Rayman 1

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  • This article is about the first Rayman game. For the main character of the series, see Rayman.
Rayman
Rayman
Published by Ubi Soft Entertainment
Developed by Ubi Soft Montpellier

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 PlayStation:

United States of America(USA).png 1st September, 1995
Japan.png 22nd September, 1995
European Union.png 29th September, 1995
Jaguar:
United States of America(USA).png 9th September, 1995
Saturn:
European Union.png 30th October, 1995
Japan.png 17th November, 1995
PC/MS-DOS:
European Union.png December, 1995
United States of America(USA).png 30th April, 1996
China.png 1996
Game Boy Advance:
United States of America(USA).png 10th June, 2001
European Union.png 22nd June, 2001
PlayStation Portable, PlayStation 3, PlayStation Vita:
European Union.png 29th May, 2008
United States of America(USA).png 17th July, 2008
Nintendo DSi:
United States of America(USA).png 7th December, 2009
European Union.png 25th December, 2009
iOS:
Worldwide 18th February, 2016
Android:
Worldwide 17th March, 2016
PlayStation Classic:
Worldwide 3rd December, 2018

Genre 2D platformer
Gameplay mode Single player
Platforms Sony PlayStation, Atari Jaguar, Sega Saturn, PC/MS-DOS, Game Boy Advance, Sony PlayStation Portable (PlayStation Network), Sony PlayStation 3 (PlayStation Network), Sony PlayStation Vita (PlayStation Network), Nintendo DSi, Nintendo 3DS (Nintendo eShop), Windows Mobile, Pocket PC, Nokia 9210, iOS, Android, PlayStation Classic
Ratings 3+ (PEGI), E (ESRB)
Distribution media CD-ROM, DVD-ROM, cartridge, digital download
Game engine {{{game engine}}}

Rayman, more commonly known as Rayman 1, is the first game in the Rayman series and features the debut of the titular character. The game was first released in 1995 on the Sony PlayStation, Atari Jaguar, Sega Saturn, and PC/MS-DOS. The game was later ported to the Game Boy Advance in 2001, under the name Rayman Advance, Nintendo DSi in 2009 and iOS and Android in 2016, under the name Rayman Classic.

The PlayStation version was released in 2008 on the PlayStation Network as a downloadable PSOne Classic, playable on PlayStation Portable, PlayStation 3 and PlayStation Vita. The Nintendo DSi version was released alongside other DSiWare titles on the Nintendo eShop for the Nintendo 3DS family of systems. On December 3, 2018, the PlayStation version was re-released with the PlayStation Classic. This version was the NTSC version for all territories.

Plot

Intro

The entire game takes place in the valley, a diverse and surreal location somewhere in the Glade of Dreams. Prior to the beginning of the game, all is harmonious; a mystical pink orb known as the Great Protoon provides peace and balance to the world. However, this cannot last – one day, the evil Mr Dark steals the Great Protoon and defeats its guardian, Betilla the fairy. The natural balance of the world is disrupted; freaks and hostile characters begin to appear. The Electoons, small friendly creatures which gravitated around the Great Protoon, are scattered across the valley and imprisoned in cages by Mr Dark's minions. A benevolent character known as the Magician turns to the heroic Rayman for help. The Magician gives Rayman these tasks: free the Electoons from their cages, and recover the Great Protoon from Mr Dark. Only then will the balance of the world be restored. The valley contains six distinct worlds, and Rayman must pass through each of them in order to fulfill his objectives and reach his ultimate goal.

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 Electoons and gain certain powers if the player chooses to skip ahead.

The Dream Forest

The first world of the game is 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 cages. 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 nenuphars 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 rings 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 monks. 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 in the next phase and gives Rayman his final power: the ability to run. This replaces the ability to grimace (whose only purpose was scaring the tall Livingstones).

