Rayman 1: Difference between revisions

Note that, for the sake of simplicity, the following description assumes that the player chooses to pass through each world one after the other in the correct order. [[Rayman]]'s path is a branching one; at several points in the game, the player is offered a choice between two new levels, though it will be necessary to backtrack in order to free [[Electoon]]s and gain certain powers if the player chooses to skip ahead.

===[[The Dream Forest]]===

The first world is of the game [[the Dream Forest]], a lush jungle. [[Rayman]]'s journey begins in a region known as [[Pink Plant Woods]]. On his way through these woods, he encounters Betilla for the first time in the game; she grants him the [[telescopic fist]] ability, which takes advantage of his detached hands and allows him to throw them, defeating enemies or smashing [[cage]]s. Rayman passes into [[Anguish Lagoon]], where he encounters a [[mosquito]] who is later identified in ''[[Rayman Revolution]]'' as [[Bzzit]]. The two fight briefly, and Bzzit begins to cry when Rayman defeats him. Rayman takes pity on Bzzit and cheers him up; they become friends. Bzzit allows Rayman to ride on his back as he flies over the otherwise impassable waters of the lagoon. Betilla appears again and gives Rayman another power: the ability to hang onto ledges, which helps him to avoid falls and lets him climb onto certain platforms. Rayman then moves on to [[the Swamps of Forgetfulness]], where he meets [[Tarayzan]] (a pastiche of Tarzan). Tarayzan has lost his loincloth and is hiding behind a shrub. Rayman returns it to him, and Tarayzan rewards him by giving him a [[magic seed]]. Suddenly the rain begins to flood the area, and Rayman must use the magic seed to grow [[nenuphar]]s which he can climb to escape the flood. Next Rayman passes into [[Moskito's Nest]], where he is chased by a mosquito called [[Moskito]]. As the main boss of the Dream Forest, Moskito is essentially a more powerful and unpleasant version of Bzzit. Eventually Rayman and Moskito have a climactic battle in the deepest part of the forest. After Rayman defeats him, Betilla appears to give him another power: the [[grappling fist]] ability, which enables him to swing from [[flying ring]]s and cover large distances without touching the ground.

===[[Band Land]]===

The second world of the game is [[Band Land]], a landscape composed of music and musical instruments. The first region [[Rayman]] passes through is [[Bongo Hills]], an area relatively close to the ground, and with many drum platforms. Next he reaches [[Allegro Presto]], an airy location composed mainly of slippery sheet music. Here [[Betilla the Fairy]] grants him the [[helicopter]] power, which allows him to hover and glide by using his hair as a helicopter. He also encounters [[Mr Sax]], a giant evil saxophone who is the boss of Band Land. Next Rayman makes his way through [[Gong Heights]], a cloudy level in the sky inhabited by meditating [[monk]]s. Finally he comes to [[Mr Sax's Hullaballoo]], the lair of the boss he met earlier. This level plays like a combination of the previous three, with the characteristic elements of each. Rayman is chased by Mr Sax, and finally does battle with him in his lair, and defeats him. Mr Sax comes to his senses and begins to dance.

===[[Blue Mountains]]===

The third world of the game is the [[Blue Mountains]], a cold mountain range. The first level is [[Twilight Gulch]], where [[Rayman]] finds himself chased by [[Mr Stone]], the gigantic rock creature who is the boss of the Blue Mountains. The next area is [[the Hard Rocks]], where no notable events occur. The final region in the Blue Mountains is [[Mr Stone's Peaks]], where Mr Stone lives. When Rayman arrives, he meets a character known as [[the Musician]], who lives in a hut in the mountains with his wife and child. The Musician's guitar has been crushed by a falling rock. Rayman uses his telescopic fist to carve a new guitar out of the rock, and the Musician rewards him by giving him a [[Super Helicopter]] potion; this temporary upgrade to Rayman's [[helicopter]] ability allows him to fly freely, which comes in useful in the next couple of areas. Finally Rayman reaches Mr Stone's lair and makes use of a nearby totem pole to defeat his enemy. With the totem pole's head lodged on his own, the jumbled Mr Stone reforms and begins to dance. Betilla appears and gives Rayman his final power: the ability to run. This replaces the ability to [[grimace]] (whose only purpose was scaring [[Livingstone]]s).

===[[Picture City]]===

The fourth world of the game is [[Picture City]], a landscape composed of artwork and art supplies. The first level is [[Eraser Plains]], where [[Rayman]] encounters [[Space Mama]], the boss of Picture City. She battles him while wearing a Viking costume, on a stage made to look like the sea. Next Rayman passes through [[Pencil Pentathlon]], where nothing notable occurs. The final level of Picture City is [[Space Mama's Crater]], where Rayman and Space Mama have their final showdown. This time she wears a science-fiction costume while using sci-fi props as weapons, and the background is made to look like the surface of the moon. After the battle, Space Mama reforms and begins to dance (though this only happens in some versions of the game). Rayman then sees [[Mr Dark]] kidnap [[Betilla the Fairy]].

