Rayman (Atari Jaguar)

• This article is about the Atari Jaguar version of the original Rayman game. For the game in general, see Rayman 1.

Rayman
Rayman
Published by	Ubi Soft
Developed by	Ubi Pictures
Directed by	{{{directed by}}}
Produced by	{{{produced by}}}
Designed by	Michel Ancel and Serge Hascoët with Bruno Bouvret, Sacha Gentilhomme, Michael Guez, Christophe Thibaut
Programmed by	Vincent Greco, Yann Le Tensorer, Daniel Palix
Art by	Alexandra Ancel (characters) Eric Pelatan, Sylvaine Jenny (backgrounds)
Written by	{{{written by}}}
Soundtrack by	Nathalie Drouet, Rémi Gazel, Frédéric Louvre, Frédéric Prados and Olaf Zalcman
Release date	9th September, 1995
Genre	2D platformer
Gameplay mode	Single player
Languages	{{{languages}}}
Platforms	{{{platforms}}}
Ratings	3+ (PEGI), E (ESRB)
Distribution media	Cartridge
Game engine	{{{game engine}}}

Rayman for the Atari Jaguar is the most distinct version of the game. This is mostly due to the limitations of cartridge space and the Jaguar's weaker hardware. Differences range from levels having major gameplay and design changes to a lower quality soundtrack.

