusive to the Dreamcast version. However, Rayman will need to return to the Woods of Light in order to use it, once he has rescued Ly from her prison in the Fairy Glade and acquired the power to swing onto Purple Lums from the Silver Lum she gives to him.

Notably, the Hall of Doors is replaced by the Isle of Doors in the Dreamcast version.

In the iOS version, which is directly based on the Dreamcast version, the ledge to access Globox Village and Murfy's hint stone still exist, but as the village itself has been removed, the Purple Lum is absent and the hint stone does not function.

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  The Spiral Door in the Isle of Doors which leads to the Woods of Light.
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  Popolopoïs can be found in the Dreamcast version.
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  This Purple Lum will help Rayman find the Globox Village.
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  The Globox Village, a secret location hidden away in the Woods of Light.

PlayStation version

The Clearing
← The Buccaneer (escape)		The Fairy Glade →
{{{connected to}}}

The level was significantly re-modeled and renamed to the Clearing in the PlayStation version, but very little actually changes in Rayman's progression. The waterfall at the beginning of the level is totally different (the stone bridge is absent), and the part at which Rayman has to climb between two walls was replaced by several pillars and a rope ladder. Murfy doesn't appear at all and the advice given from the Stones of Thought is given telepathically by Ly instead.

Compared to the original version, there are twice as many Yellow Lums to be found, and only one cage, that being the cage carrying the Grand Minimus – both the cage that was supposed to carry the first Yellow Lum and the wooden grating underneath it are absent.

A very subtle difference present is that the baby Globoxes continue crying throughout and after the cut scene, rather than stopping.

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  The Spiral Door in the Hall of Doors which leads to the Clearing.
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  The waterfall at the beginning of the level.
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  Three baby Globoxes crying.

PlayStation 2 version

The Woods of Light
← The Buccaneer (escape)	The Fairy's Glade →
None

In Rayman Revolution, this level may only be accessed once and as such it is not connected to any of the three hubs in the game. The beginning area has been completely remodelled (for example the waterfall and the stone bridge seen in previous versions are absent). While the five Yellow Lums and the two cages remain intact in this version, instead of a Yellow Lum, the first of 80 Familiar Spirits is rescued from the first cage in the level (the other cage carrying the Grand Minimus and his cohorts does not count towards the total number of cages in the game), and Murfy will appear to explain the purpose of these blue spirits. The Yellow Lum that is usually found in the cage in other versions is located at the ledge opposite the ledge on which the baby Globoxes stand, and a Stone of Thought explains the purpose of the Yellow Lums instead of Murfy himself initially.

At the end of the level, Rayman finally acquires his magic fist from the Grand Minimus, who gives him a Silver Lum that again was passed to him by Ly, thus permanently replacing his punching power which he used to break the cages. The Spiral Door the Grand Minimus creates for Rayman will not take him to either the Hall of Doors nor the the Isle of Doors, but to the Minisaurus Plain, therefore he will not be able to return to the Woods of Light from then on.

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  Instead of a Yellow Lum, a Familiar Spirit is found in the very first cage.

External links

• The Woods of Light playthrough at YouTube (PC version)
• The Woods of Light playthrough at YouTube (Sega Dreamcast version)
• The Clearing (The Woods of Light) playthrough at YouTube (Sony PlayStation version)
• The Woods of Light playthrough at YouTube (Sony PlayStation 2 version)