Rayman Origins

Platformers may sound like a thing of the past, from back when 2D graphics were the norm and everything revolved around making the games as difficult as possible. However, they seem to be on a rise as of recently, since more and more developers turn their attention on the genre yet again, whether to remake some old classics, or to provide the gamers with brand new adventures featuring their beloved characters.

Rayman Origins is a beautiful 2D platformer that instantly throws you twenty years into the past and makes you giggle at the trap-ridden levels, which can serve as the cause for broken controllers and severe hair loss. However, the developers put a lot of work into this particular title, since everything about it has been polished and refined as much as possible, starting with the gameplay and all the way up to the graphics themselves.

As far as the story is concerned, the main plot may not leave you in awe, since it is the same old spiel about Rayman called into action in order to save the Glade of Dreams from invading nightmares. However, the presentation is spotless and there are plenty of funny missions, cutscenes and dialogue lines along the way to make the experience quite memorable.

In case you are not familiar with how platformers work, then you should know that it may start relatively innocent and simple in the beginning, but things get substantially more difficult as you go along. Thus, traps and vicious enemies make your life a living hell toward the end of the campaign, but you are handsomely rewarded if you keep going and not give into the game’s advice to go look for another hobby.

Lastly, the graphics themselves are worthy of a special mention, because they look incredible, despite the lack of a third dimension. The artwork is sublime and a lot of imagination and creativity went into the level design, which can sometimes be both mesmerizing and disorienting at once, somehow. The high resolutions also help a great deal, but the hand-drawn environments are the real stars, not to mention the smooth animations and the exquisite characters.

Although it doesn’t happen very often, the developers managed to bring back the magic of the arcade and make Rayman Origins incredible enjoyable, thanks to the clever mix of old-school mechanics and new-age technology. Moreover, the levels are challenging enough to be worth multiple replays and there enough bonuses, hard-to-reach areas and hidden secrets lying around to maintain interest over long periods of time.