Maths and English with Rayman
Rayman Junior is an educational video game based on the original Rayman that was designed to teach children aged 6–10 years old the basics of mathematics and literacy. Many variations of the game have been released for MS-DOS starting from 1996 with different names in different regions. A version was released on the Sony PlayStation in 2000, named Rayman Junior in Europe and Rayman Brain Games in North America. Most versions of the game feature 3 different difficulty levels, while the German versions have 4 ones to choose from. The level layouts appear similar in most difficulties, although modified to be more challenging the higher the difficulty level is.
| Rayman Junior | ||
|---|---|---|
| Published by | Ubisoft | |
| Developed by | Ubisoft | |
| Release date | 1996 | |
| Genre | 2D Platformer/Edutainment | |
| Gameplay mode | Single player | |
| Platforms | Sony PlayStation, MS-DOS | |
- This article is about the educational game for learning math and reading. For the similarly named educational game for learning a second language, see English with Rayman.
Plot
“Happiness abounds in Rayman's World. The sun shines brightly, the plants are green and the clear water of the river bubbles and sings merrily as it flows.Deep in the forest, the Wizard's cottage is peaceful and sheltered. There, he and Betilla the Fairy spend time enjoying their idyllic world and protecting the Wizard's Magic Book of Knowledge. The Wizard, a very scholarly and philosophical person, has put all the secrets of wisdom and knowledge in this book; the secrets that keep the world happy and beautiful.
But one day, the evil Mister Dark breaks into the Wizard's cottage, destroying everything in his wake, and steals Book of Knowledge and the map to this secret hideout that Rayman gave to the Wizard! Now the world will be at the mercy of the evil Mr Dark! So the Wizard and Betilla call for the one person who can save the world and return it to its former happiness and beauty. They call for Rayman!!!
Only this superhero, who has proven his courage time and again, can save the world from such a grave situation. It will be a long and difficult journey, but Rayman is strong and clever, and prepared to face the challenges ahead. Each time Rayman successfully completes a challenge, he gets a piece of parchment which, when matched with all the other pieces he obtains along the way, forms the map that will show the way to Mister Dark's hideout. Once the map is pieced together, a final test will give Rayman the chance to retrieve the Magic Book of Knowledge from the evil Mister Dark, and fill his world with happiness and beauty again.
Good luck Rayman!!!!!”
Gameplay
The gameplay in Rayman Junior is somewhat simplified specially for the young player. The number of levels in the game has been reduced to just twelve (two per world), and each one covers an educational topic, such as phonics, adding and subtracting, number recognition etc. The questions asked come in three difficulties, which may or may not be selectable depending on the version.
Each level starts with the Magician giving Rayman an overview on what he has to do. Throughout the level, Rayman will encounter the Magician's hat at various points where he asks the player a question. The player then has multiple paths to choose from, the right path being the right answer to the question. A life is lost if the wrong path is taken, usually due to it leading to an obstacle which instantly kills the player. After the level is completed, the player is sent to a bonus stage and given a time limit in which Rayman must complete whatever challenge the Magician has set. Once all of these levels are cleared, Rayman can then access Mr Dark's hideout to complete the game.
The game contains a new world map. Separately from the main levels, there is an extra one called Betilla's Garden, which the player may use to practice the game. This is the first time in which Betilla speaks English. It also has a new title theme, and the level music is extended.
Levels
Regional releases
Various versions of the game has been released in different regions, with different names, difficulty levels and age ratings. Some releases contain the multiple difficulty levels in the same release, selectable when starting the game, while others have them split across multiple releases. Several of these releases also feature slightly modified level designs from each other.
The Israeli release, כיף ללמוד עם ריימן ('Kef Lilmod Im Rayman', which means 'fun to learn with Rayman'), by Hed-Arzi (a big Israeli multimedia products importer and disributor) was the first release of Rayman that was fully translated to Hebrew (Interface and Dubbing).
Below is a table of all known releases of the game. The file date shown is the date recorded for the files on the disc and does not indicate when the game was officially released.
