PixlBit

One of the most creative platformers the N64 has to offer

The Nintendo 64 has a lot of great 3D platformers. Super Mario 64, Banjo Kazooie, Donkey Kong 64, Rocket: Robot on Wheels, just to name a few. But there's a platformer that stands out from them all: Rayman 2: The Great Escape, developed and published by Ubisoft in 1999. It was released for several platforms. For this review, I played the N64 version, which was the first version to be released. Rayman 2 was also the first 3D Rayman game, the previous one being a 2D platformer. 

The story goes something like this: the evil pirate Razorbeard has captured many people aboard his slave ship, including Rayman. With the help of Globox, Rayman was able to get one of his powers back--shooting a glowing orb from his fist--and escape the ship. Now he must defeat Razorbeard so he can free all the prisoners. In order to do that, he'll have to get four powerful masks. The game has cutscenes which are really cute; the characters will mumble some gibberish while you read the text (it's almost like voice acting).

The main hub for the game is called the Glade of Dreams; this is like the map where Rayman can move and choose which level to play. Typically there are three or four levels before a Sanctuary level, which are the ones holding a mask. Each level is broken up into several sections, and can be pretty long, taking sometimes 20-30 minutes to finish one level. However, the level design is great. New and creative things are constantly being done throughout the course of the game.

As Rayman, you can run, jump, shoot glowing orbs to attack, and hover while in the air using Rayman's amazing hair as a helicopter. When an enemy appears, you can hold down the Z button to focus the camera behind Rayman and he'll automatically throw the orbs at the bad guy; the combat is very simple, but the game is not about combat. Throughout the game, Rayman will also climb things, swim underwater, and ride all kinds of vehicles and creatures.

Lums are very important in the game. These are glowing spheres which you must collect in every level. Red lums give you energy, green lums serve as a check point if you die, and yellow lums are the ones you must collect. There are 50 lums to collect in every level. You can also rescue teensies who are trapped in cages. Many times you will have to rescue a teensie in order to finish a level (he and Rayman will dance and then the teensie will open the portal to return to the Glade of Dreams). Before you can enter a Sanctuary level, you have to go through the Council of Teensies; they will tell you if you have enough lums to continue. If not, you'll have to go back and get more lums, beating a level a second time. I don't like it when games force the player to collect things to move on (not every gamer enjoys collecting things), but I didn't mind it in this game, because I was usually short only a handful of lums, and getting them is not difficult.

Allies Clark and Globox will help Rayman in certain levles. After Rayman rescues Clark (who is this giant dude), he runs through walls, leaving his silhouette in the wall cartoon-style, allowing Rayman to continue. In one level after rescuing Globox, the blue guy does a rain dance and brings moisture down on switches, plants, and fires. The game never holds your hand, but does help explain some things using Murfy, a little guy that flies around and has a big smile; Murfy explains the basic controls and how to do things when necessary. The camera is usually not an issue; it's almost impossible to have a 3D platformer where the camera is perfect, but they did a good job with the camera in the game.

Rayman 2 is a challenging game, but it never feels impossible. You'll never see a Game Over screen, just a Try Again screen. And believe me, you will see this screen a lot! The game has a lot of obstacle course sections which you will play over and over until you memorize when to jump and where to move. These sections always begin with "Go!" and the music gets exciting. These may include Rayman riding torpedoes, flying with a burning powder keg, rotating on a revolving seat, or simply sliding down a long area on his feet. These sections are fun and frustrating at the same time (they're tough!).

I've only scratched the surface of how creative this game is. One level has Rayman using a pirate ship to rescue baby Globoxes; another level allows Rayman to fly using his helicopter ability, and he must fly through narrow passages while avoiding enemies and revolving fire pillars; one level has Rayman running from a giant spider, climbing along its webs as fast as he can to make it to the exit! Perhaps the most intense level is "The Precipice," in which Rayman runs along narrow bridges while the pirates shoot at him and pull the bridges right from under him; if you stop for just a second, you'll get behind and fall to your doom.

There are plenty of frustrations in the game too. One level has Rayman riding a giant plum on lava; he must shoot his orbs to propel himself in a certain direction, but many times the momentum of the fall would have a great impact on his movement than his orb throwing. Sometimes I didn't know what to do next. In one level, after rescuing a whale, Rayman swims behind her and eats her air bubbles to survive; finally she gets to a certain spot and just swims in circles. I had no clue what to do, but finally figured it out.

By far the worst part of the game is at the very end. The last level has you riding a flying torpedo through the pirate ship. It's a very long section, and if you crash, you have to start over; the controls are very tricky because the torpedo will go upside down and all over the place, not just left and right. I must have played this part 100 times! The final boss is also very frustrating because you have to defeat him while flying that blasted torpedo! If you crash one time, you have to start over and the boss gets all his life back. I almost pulled my hair out on this guy!!!

Despite these frustrations, the overall game is great. Once again, it's very creative, and for the most part, very fun. The music is also awesome, adding to the enjoyment of the experience. Rayman's first 3D adventure is probably his best.

Final Verdict--4 Stars: Recommended

I was surprised by the creativity in this game. No level ever feels the same; new things are constatnly being introduced, and the game has some charm due to the cast of great characters. The pirates are pretty funny too. If you enjoy platformers, you need to give this one a try. It's available on many platforms. The creative mind of Michel Ancel (the man who gave us Beyond Good and Evil) and his team never disappoint.

Join me every Saturday as we take a look back at all kinds of retro games, good and bad.