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 colorful 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 punches it back into place, and Joe's entire electrical system is reactivated – including a network of wired flying saucers 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. Mr Skops is not pleased when Rayman wakes him, and attacks while periodically retreating. Rayman chases Mr Skops to his temple lair, where the two battle until he 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 cages 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 clowns. 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 Electoons 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. As the creatures are hit, a lighting effect appears. This only happens in the Sega Saturn version. When the first creature 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. 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 Electoons 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

Main article: Rayman (early production)

In the years since the game's release, much information regarding the early development of the game has been revealed, mainly through beta versions leaked to the public and Rayman Designer hacking. An interview also revealed that Rayman had had his limbs removed due to technical limitations.

Two Atari Jaguar beta versions have become available on the internet – an early prototype, which was leaked to the public in October 2008, and a demo version that had been available from ROM download sites since several years before. While the former features many differences from the final version, especially concerning the gameplay and levels, the latter displays even more divergences, with a noticeably different heads-up display centered at the top of the screen.

In July 2010, it was revealed that the game was initially developed for the Super Nintendo Entertainment System.

Gameplay

Rayman gets all of his permanent powers from Betilla the Fairy.

Rayman is a 2D side-scrolling platform game, unlike its successors. The game takes place in 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 heads-up display consists of how many lives and units of health Rayman has, and how many Tings he has collected. In most versions, Rayman starts with four lives and three units of health, can increase his units of health to five by collecting a Big Power, can gain a life by collecting 100 Tings, and can obtain up to 99 lives per continue. When he takes damage, he loses one unit of health, and when he loses all of them, he loses a life, his temporary fist powers, and all of the Tings he had collected. Upon Game Over, he uses one of his five continues, which are represented by alarm clocks. In later versions, the number of units of health, starting lives and continues has been increased, and the number of Tings required to gain a life has been decreased.

The game is considered extremely difficult – much more so than the later installments in the series. Many players do not complete it. This is because the game was never play-tested, leaving the developers with no conception of how difficult it would be for a new player. As a result of the original game's renowned difficulty, great efforts were taken to make Rayman Origins accessible to both beginners and veteran players.[1]


Replays

All levels (except Mr Dark's Dare) can be replayed an unlimited number of times, in any order. However, boss sections can only be played once; after the boss is defeated, the section will not reappear. Also, sections where bosses only make an appearance but which do not actually contain a boss fight can only be replayed as long as the corresponding boss has not been defeated yet. Sections where Rayman obtains new powers from Betilla the Fairy are only visited once. Cages that have been broken do not appear during subsequent playthroughs; this means that only the cages that were missed need to be located. In some cases, backtracking is necessary, because certain cages are out of reach until Rayman gains a particular power. Finally, extra lives that have been collected (including from bonus levels) also do not reappear, making it impossible to accumulate extra lives by replaying easier levels. However, Tings appear in every playthrough, and can be instrumental for extra life accumulation.

In the Game Boy Advance version, Mr Dark's Dare can be revisited any number of times, including the boss battle at the end. Other boss levels and Betilla levels cannot be revisited.

In the PC version, boss and Betilla encounters can be replayed via the sub-level selection cheat code. However, Mr Dark's Dare cannot be replayed that way.

List of powers and power-ups

Rayman's first gained power is hurling his telescopic fist.

At the start of the game, Rayman is only able to pull a grimace, which is used to scare certain enemies. As he continues, he will receive permanent powers from Betilla the Fairy that gradually widen his abilities, as well as receive a few temporary ones.

Permanent

Temporary

Power-ups

  • Tings: Small blue bubbles, used either to pay the Magician to enter a bonus stage, or to gain an extra life when a certain amount is collected (100 in most versions).
  • Powers: Comes in either a small red atom with a P on the front, or a large red one - the former gives Rayman one or two units of health, while the latter replenishes his entire health.
  • Speed Fist: Allows Rayman's fist to fly faster and farther than normal. Picking up a second speed fist will further increase the speed and range. Losing a life will make it drop by one level.
  • Golden Fist: Allows Rayman's fist to be twice as strong.
  • Life: Gives Rayman an extra life, as well as restoring his entire health.