| Platform | File Date | Name | Language | Version Code | Version Mode | Difficulties | Text Language |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| MS-DOS | 1996-08-28 | Amazing Learning Games with Rayman | English (US) | USA | USA - 1 2 3 | 1 2 3 |
English |
| MS-DOS | Rayman Learning Center - Vol. 1 - Ages 6-7 | English (US) | |||||
| MS-DOS | Rayman Learning Center - Vol. 2 - Ages 7-8 | English (US) | |||||
| MS-DOS | Rayman Learning Center - Vol. 3 - Ages 8-9 | English (US) | |||||
| MS-DOS | 1996-11-13 | Amazing Learning Games with Rayman (DEMO) | English (US) | USA | USA - 1 2 3 | 1 2 3 |
English |
| PlayStation | 2000-06-18 | Rayman Brain Games | English (US) | US1 | USA - 1 2 3 | 1 2 3 |
English |
| MS-DOS | 1996-10-16 | Maths and English with Rayman - Vol. 1 - Age 6+ | English (UK) | GB1 | GB - 1 | 1 | English |
| MS-DOS | 1996-10-16 | Maths and English with Rayman - Vol. 2 - Age 7+ | English (UK) | GB2 | GB - 2 | 2 | English |
| MS-DOS | 1996-10-16 | Maths and English with Rayman - Vol. 3 - Age 8+ | English (UK) | GB3 | GB - 3 | 3 | English |
| PlayStation | 2000-05-17 | Rayman Junior - Level 1 - Age 6+ | English (UK) | GB1 | GB - 1 | 1 | English |
| PlayStation | 2000-05-16 | Rayman Junior - Level 2 - Age 7+ | English (UK) | GB2 | GB - 2 | 2 | English |
| PlayStation | 2000-05-16 | Rayman Junior - Level 3 - Age 8+ | English (UK) | GB3 | GB - 3 | 3 | English |
| MS-DOS | 1996-11-13 | Rayman pour les Juniors (DEMO) | French | FR | FR - CP CE1 CE2 | cp ce1 ce2 |
Français |
| MS-DOS | 1996-09-11 | Rayman pour les Juniors - CP | French | FR1 | FR - CP | cp | Français |
| MS-DOS | Rayman pour les Juniors - CE1 | French | FR2 | FR - CE1 | ce1 | Français | |
| MS-DOS | 1996-09-11 | Rayman pour les Juniors - CE2 | French | FR3 | FR - CE2 | ce2 | Français |
| PlayStation | 2000-05-16 | Rayman Junior - Calcul-lecture - CP | French | FR1 | FR - CP | cp | Français |
| PlayStation | 2000-05-16 | Rayman Junior - Calcul-lecture - CE1 | French | FR2 | FR - CE1 | ce1 | Français |
| PlayStation | 2000-05-16 | Rayman Junior - Calcul-lecture - CE2 | French | FR3 | FR - CE2 | ce2 | Français |
| MS-DOS | 1996-09-30 | Lesen und Rechnen mit Rayman - Klasse 1+2 | German | AL1 | AL - 1 2 | Klasse 1 Klasse 2 |
Deutsch |
| MS-DOS | 1996-09-30 | Lesen und Rechnen mit Rayman - Klasse 3+4 | German | AL2 | AL - 3 4 | Klasse 3 Klasse 4 |
Deutsch |
| PlayStation | 2000-05-16 | Rayman Junior - Klasse 1+2 | German | AL1 | AL - 1 2 | Klasse 1 Klasse 2 |
Deutsch |
| PlayStation | 2000-05-16 | Rayman Junior - Klasse 3+4 | German | AL2 | AL - 3 4 | Klasse 3 Klasse 4 |
Deutsch |
| MS-DOS | 1996-12-27 | Rayman Juniors Rekenen en Lezen - Groep 2 6 - 8 jaar | Dutch | NL1 | NL - 3de | 3de | Nederlands |
| MS-DOS | 1996-12-27 | Rayman Juniors Rekenen en Lezen - Groep 4 | Dutch | NL2 | NL - 4de | 4de | Nederlands |
| MS-DOS | 1996-12-27 | Rayman Juniors Rekenen en Lezen - Groep 5 | Dutch | NL3 | NL - 5de | 5de | Nederlands |
| MS-DOS | 1997-06-02 | Lekande lätt med Rayman | Swedish | SW | SW - 1 2 3 | ettan tvåan trean |
SWEDISH |
| MS-DOS | 1997-06-04 | Legende let med Rayman | Danish | DK | DK - 1 2 3 | 1.Klasse 2.Klasse 3.Klasse |
DANISH |
| MS-DOS | 1997-11-27 | Rayman Oppimis- ja Seikkailupeli | Finnish | FI | FI - 1 2 3 | ala-aste yläaste lukio |
FINNISH |
| MS-DOS | 1997-06-13 | Lek og lær med Rayman | Norwegian | NW | NW - 1 2 3 | 1.Klasse 2.Klasse 3.Klasse |
NORWEGIAN |
| MS-DOS | 1997-10-22 | כיף ללמוד עם ריימן | Hebrew | ISM | ISRAEL - M | 1 2 3 |
Hebrew |
| MS-DOS | 1997-10-22 | כיף ללמוד עם ריימן | Hebrew | ISL | ISRAEL - L | 1 2 3 |
Hebrew |
| MS-DOS | Rayman Junior Matek és olvasás - 1 (6 éves kortól) | Hungarian | HN1 | HN - 1 | 1 | HONGROIS | |
