Mouprise.com

rayman origins

Release date: November 15, 2011
Publisher: Ubisoft
MPAA Rating: Ages 10+

rayman origins is the latest in the long-running platformer series published by Ubisoft and developed by its in-house Montpellier studio. It is also the first game to use the UbiArt Framework, a graphics engine that removes many of the technical aspects of creating games with hand-drawn elements. With other engines, artists have to take motion and scale into account to avoid distorting their images. The UbiArt Framework makes many of these factors moot by handling them automatically, giving artists the opportunity to simply focus on creating great art, and then allowing them to animate pieces by manipulating the silhouette of the individual object. The result is a gorgeous 2D platformer that could very well be the crown jewel of the genre’s recent renaissance.

raymanThe gameplay of is pure 2D platform. It’s all about precision jumping and fancy footwork, negotiating damaging obstacles, and a myriad of colorful and offbeat baddies. Meanwhile, you collect coins, or rather, in this case, small sleeping balls of light called “Lums”. Along the way, you’ll cross a sea of ​​punch, explore a mountain temple, and enlist the help of a flower king. Oh, but just so you know, there are piranhas in the punch, the temple on the mountain is infested with swarms of bat-like creatures, and when you first meet the king of flowers, he’s 25 feet tall, he’s covered in thorns and wants to eat you. Cute and challenging are two words that would go a long way to describe this game.

There’s nothing worse than a game that’s hard enough to require precision, only to put you in control of a character who floats or whose jumps seem a bit lag. Fortunately, that’s not the case here, as Ubisoft nailed the controls. Everything from running to jumping feels firm and responsive, and Rayman (or Globox, one of the tweenies, or any of the other unlockable characters) seems to go exactly where you want it to go. The replayability is also good, as finishers will find themselves playing through each level multiple times in an effort to collect all of the Lums, find all of the hidden Electoon cages, and win all of the time trial trophies.

Amidst all the things that Ubisoft did right with this game, and they did very well, I think the real unsung hero is the soundtrack. From the music in the opening cinematic that incites the Darktoons to attack the Glade of Dreams, to the well-crafted scores that complement each stage’s theme and blast their way into your head with their sublime whimsy, it all nicely complements the story. artistic style.

In addition to being a great single player game, rayman It also has a cooperative of up to four players, to the New Super Mario Brothers, allowing you and three friends to navigate the dangers together. Fortunately, checkpoints are frequent, and since players who fall or get hit are ‘bubbled’ and can be re-tagged by floating near another player, progress is possible even if you have to carry a weak link. This will be especially nice for those of you who like to play games with your kids, or who have spouses who aren’t as good at gaming as you think they are.

All things considered, I can’t think of much to complain about in regards to this game. It looks and sounds great, the controls are solid, and the replayability is high. Lots of fun, lots of challenges, lots of heart and lots of charm. In fact, the only negative thing I can think of to say is that the game is 15 years too late for being part of the heyday of the genre and getting the attention it deserves. rayman origins it’s been out since November 2011, and so far its story has been one of critical success but commercial disappointment. However, I think that will change over time, because despite the decline of 2D games, rayman origins is in it for the long haul. Games this good don’t go unnoticed forever. If you are a fan of big platforms in the line of the classics mario brothers or Sonic the Hedgehog titles, you must try this game now.