Notable differences from the PC/console versions

• This version features a unique rearranged soundtrack composed with a lower-quality sound font compared to the CD-quality audio present in most other versions. While some tracks resemble their CD-quality counterparts, others are unique to the Jaguar version. A similar soundtrack discrepancy later occurred with the Nintendo 64 version of Rayman 2: The Great Escape.
• Like the soundtrack, the sound effects are of lower quality and many have been removed. All vocalized lines, including Rayman's "Yeah!" exclamation, are absent as well.
• The intro is a collection of slideshow images rather than a cutscene. The Magician does not appear to tell the story; it is explained through text.
• The menu has been reduced to a single screen where the player can load their saved games.
• The view of the world map lacks the lens distortion effect created by Mr Dark's binoculars when entering it for the first time, as seen in the PC version. Rayman also runs between levels on the world map instead of walking, as he does in the other versions.
• Completing Mr Skops' Stalactites unlocks the final level, Mr Dark's Dare, on the the world map no matter if all cages have been broken. However attempting to enter it before doing so will result in the game telling the player to "free the world first".
• Overall, the alterations made to this version largely decrease its difficulty compared to the other versions - ranging from the removal of level-specific gimmicks like sliding and going through a dark cave, to the excision of certain obstacle-laden sections, such as in Picture City.
• All bosses feature both reduced movesets and simpler attack cycles compared to the other versions, resulting in significantly lowered difficulty - this is most notable in the battles against Space Mama and Mr Dark.
• The Swamps of Forgetfulness and Mr Dark's Dare have been renamed Forgotten Swamps and Mr Dark's Château, respectively.
• The words "Action" and "Game over" appear in coloured letters in the middle of the screen at the start of each part/level and every time Rayman loses a continue, respectively.
• The font and its colours are slightly different.
• The controls are more responsive, tighter and the physics are slightly different - this is most notable when flying with the super helicopter, which is not as polished as in the other versions.
• Some backgrounds have been either switched around or colourized differently.
• The scenery has been altered in the Dream Forest and features more decorative plants in the foreground layer.
• Tall Livingstones run towards Rayman when he is close to them.
• Electoons immediately fly off the screen when they are saved.
• Some of Rayman's animations are omitted: he does not brace himself when moving at high speed, does not somersault when jumping after running or moving otherwise at high speed, does not brake with his feet when coming to a halt after running, does not point upwards when hanging from a ledge for more than a few seconds, does not shiver in fear during boss fights, and does not hold his buttocks in pain if he is killed by spikes. Additionally, his idle animation when staying still for a while is different, and his "near fall" animation when standing near the edge of a platform lacks the backwards variation.
• Rayman only does his celebration dance after defeating Bzzit, but not for any other boss.
• When Rayman falls into the void, the animation where he turns into a bunch of Electoons does not play; instead, the game transitions as soon as Rayman touches the bottom of the screen.
• Rayman loses the Speed Fist and/or Golden Fist not only when losing a life, but also when taking damage. For the Speed Fist, Rayman loses one level of speed every time he gets hit, but will immediately revert back to the base speed if he loses a life.
• Rayman cannot throw his fist when hanging from a ledge.
• Part 2 of Anguish Lagoon, where Rayman must defeat Bzzit, is revisited on subsequent runs through the level.
• In part 3 of Anguish Lagoon, Bzzit can shoot projectiles at enemies. This was later implemented in Rayman Origins.
• Also in part 3 of Anguish Lagoon, there is a string of Tings that form the numbers 1, 3, 6 and 4. This is actually a cheat code; if it is entered with the Jaguar's numeric pad during the introduction sequence featuring Rayman's "walking hands", the code will take the player to the Breakout minigame.
• Unlike all the other versions, Moskito is correctly depicted as being red-skinned with red wings, pink gloves, a grey proboscis, and grey stripes and shoes during part 3 of Moskito's Nest.
• At the end of the chase in part 3 of Moskito's Nest, Moskito flies off the screen instead of standing on the left side of the screen indefinitely.
• This is the only version of the game in which vanishing clouds open their eyes, doing so for a very brief moment every time they disappear, either from being stepped on or at regular intervals.
• Part 4 of Allegro Presto, in which Mr Sax makes a brief appearance at the end, is missing.
• A new health bar is used for the second phase of the fight against Mr Sax instead of reusing the one from the first phase, although it still takes into account how many times the boss was hit in that first phase.
• The Antitoons' hair turn yellow when they fly.
• Weather effects, such as rain, thunder, nighttime, and snow, are not present.
• The red ball of the Simple Power and the Double Power is the same size as the red ball of the Big Power, instead of being smaller as in the other versions.
• The sparkling effect is not present when swinging on flying rings.
• Flying Blue Elves are missing from the game. As a consequence, puzzles involving them have been modified, since Rayman can no longer shrink down.
• There is no sliding system for the slippery slopes in Band Land, Blue Mountains, Picture City and Candy Château. Due to this, the level design in these areas has been altered.
• In part 2 of the Hard Rocks, the invisible force only appears once instead of twice: unlike the other versions, the passage with the hunters near the end of the part does not feature the invisible force.
• In Mr Stone's Peaks, the part where Rayman cuts the ropes has been removed. As a result, the lone cage in that part has been moved to the end of the (now) third part.
• Mr Stone has one less health point than in the other versions. The fight is also slightly different near the end, as once the clouds begin to appear, Mr Stone starts casually walking towards Rayman instead of rushing and jumping, and he no longer throws boulders around.
• The grimace can still be used even after Rayman gains the power to run.
• Part 3 of Eraser Plains has a completely original level design featuring a unique memorization puzzle, although the section with the second cage has been directly taken from the part in the other versions.
• Spiders do not jump onto the ceiling when they spot Rayman, but simply turn their backs and start shooting at him; they also do not duck to avoid Rayman's telescopic fist, and their stingers follow a straight trajectory.
• The firefly is absent from the game; thus, part 2 of Eat at Joe's is fully lit like a regular level. It also contains two cages instead of one: as a result, the cage present in part 6 has been removed.
• Part 1 of Mr Skops' Stalactites features a start-of-level exit sign, similarly to the PC version and its ports, as does part 1 of Mr Dark's Château, which is unique to this version.
• Parts 1 and 2 of Mr Dark's Château (Mr Dark's Dare in the other versions) have completely different level designs, and feature some assets unique to this version.
• During the final boss fight, Mr Dark shoots fireballs at Rayman for a longer while, and the creatures that he transforms into sweat and walk/jump away when they are damaged enough.
• Mr Dark's middle transformation is missing, so there are only two of them, for a total of 12 health points, instead of 24. Each transformation has 6 health points, and they both share the same health bar.
• Rayman is not shrunk in the last phase of the fight against Mr Dark, and thus does not need to be bounced into the air in order to punch his opponent's head.
• After defeating both of Mr Dark's transformations, Electoon icons start flying across the screen as Rayman does his victory pose, and the words "Well done" appear in coloured letters in the middle of the screen.
• None of the images in the credits showing notable characters from the game on holiday are seen, except for the one with Rayman and his friends.
• Mr Dark makes one final appearance at the end of the game's credits. He flies across the screen, and the message "See you soon!" is displayed, hinting at Mr Dark's impending return.
• Unlike most other versions of the game, the entire final level, including the final boss, can be replayed upon completion. This is because the game does not auto-save before triggering the end credits.