| MS-DOS | 1999-11-26 | Rayman Junior Matek és olvasás - 2 (7 éves kortól) | Hungarian | HN2 | HN - 2 | 2 | HONGROIS |
| MS-DOS | Rayman Junior Matek és olvasás - 3 (8 -10 éveseknek) | Hungarian | HN3 | HN - 3 | 3 | HONGROIS | |
| MS-DOS | 1997-06-09 | Rayman+ - 레이맨 플러스 | Korean | KO | KOREA | 1 2 3 |
Korean |
| MS-DOS | Rayman Juniors Matematica e Italiano - I e II elementare | Italian | IT1 | ITALIANO | 1 e 2 el | Italiano | |
| MS-DOS | 1997-09-05 | Rayman Juniors Matematica e Italiano - III e IV elementare | Italian | IT2 | ITALIANO | 3 e 4 el | Italiano |
| MS-DOS | 1997-09-05 | Rayman Juniors Matematica e Italiano - IV e V elementare | Italian | IT3 | ITALIANO | 4 e 5 el | Italiano |
| PlayStation | 2000-05-16 | Rayman Junior - I e II elementare | Italian | IT1 | ITALIANO | 1 e 2 el | Italiano |
| PlayStation | 2000-05-16 | Rayman Junior - III e IV elementare | Italian | IT2 | ITALIANO | 3 e 4 el | Italiano |
| PlayStation | 2000-05-16 | Rayman Junior - IV e V elementare | Italian | IT3 | ITALIANO | 4 e 5 el | Italiano |
| MS-DOS | Amazing Learning Games with Rayman | Thai | TH | THAI | thai | ||
| MS-DOS | 1998-05-06 | Rayman uczy matmy i polaka | Polish | PO | PO - 1 2 3 | 1 2 3 |
Polish |
| MS-DOS | 1997-06-26 | Rayman Yingyu Da Chuangguan - Rumenpian | Chinese | CH1 | CH 1 | 1 | Chinese |
| MS-DOS | 1997-06-26 | Rayman Yingyu Da Chuangguan - Jinjiepian | Chinese | CH2 | CH 2 | 2 | Chinese |
| MS-DOS | 1997-06-26 | Rayman Yingyu Da Chuangguan - Gaojipian | Chinese | CH3 | CH 3 | 3 | Chinese |
| MS-DOS | 1997-11-26 | Matemáticas y Lenguaje con Rayman I | Spanish | CS1 | CS - 1 | 1 | Castil |
| MS-DOS | 1997-11-26 | Matemáticas y Lenguaje con Rayman II | Spanish | CS2 | CS - 2 | 2 | Castil |
| MS-DOS | 1997-11-27 | Matemáticas y Lenguaje con Rayman III | Spanish | CS3 | CS - 3 | 3 | Castil |
| PlayStation | 2000-06-19 | Rayman Junior - Matemáticas y Lenguaje - 1er Curso Primaria - 6-7 años | Spanish | CS1 | CS - 1 | 1 | Castil |
| PlayStation | 2000-06-20 | Rayman Junior - Matemáticas y Lenguaje - 2er Curso Primaria - 7-8 años | Spanish | CS2 | CS - 2 | 2 | Castil |
| PlayStation | 2000-06-20 | Rayman Junior - Matemáticas y Lenguaje - 3er Curso Primaria - 8-9 años | Spanish | CS3 | CS - 3 | 3 | Castil |
| MS-DOS | 1997-11-26 | Matemáticas y Lenguaje con Rayman I | Catalan | CT1 | CT - 1 | 1 | Catal |
| MS-DOS | 1997-11-26 | Matemáticas y Lenguaje con Rayman II | Catalan | CT2 | CT - 2 | 2 | Catal |
| MS-DOS | 1997-11-27 | Matemáticas y Lenguaje con Rayman III | Catalan | CT3 | CT - 3 | 3 | Catal |
| MS-DOS | Rayman Τζούνιορ τεύχος A' - 6-7 ετών | Greek | |||||
| MS-DOS | Rayman Τζούνιορ τεύχος Β' - 8-9 ετών | Greek | |||||
| MS-DOS | Rayman Τζούνιορ τεύχος Γ' - 10-11 ετών | Greek |
Glitches
1. When the demos play in Rayman Brain Games, Rayman's 2D theme music is not played. However, in Amazing Learning Games with Rayman and Rayman Junior, the theme plays.
2. In Rayman Brain Games, the music for Butterweed Bog plays in Rising Tides.
3. In Rayman Junior, Amazing Learning Games with Rayman and Rayman Brain Games, the music for Tasty Chase is heard in Mr Dark's Lair. The music that is supposed to play on the level is from the menu of the original Rayman game.
4. In Rayman Brain Games, when Rayman is facing to the right, his eyes look enlarged. Strangely, when he is facing to the left, the eyes return to their original size.
5. In Rayman Brain Games, there's a glitch that causes life statues to not appear in the game.
French voice cast
- Brigitte Guedj as Betilla the Fairy
- Gérard Loussine as The Magician
- Steve Perkinson as Rayman
