Speed Reviews: Every 2D Rayman Game Reviewed

​Welcome back to Speed Reviews, where we review classic game series all in one article. Each review is 300 words or less to keep things quick. This week we have every 2D Rayman game! 

Rayman

The game that started it all, Rayman is a game that starts off amazingly. Entering The Dream Forest and exploring its vibrant landscape and multi-layered level design is still enchanting today. The depth added by its hidden nook and crannies rivals some much better games that I’ll be reviewing later in this article. The world’s flood level even feels like the progenitor to Ori and The Blind Forest’s amazing escape sequences. This first arc of Rayman’s journey is simple, precise platforming fun perfected.

Unfortunately, it’s right after The Dream Forest that Rayman’s big problem starts to rear its head. This game is just too punishing. Now bear with me for just a second; I can feel the ‘git gud’ comments brewing already. The problem with Rayman isn’t just that it’s hard, it’s the way that the difficulty is implemented. Obstacles come barreling from offscreen at near warp speed, forcing you to either be clairvoyant or play each level dozens of times until you unlock the muscle memory of an Ocarina of Time blindfold% speedrunner. This difficulty, coupled with limited lives, inevitably ends in frustration. Without an emulator or the patience of a monk, Rayman is a wholly unpleasant time for all but the most hardcore platforming fans. 

I really do wish I could recommend Rayman, as The Dream Forest has always been one of my favourite opening worlds in a 2D platformer. It’s unfortunate that the rest of the game fails to live up to the high bar that it sets. Charming that the following worlds may be, without mastering Ultra Instinct they are almost entirely unenjoyable.

Gaming Exploits Final Score – 4/10

Rayman Origins

Released 16 years after the last 2D Rayman game, Origins was a breath of fresh air after drowning in the 2000’s ocean of Raving Rabbids games. So fresh was Origins at the time, that I still remember playing it for the first time at Gamefest 2011, amazed that Ubisoft was actually giving this platforming icon the love he deserves. Origins is the ultimate love letter to a then-dormant platforming legend. 

Origins plays on the elements that made the original so great, expanding them whilst changing their difficulty to something that regular humans can enjoy. The classic no-limbs move set is back, combining with some new unlockable tricks to make the back half of the game into a flowing, multilayered precision platformer that expertly crafts its levels. The rest of the game is no slouch either, with new playable characters, and a new type of level entirely. Each world in Origins is home to one of these all-new Tricky Treasure levels, stages that task you with chasing a sentient treasure chest to get at the collectable inside. Deviously hard and insanely intense, these chase levels are Origins at their best, marrying a perfect difficulty curve with a flowing level design. 

It’s this state of flow that Origins creates that really solidifies the game as one of the best platformers of the 2010s. And whilst it’s a shame that the game does sometimes slow down and become methodical, it’s hard to dislike these moments too much, as there’s always going to be another excellent level shortly after. Rayman Origins is what the original game should have been, and so much more. 

Gaming Exploits Final Score – 9/10

Rayman Legends

The latest Rayman game is the ultimate way to experience our limbless hero’s adventures. The flow state that Origins aimed for is honed to perfection, and it’s here in spades. The deviations from this flow also fit better than in Origins, with new mechanics and even better-hidden goodies improving these slower sections. 

Tricky Treasure levels are sadly gone from Legends, but it’s hard to miss them when you’re introduced to their replacement. The music levels are as good, if not better than the insane heights of Origins’ chase levels, matching Rayman’s jumps, punches and glides to the beat of the song that plays throughout the level. These levels cap off each world and are equally silly and punishing. Despite the difficulty that some of these levels output, it’s impossible to stay mad when playing through such a joyous celebration of the world you just platformed through. 

The worlds themselves are also some of the highlights of the series, ditching the standard wacky Rayman locations for greener, crazier pastures. Fiesta De Los Muertos throws you through a Day of The Dead buffet table, with Rayman and co. shrunk down to insect size, whilst 20,000 lums Under The Sea is home to a pastiche of Splinter Cell and also a Kaiju robot water dragon. On top of all of this, around 70% of Origins’ levels are unlockable in Legends, adding even more amazing content to an already packed game.

Rayman Legends is a masterclass in 2D platforming design. It’s incredibly fun, deeply replayable, and endlessly charming. It’s hard to find any flaws at all in its bulletproof level design, and its mountain of content kept me playing well past the 30-hour mark. If you’re a platformer fan, Legends should be the next game on your list. 

Gaming Exploits Final Score – 10/10

And that’s it for this instalment of Speed Reviews. What did you think of our Rayman series review?

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