Arcane Forest

Arcane Forest
Arcane Forest
← Fiery Depths	Dark Legacy →

This is an obscure, dangerous place. Prepare yourself for the upcoming confrontation with the evil Mr. Dark...

—Manual, Rayman

Arcane Forest is the seventh and final world before the final battle with Mr Dark in the Game Boy Color version of Rayman. Its appearance is partly influenced by the Dream Forest in the original game, but more heavily influenced by the environments of Rayman 2. It also contains some events that previously occurred in Candy Château of the original game.

It is a dark forest full of spikes, slippery logs, spiky fruits and carnivorous plants that pop out of the ground to hurt Rayman. There are four parts. The first two are normal and straightforward. The later two contain challenges that Mr Dark sets before him. At the very end, Rayman faces the main antagonist of the game.

Part 1

There are two cages, two lives and a bonus level to find in this level.

Rayman must first make a number of jumps to the right, using his helicopter to make things easier, until he reaches a swinging plum. Riding the plum once will cause two head platforms to appear below him, which will lead him to the level's first cage. Once he has broken it, he must return to the plum and continue right to reach his first slippery log. This will lead him to a series of vines which he must jump across, taking out some lurking antitoons as he goes. When he reaches the next ledge, he can drop down to a vine below to retrieve a life. He can get a second life by jumping up to a vine above the next slippery log, and then jumping to a ledge next to it.

Sliding right, Rayman reaches a ledge and then climbs upwards, before starting left using a head platform to cross some spikes. He then climbs upwards again and journeys left using logs, head platforms, vines and ledges, overcoming spikes, antitoons, and spiky fruits. After he rides a head platform past two swinging spiky fruits, he will make a large jump to the left and then have the option to climb a vine and continue right or use a head platform going downwards to reach the other cage.

Taking a right will bring him along a few vines and ledges, past an antitoon, to the level exit. However, if he drops down to a head platform below, he can reach the bonus level.

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  Game Boy Color version
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  Pocket PC version

Bonus level

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  Game Boy Color version
• 
  Pocket PC version

Part 2

There are two cages to be found in this level.

Rayman starts out at the top of a slippery log. He must slide down it to the right, land on a ledge, and then drop down to a ledge below. Moving left and jumping some spikes, he reaches a head platform which he must ride upwards and then jump to another, which takes him to the right. This brings him across more regular and falling head platforms until he comes to a vine, which he can jump to a long ledge where some spiky fruits will fall towards him. As he makes his way right and jumps from the ledge to another falling head platform, the level's first cage will appear on a ledge below. To reach it, Rayman must backtrack to the vine and drop down. He can also get a golden fist by climbing to the top of the vine.

Continuing right, he makes many jumps across ledges, regular and falling head platforms, and even a swinging plum. Eventually, he will reach a slippery log. If he times his jump from it correctly he can reach the top of a ledge to the right, avoid a falling spiky fruit, drop down and ride a head platform downwards to the second cage.

Returning to the ledge and sliding left on a log, he must use several flying rings to cross a chasm, and land on a another slippery log. Sliding down and jumping to another ledge he will find a plum which he can use to cross a floor of spikes. He then makes several more jumps, avoiding spikes, to the left, and slides down a couple of logs to reach another sea of spikes, which he crosses using flying rings. At the end of this, he finds a Blowing Fuffy which, like in Ancient Forest, will blow him upwards upon being punched and allow him to reach a flying ring, and then a ledge. Continuing upwards, he finds the level's exit.

• 
  Game Boy Color version
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  Pocket PC version

Part 3

Discovery of Bad Rayman

This level has Bad Rayman chasing and copying Rayman's every move, like in the original game. If Rayman touches him, it leads to an instant death. However, unlike the original game, it is possible to kill him. It involves flying over a bed of spikes in a certain way. There are no cages or lives in this level, making it fairly unique.

Rayman must make his way right, jumping gaps and keeping ahead of Bad Rayman. Eventually, he follows a Ting into a pit, where he must attain another Ting from the far right, all the while running from Bad Rayman. Once he has picked up the Ting, a cloud will appear to the left of the pit which he can use to get back up out of it, where he finds another cloud has appeared that allows him to jump to some ledges above to eventually reach a slippery log to the left.

