Difficulty:

Just Right

Time Spent:

10 to 20 Hours

The Bottom Line:

"Instant classic"

Rayman's been having a nice sabbatical for the past several years. Once the platforming periling protagonist, he slowly bowed out and let the Raving Rabbids have their time in the limelight. The days of party games and time traveling platforming are over, however, as Rayman returns to stretch his invisible limbs set for another 2-D adventure that's been long overdue.

For a game subtitled Origins, you would expect some kind of prevalent story line outlining a, well, origin of Rayman. Rather, "Origins" harks back to when Rayman was at his best, in the 2-D side-scrolling platform genre. All that you really need to know about the story is that Rayman and his pal were enjoying a nice lazy day eating fruit when a mean old witch was disturbed by their snoring slumbers. The witch ended up throwing a skull into the mouth of Rayman, taking him on a wild trip into a whole other world. Now, Rayman must go seek out pink little bouncy beings known as Electoons to help him build bridges to new areas in an attempt to return home. Let's just hope Rayman's not too rusty, because he's going to every bit of skill he has.

Rayman Origins is both easy and incredibly difficulty. It's easy in the fact that you have unlimited lives, but you die in one hit, unless you carry around a heart with you. There are also several checkpoints peppered throughout the game's many levels, so as long as you keep trying, you'll eventually push on to the end. The real difficulty of Origins lies in collecting these floaty little yellow things called Lums. Lums are smattered everywhere, usually in lines and patterns that require precision jumping in order to gain them all. They also appear when you jump on certain platforms and pass particular flowers, but what really applies the pressure is a special lum that makes them all sing. Once they start singing, you pick up twice the amount. This means that to gather up as many lums as you can, you'll be throwing caution to the wind making mad dashes and crazy jumps grab them before the singing ends.

Sure, you could breeze through the early part of the game without picking up any lums, but you'll eventually hit a roadblock. In order to reach the later levels, you have to acquire a certain amount of Electoons, and these are rewarded to you for gathering a required number at the end of each level, as well as found caged up in hidden areas of each stage. There are also treasure chest levels that require a large number of Electoons to access, and these stages have the player chasing down a runaway treasure chest while avoiding many numerous hazards. It's very reminiscent of Team Meat's Super Meat Boy, so if you're familiar with that game, you'll know a little of what to expect with Rayman Origins.

Rayman's abilities are also progressively bestowed upon him. You start out with only being able to run and jump, but by rescuing magical buxom beauties, they'll give Rayman the power to attack, glide, swim, and even run up walls and ceilings. By slowly expanding Rayman's arsenal of abilities, it establishes a great pace for the game. It allows the player time to get acquainted with the game as each new challenge is presented, and the bosses are also a lot of fun to fight by using these new abilities in clever ways. If you really want an extra challenge, grab every red gem from the treasure chest stages and you'll be given access to The Land of the Living Dead where no greater need for precision control has ever been demanded.

It's the controls that really make the game. They are sharp, precise and responsive. There will be times where you'll need to know exactly when to do long jumps and short hops, gauge your momentum when falling and feather the glide button, and learn how to gain extra distance by bouncing off ballooned enemies (yeah, enemies begin to balloon up when attacked). You are in complete control of Rayman, so if you are to ever die, you know it's completely your fault. The controls, however, aren't entirely perfect. There are only two minor qualms to be had. Rayman can't double jump, which would make platforming a bit easier and instead of simply holding down the jump button to glide, the player must hit the jump button again and then hold down to start gliding. It doesn't take long to get used to, but it still feels awkward nonetheless.

The level design of Rayman Origins is absolutely superb. There are five main worlds all with their own themes. Overgrown jungles, ice-laden snowy peaks, demonic kitchens and tiki islands give plenty of challenging opportunities for the player. You might have to swim in the middle of a group of enemies or run and jump from falling platforms as the world crumbles to the ground. Rayman also isn't infinitely bound to earth, as he hops on his mosquito to fly through several shooting segments. These parts of the game aren't as much fun, however, since the shooter gameplay isn't very accommodating. Too often, you'll be trying to shoot one row of enemies while completely being unable to finish the next row off. You can also suck up enemies, but it's very hard to use effectively as you cannot move while doing so.

When you look at a fine painting, you can see how much time and labor the artist put into it, and it's clearly evident the artists of Rayman Origins put their fair share of blood and sweat into the visuals. The game's utterly beautiful on a micro and macro scale. It's not just the cartoon-quality graphics and the incredible use of color that makes the game look so good, but it's the richness of layers in the game's background and foreground creating an impressive level of depth. The animations of both characters and special effects, not to mention giant chunks of levels moving and bosses puttering around the screen, are so silky smooth, you would swear you're watching a hand-animated cartoon. All these great visuals are also delivered so well to the eyes thanks to the Vita's stunning display. You simply must witness this game in action for yourself.

If having breathlessly gorgeous visuals wasn't enough, Rayman Origins' audio is also phenomenal work. The music is far and away the star of the show, as it's fantastically composed and blends so well into the game's many themes. Mexican music accentuates the game's kitchen-themed levels filled with chili peppers and fire-spewing pits. Mesmerizing melodies feature incoherent vocals with a sped up tempo not unlike Alvin and the Chipmunks, which makes the feeling of swimming through coral-lined waters that much more surreal. The sound effects are also of high quality, delivering each whack and bam and bop and pop as well as a cartoon would. Both graphically and audibly, this a quality cartoon wrapped around a very solid video game.

If you passed on Rayman Origins on the consoles, picking it up on the PlayStation Vita would be the most opportune time. 2-D platformers feel right at home on handheld consoles, since you can take them wherever you go and they're perfect to play when you only have a few minutes on your hands. Plus, Rayman Origins is a prime launch title to show off the brilliance of the Vita's screen. The only thing you'll be missing out on in the Vita version is the multiplayer, which is a shame. Rayman Origins is a crowning achievement and a meaningful reminder to all of us that the art of the 2-D platformer is not yet lost, and not exclusive to Italian plumbers.