Characters

The final epilogue image displayed at the end of the game shows Rayman with all his friends.

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

Friends

Enemies

  • Bzzit: The first boss (or mid-boss) of the game, a large eyed mosquito, who lives in Anguish Lagoon in the Dream Forest. After Rayman defeats him he befriends Rayman and can be used as a vehicle. He later appears as a friend in Rayman Revolution.
  • Moskito: Bzzit's stronger counterpart, and the boss of the Dream Forest.
  • Mr Sax: Boss of Band Land, he is a walking saxophone that attacks by blowing explosive wrong notes.
  • Mr Stone: Boss of the Blue Mountains, he is a creature made of rock who constantly thumps on the ground and sends smaller stone creatures to attack Rayman.
  • Space Mama: A very large woman who's the boss of Picture City. She is first represented as a stereotypical female opera singer, with a rolling pin which shoots out knives. In the second battle, her rolling pin shoots out lasers, while also using exploding pots and a washing machine.
  • Mr Skops: A scorpion who is boss of the Caves of Skops. He attacks with his giant claws and tail which shoots a homing laserbeam.
  • Bad Rayman: The result of a spell that Mr Dark casts in the Candy Château who resembles Rayman with a dark palette and mimics every move he makes throughout the stage. He can only be defeated by finishing a stage while letting him follow Rayman.
  • Mr Dark: The main antagonist of the game, who steals Rayman's fist powers and casts strange spells on him. When he finally approaches him he would not really fight but rather trap Rayman with walls of fire. At this point the Electoons return the fist, but Mr Dark then transforms into hybrids of the previous bosses. His hideout is located in the Candy Château.

Levels

The world map, as seen in the PlayStation version.

The Dream Forest

Band Land

Blue Mountains

Picture City

The Caves of Skops

Candy Château

Version differences

Since its original release, Rayman has received a bunch of ports to other consoles with each new port having some noticeable differences.

Atari Jaguar

Main article: Rayman (Atari Jaguar)

The Atari Jaguar version is the version with the most differences. Several levels have major changes, such as Eraser Plains and Mr Dark's Dare (renamed Mr Dark's Château), and others have had their names changed, such as the Swamps of Forgetfulness (renamed Forgotten Swamps). Other changes include Bzzit being able to shoot while Rayman is riding on him, different animations, different music and sound effects. This is also one of the few versions to include the Breakout mini-game. The intro is displayed with text and a slideshow of images. The cage locations resemble the PlayStation and Sega Saturn versions most closely.

The cover for the North American PlayStation version.
The cover for the Japanese PlayStation version.

Sony PlayStation

The Sony PlayStation version has higher quality graphics than most other versions and takes usage of several effects, such as fog. This version also takes usage of extra MIDI music, mainly used during loading screens and chase scenes. The PAL version is known to run at a slower speed than intended. The PAL version on the PlayStation Vita has a glitch where the top few rows of the screen are not visible.


The cover for the Sega Saturn version.
The cover for the Japanese Sega Saturn version.

Sega Saturn

The Sega Saturn version resembles the PlayStation version, with several graphical effects being changed. When the creatures in the final boss battle against Mr Dark get hit, a lighting effect occurs. Also in the final battle, the glass on the windows break once Mr Dark is defeated.

The cover of the Rayman Forever bundle on PC.
The original PC/MS-DOS version cover.

PC (DOS/Windows)

The PC version has numerous variants, with the majority of them lacking the full soundtrack and the intro. The cage and life locations have changed compared to previous versions and the first part of Bongo Hills has been remade with new assets. Voice acting has been added for Rayman and several other characters such as Tarayzan. Differential scrolling is turned off by default, though most versions allow it to be manually turned back on.