This will lead him to a vine, which he must climb, and then begin a journey to the right, using vines, ledges and slippery logs, his dark clone chasing him all the way. Eventually, they reach the far right of the level, and their path veers downwards and then left again, over clouds, ledges and slippery logs.

Finally, they will come to two slippery logs, one long and the one above it short. The level's exit is above these logs, but to reach it Rayman must slide down the longer log and journey to the right. When he reaches the furthest right, a cloud will appear below the exit that will allow him to reach the exit. Rayman must backtrack left, avoiding Bad Rayman, and reach the level exit.

• 
  Game Boy Color version
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  Pocket PC version

Part 4

Rayman's movements become mirrored

Akin to the original game, this level has the directional controls being reversed. Left is right, and vice-versa. The carnivorous plant enemy appears only in this stage, although here it is possible to avoid combat with them. There is one cage, two lives and a bonus level to be found in this level.

After getting used to the mirrored controls, Rayman must pass several smaller ledges, some of which have antitoons around them. Once he has passed this, he can jump onto a head platform and ride it downwards. If he rides it back up after it has reached the bottom of its descent, it will take him up to another head platform, from which he can jump to a slippery log and slide left to find a life, golden fist and the cage. Taking this route will also cause him to encounter his first carnivorous plant enemy and also a flying ring that moves right, the first one of its kind in this version of the game. He then drops down and rejoins the level's main path.

If Rayman chooses not to persue the secret passage, he will need to make a few jumps across falling head platforms and slippery logs to the right. If he does visit the secret area, he will rejoin the main path around this point. Continuing right, he eventually finds a Blowing Fuffy located on a slippery log, making it all the more dangerous if Rayman is to its left or right when it blows. If he uses it properly, it will catapult him upwards to a few more ledges and a vine, which he can climb to some larger ledges above.

Here, he will encounter two more carnivorous plants, his first if he did not visit the secret area. If he can defeat, or avoid, them a head platform will appear by the vine he has just climbed, which will take him to a life and golden fist. From this point, another head platform will also take him left to the bonus level. The controls are not mirrored during the bonus level.

Going right from where he fought the two carnivorous plants, Rayman crosses some spikes, slides on some logs, and eventually climbs up using some falling head platforms and ledges. This will take him to the top of the level, a flying ring, and the exit.

• 
  Game Boy Color version
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  Pocket PC version

Bonus level

• 
  Game Boy Color version
• 
  Pocket PC version

Final battle

Mr Dark appearing before Rayman

In the last part, Rayman finally reaches Mr Dark and has to defeat him. This level can not be replayed once it is finished.

The level begins as Rayman reaches a strange structure, not unlike the one in which he fought Mr Dark in the original game. However, this battle takes place outside, on top of the structure, towering above what is presumably Arcane Forest.

Rayman taunts Mr Dark to "Come out!" as he has "...messed with the wrong guy's friends". Unbeknown to him, Mr Dark is sneaking up behind him. Thankfully, Rayman realises this, and the battle begins.

Mr Dark hovers down before Rayman, before levitating away and sending a rain of fire down upon him, which Rayman must avoid. Mr Dark then returns and transforms himself into a ball, in which form he then flies around the arena trying to hit Rayman. Rayman must hit him back, each time he does the ball shrinks, making it faster and harder to hit. Once Rayman has hit him three times, Mr Dark returns to his normal form and hovers away again, a heart appearing in the arena to restore Rayman's health.

This cycle repeats twice more. On the second time round, Mr Dark will shoot fireballs at Rayman, which linger on the ground after hitting it, making them harder to avoid. The third and fourth time, he fires lightning bolts which linger for a few seconds, making them the hardest to avoid of all his attacks. However, if Rayman survives all of this, Mr Dark will burst into flame and vanish.

Rayman celebrates his victory by returning to his nap at the base of a tree as per the begining of the game. However, the Tings remind him that he has not broken every electoon cage (which is not possible at this stage in this version of the game), so Rayman must go to the world map and break every cage in the game before he can go to the final world Dark Legacy.

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  Game Boy Color version
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  Pocket PC version

Arcane Forest screenshots

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Trivia

• The music is an edited version of that of the late trailers of Rayman 2 and also one of the tracks of music that would sometimes play when Rayman rides a flying keg in that game, first heard in the Echoing Caves.

External links

• Gameplay of Arcane Forest level on the GBC version (Part 1/2)
• Gameplay of Arcane Forest level on the GBC version (Part 2/2)