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  The menu has been reduced to a single screen for the player to load their games.
• 
  The changed scenery in Pink Plant Woods.
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  Bzzit firing a projectile to defeat a hunter.
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  A puzzle Rayman has to solve in the third part of Eraser Plains.

Candy Château design

One of the well-known changes in the Atari Jaguar version is the heavily altered design of Mr Dark's Dare. Instead of riding on a frying pan in part 1, Rayman must follow several arrows of Tings to reach the exit sign. In this part are corkscrews and Swiss army knives; these assets are only used in this version and later on in Rayman Designer. Part 2 is also changed; Bad Rayman does not appear at all, but more exclusive dangers like the blue lemonade pools with little icing platforms appear. Part 3 is mostly the same, with a few minor changes.

The battle with Mr Dark is much unlike the one in the console versions. Mr Dark only has 12 health points, he attacks Rayman for a longer period of time, he only morphs into two creatures (Mr Skops/Mr Stone and Bzzit/Mr Sax/Space Mama) instead of three, and the creatures sweat and walk/jump away when they are damaged enough. When Mr Dark's health reaches 0, Rayman does his victory pose. While doing so, Electoon faces from the medallions appear around him, with colourful text saying "Well done".

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  The first part features Swiss army knives and corkscrews.
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  In the second part, Rayman must cross the blue lemonade pools by jumping on the tiny floating bits of icing.
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  A pile of Electoons appear after Mr Dark is defeated.

Development

Main article: Rayman (early production)

In recent years following the release of the game, several betas and a prototype of the Atari Jaguar version have been leaked. The gameplay mechanics were most notably different in the beta. Some animations Rayman could do such as the handstand ended up being scrapped, the Ting counter was originally an enemy counter, and the HUD was placed in the middle of the screen rather than the top corners.

The prototype is more similar to the final version, although there are many differences between the two. Glitches in the prototype can sometimes render it unplayable, especially if it is played on an emulator.

Some scrapped objects like clouds with eyes can only be found through hacking Rayman Designer.

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  A giant mosquito standing still in the air.
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  Many elements in this beta were scrapped from the final version.
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  A glowing arrow indicates when Rayman's telescopic fist is fully charged.
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  These unidentified enemies in this prototype are holdovers from the game's cancelled Super Nintendo Entertainment System version.
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  The world map, as seen in the early Atari Jaguar prototype.

Manual

Hi folks!

You want to know what's going on? Let me tell you the story of Rayman...

In Rayman's World, nature and people live together in peace... the Great Protoon provides and maintains the harmony and balance in the world. Sorry folks, this apparently can't last. Do you want to play or what? ... one fateful day, the evil Mr Dark steals the Great Protoon and defeats Betilla the Fairy as she tries to protect it! The Electoons who used to gravitate around it lose their natural stability and scatter all over the world! Troublesome, isn't it? And untidy, too! In the now-unbalanced world, strange phenomena begin to occur: freaks and hostile characters appear, capturing every Electoon they can find! They definitely need a hero to save them now, don't you think?

Rayman to the rescue! As the guardian of this world, he must free the Electoons, recapture the Great Protoon from its mysterious kidnapper and reassemble them all to restore the world's harmony. But will the bad guys let him do it? ...

—Manual, Rayman

Click on the thumbnail to read the manual.

The Atari Jaguar Manual (French/English/Deutsch)

Gallery

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  One of the slideshows from the intro.
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  Mr Dark stealing the Great Protoon.
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  Rayman, Electoons and Mr Dark.
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  A cage.
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  Mr Dark with his binoculars.

External links

• Rayman playthrough on YouTube (Atari Jaguar version)