This version was later re-released in the Rayman Forever bundle on GOG[2] and Uplay.[3]

The cover of Rayman Advance.

Game Boy Advance (titled Rayman Advance)

Main article: Rayman Advance

The Game Boy Advance version, titled Rayman Advance, is a port of the PC version retaining its cage locations. The intro is, similarly to the Atari Jaguar version, shown with text and a slideshow of images. A lot of the music has been removed and what remains is in lower quality. The first part of Bongo Hills has been completely removed. This version is known to be easier than the original due to the increased health and lives available and several minor changes made to levels to make them easier. This version also does not feature any auto-scrollers and Mr Dark's Dare is able to be replayed.

This version is available on Virtual Console on Wii U in North America.

The cover of Rayman Ultimate.

Pocket PC (titled Rayman Ultimate)

Main article: Rayman Ultimate

The Pocket PC version, titled Rayman Ultimate, increased the amount of health and lives available. Similarly to the iOS and Android port, the buttons are now virtual buttons on the screen, except for the directional buttons.

The Nintendo DSi-Ware artwork.

Nintendo DSi-Ware

Main article: Rayman (Nintendo DSi)

The Nintendo DSi-Ware version is similar to the Game Boy Advance version, it is a port of the PC version with the intro being shown with text and a slideshow of images. This version doubles the players health and makes it easier obtaining lives. A new missions system has been added and the second screen now features a map over the current stage. This version features added dialogue in certain parts and keeps most of the soundtrack from the PC version. Similarly to the Game Boy Advance version, Mr Dark's Dare can be replayed.

This version is downloadable from the Nintendo eShop for Nintendo 3DS.

The app icon for Rayman Classic.

Apple iOS & Android (titled Rayman Classic)

Main article: Rayman Classic

The iOS & Android versions, titled Rayman Classic, are direct ports of the PC version with everything, including the Breakout mini-game, retained. These are the first versions to feature achievements and leaderboards.

This version used to be available from the App Store for iOS and from Google Play for Android, but it was removed from both stores during the summer of 2018 for unknown reasons. However, it is still playable for users who have downloaded it beforehand.

Manuals

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 thumbnails to read the manuals.

Soundtrack

French musician Rémi Gazel composed the majority of the game's soundtrack.

The credits of Rayman list fifteen names under the heading 'Sound Effects and Music', leaving it unclear which people were involved in the creation of sound effects and which were involved in composing, arranging and programming the game's musical score.

In August 2009, French musician Rémi Gazel posted in the RayTunes subforum of the Rayman Pirate-Community message board, and stated that he had composed almost the entire soundtrack of the game.[4]

The Atari Jaguar version features substantially different musical credits, but since most of the music in this version is the same, it can be determined that the names shared between this version and the others are the ones who composed the music itself. In addition to Rémi Gazel, known composers credited in all versions include Nathalie Drouet, Frédéric Louvre, Frédéric Prados and Olaf Zalcman.

The French book L'Histoire de Rayman confirms that Frédéric Prados composed musics of the game.


Reception

Rayman received generally positive reviews from critics. The GameRankings review aggregator calculated scores of 77.00% and 75.00% for the PC/MS-DOS[5] and Sony PlayStation[6] versions respectively, while the Sega Saturn[7] and Atari Jaguar[8] versions both received scores of 85.00%. The game's graphics and soundtrack received particular praise, along with its imaginative art style and complex level design. Criticism focused on its gameplay, which was regarded as solid but not particularly inventive or original. The game also drew criticism for its unforgiving difficulty; the player was required not only to perform very difficult platforming and combat manoeuvres, but also to locate and smash all 102 Electoon cages scattered throughout the game in order to unlock the final level, Mr Dark's Dare. Many players did not complete the game due to its difficulty.

In the United Kingdom, Rayman was the best-selling game to be released on the original PlayStation console.[9]

Gallery

Covers

Screenshots

Artworks

Promo art

See also

External links

References