===[[The Caves of Skops]]===

The fifth world of the game is [[the Caves of Skops]], a series of dark but colourful underground caverns. The first level here is [[Crystal Palace]], where nothing noteworthy occurs. The next level is [[Eat at Joe's]], where [[Rayman]] encounters [[Joe the Extra-Terrestrial]], a friendly green alien who owns a seaside restaurant near the caves. Joe is depressed because he is not getting any business, as the neon sign above his restaurant is not functioning. Rayman decides to do what it takes to turn Joe's lights on again. With a [[firefly]] given to him by Joe to light his way, Rayman heads into the pitch-dark caves. After making his way through the darkest caverns, he eventually finds a plug which is falling out of its socket. Rayman [[telescopic fist|punches]] it back into place, and Joe's entire electrical system is reactivated – including a network of wired [[flying saucer]]s which Rayman rides back to the surface. When he has returned to Joe's restaurant, Rayman finds that the neon sign is lit, much to Joe's delight. The alien allows Rayman to use his buoys as platforms. When Rayman crosses the water, he finds himself in [[Mr Skops's Stalactites]]. Here he encounters [[Mr Skops]], a gigantic, malevolent pink scorpion with one giant claw. Skops is not pleased when Rayman wakes him, and attacks while periodically retreating. Rayman chases Skops to his temple lair, where the two battle until Skops is defeated. Rayman sees [[Betilla the Fairy]], now trapped by [[Mr Dark]] in a tiny glass sphere; she urges him to hurry. However, Rayman cannot move on to the next and final world until he has broken each of the one hundred and two [[Electoon]] [[cage]]s scattered throughout the five previous worlds.

===[[Candy Château]]===

The sixth and final world of the game is [[Candy Château]], a landscape composed of sweets and crockery. It contains only one level: [[Mr Dark's Dare]]. First [[Rayman]] slides across hills of icing on a frying pan. Next he is chased by [[Bad Rayman]], an evil clone created by [[Mr Dark]] to shadow Rayman's every move; Rayman dies instantly if he touches him. Next Rayman makes his way through an area populated by various types of [[clown]]s. Here Mr Dark casts various spells on him to make his passage even more challenging; first he reverses the player's left–right controls, then he forces Rayman to run uncontrollably, and then he takes away Rayman's [[telescopic fist]] power, rendering him helpless. Finally Rayman confronts Mr Dark in the central room of his château, whose walls contain stained glass windows depicting the five previous bosses. First Mr Dark toys with Rayman by hanging his telescopic fist on a rope, and snatching it away whenever Rayman attempts to retrieve it. Then Mr Dark throws fireballs at Rayman, traps him between two pillars of fire and throws more fireballs at him in ways that make them increasingly difficult to avoid. Mr Dark tells Rayman that he is doomed and causes the pillars of fire to slowly move in on him, but a pair of [[Electoon]]s suddenly fly into the room, take Rayman's telescopic fist from the rope and return it to him. Mr Dark seemingly vanishes, and a strange creature composed of body parts from [[Mr Stone]] and [[Mr Skops]] appears; their corresponding windows glow. It is not clear if this is an actual mixture of the two bosses, or a transformation of Mr Dark. When this enemy is defeated, two creatures composed of body parts from [[Bzzit]] and [[Space Mama]] appear. When these are defeated, a final creature composed of body parts from [[Bzzit]], [[Mr Sax]] and [[Space Mama]] appears, and Rayman is temporarily shrunk to make the battle even more challenging. Once Rayman defeats this creature, the game is complete. In the Sega Saturn version, the stained glass windows shatter, revealing the night sky and the two moons characteristic of Rayman's world. [[The Magician]] congratulates Rayman on saving the world. The credits sequence shows the good characters going on holiday with the enemies and bosses, who are now reformed; it seems that none of them were truly evil except Mr Dark, who in most versions is nowhere to be seen. At the end of the credits, a final message appears: ‘See you soon – Rayman’, hinting at the sequel, ''[[Rayman 2: The Great Escape]]''. However, in the Atari Jaguar version, the credits end with Mr Dark flying across the screen, confirming his escape, and the ‘See you soon’ message takes on a sinister quality, promising that Mr Dark will return – though the villain has yet to resurface in the main series. After the credits, if the player attempts to replay Mr Dark's Dare, a final epilogue image appears instead, showing Rayman together with all his friends; the [[Electoon]]s have been freed, Mr Dark has been defeated (for now), [[Betilla the Fairy]] has been rescued and [[the Great Protoon]] has been recovered and returned to its rightful place. The balance of [[the Glade of Dreams]] has been restored.

==Early production==

[[File:RaymanLimbs.jpg|thumb|left|[[Rayman]] soon had to have his limbs removed due to graphical processing problems.]]

''Main article: [[Rayman (early production)]]''

==Gameplay==

Rayman is a 2D side-scrolling platform game, unlike its successors. The game takes place in [[the valley|a valley]] which is made up of six different worlds, half of which are natural ([[the Dream Forest]], [[Blue Mountains]], and [[the Caves of Skops]]), while the other half is 'imaginary' ([[Band Land]], [[Picture City]], and the [[Candy Château]]). Each of these worlds excluding Candy Château contains three or four levels, each with six cages with Electoons to find. The game's difficulty is progressive, meaning that it gets harder as the player continues.

==Characters==

Throughout the game, [[Rayman]] meets an array of different characters, some of which aid him through his journey.

==Levels==

===[[The Dream Forest]]===

*[[Pink Plant Woods]]