Rayman 2's another one of those classic 3D platformers that I keep hearing about as a nostalgic favorite. That, and it was on my friend Bubbles's top 25, so I had a feeling this was going to be pretty good. From my experience, I can definitely say that Rayman 2 has fantastic level design; a lot of the 3D platformers of this era do this thing where they don't feel confident enough in their levels to just stick to exclusively 3D platforming, so they'll stick in a shooting minigame here, a kart racing minigame there, and a stealth segment there as diversions from the meat of the game. In Rayman 2 however, the platforming is the core of every level, and they nail it down pat. Even the flying, swimming, and chair rotating sections handle fine because they revolve around a 3D platformer at its core, and thus never feel like gimmicks. As such, Rayman 2 at its core is a fantastic and focused 3D platformer, and it doesn't let you down if you're the core audience.

That said, there are some flaws that could easily be reduced or rectified in a remaster. The camera at times forced perspectives on me where it was hard to make out some of the distance needed for jumps (particularly low lying camera shots), and there were times where I wish the FOV was just a bit larger because there were enemies shooting me off screen that I had to avoid. You also can't rotate the camera upwards or downwards to any degree, so it can be hard to make out when Teensies are caged above you or when you need to avoid enemies firing upon you. A free cam would fix most of these problems, and a FOV slider would fix the other one. I think the combat is also just a little too drawn out (dying from 2-3 standard shots should be just enough), but this is a relatively minor concern overall. And of course, at times I do wish the checkpoints were spread out a bit more evenly; I can't tell you how many times I died during the end of sections of the Precipice or the Pirate Ship only to get clipped by a laser or cannonball and have to restart the whole run again.

It's also worth mentioning that I played this on PC using a GOG version that's a bit scuffed... I had to install quite a few mods to get it running properly, and even then, ran into a glitch on the Iron Mountains where the Pirate Head DRM message popped up on my bought copy to stop me from progressing further. I had to unfortunately skip the end of the level here and move on. I'll acknowledge that this is most likely due to a poor port though, and hopefully Rayman 2: Revolution provides a cleaner experience.

All in all, I can see why Rayman 2 got the praise and acclaim from critics and audiences alike in 1999 as one of the best 3D platformers of its time, and it still holds up quite well. I think a modern remaster released on PC would cement Rayman 2 as unquestionably one of the best 3D platformers of all time alongside Super Mario 64, and I look forward to the day that Ubisoft wakes up and actually makes/remasters Rayman games. Shoutouts to Bubbles once again, you've got great taste and I'm glad I finally got to this, if only because you pointed me towards it.

I have so much nostalgia for this game so I know I'm being absurdly biased, but I do mean it when I say this is my absolute favourite collect-a-thon platformer. Rayman is my fucking guy, having a multi-purpose ranged attack that ricochets and the ability to temporarily hover are the epitome of controlled freedom in a 3D environment, only being outdone by wall jumps and flying, the latter he gains access to in some stages. There's zero bullshit in this game, no cheap deaths or mechanics that have a rocky learning curve.

The level design is consistently fantastic, every area has an identity and typically contain some sort of gimmick that most of the time expands on Rayman's moveset rather than removing. There are a few exceptions like riding the headless horse or that one chair rail shooter stage but they serve as neat deviations rather than overly gimmicky ones that remain stylistically in tune with Rayman's world and gameplay.

It mightn't be the hardest platformer out there but the amount of agency Rayman has never makes the game boring. And I'd definitely not call it an easy game either, there will be sections that'll stump most players especially if aiming for 100%. But when you finally pull off that challenging segment while getting every yellow lum along the way you'll never wanna put this game down until the credits roll. Rayman rewards and values the catharsis of overcoming a challenge, making you feel like a goddamn champion whenever you pick up a green lum following a string of difficult platforming segments.

I love pretty much everything about this game, I only wish it had more levels or more enemies to fight. It's on the cusp of legendary greatness and while Rayman 3 does flirt with some of those ideas it never reaches the heights this did. N64 version chosen cause as much as I love both soundtracks the N64's positive changes far outweigh the negative. The Intro and The Bayou themes are fucking amazing.

I gotta be honest I haven't played this game in a long time and honestly I thought it was overrated.

But then I played it again.

This game is considered Michel Ancel's Magnum Opus for a reason. I could name you a hundred different reasons. This game translates the 2D artstyle from the first game brilliantly. It's unreal to play a game like this today in which the visuals were so carefully considered and beautifully executed. I swear "Art Direction" as a concept is dead in Triple-A gaming these days. And this gem from 1999 pulls it of perfectly and still looks fantastic today.

The music is again amazing. Not quite as memorable as the first game but it creates an atmosphere that's much darker and way more serious. And oh my, more serious it is this time around.

The story is a timeless little gem about the opressed rising up to overthrow their opressors. The mise-en-scène in this game is also worth mentioning. There are some breathtaking moments here, with 1999 visuals mind you. Honestly, I always thought the PS2 remakes name "Revolution" fit this game much better. A french game about the opressed rising up to topple their opressors, ye Revolution sounds about right. Of course I can also understand that "The Great Escape" is a cute reference to the 1963 film, which deals with similiar subject matter.

But here comes the king, the big one and my undisputed favorite part of the game. The Gameplay.
The movement is slick, the jumping is damn near perfect and there is just tons of variety jam packed into a 5 hour experience. There is no filler here. Back to back to back to back to back to back awesome levels with new mechanics and secrets to find. Honestly the pacing is a thing of beauty. The unskippable cutscenes are my only gripe here.

The game only slips up once for me, and that is in the level Whale Bay. This level is in my opinion weirdly placed, reintroduces mechanics that were already explained and generally has little to offer. But that's it, it was fine honestly, just unfortunately sandwiched between 2 amazing levels.

Absolute Banger. Give it a go anyway you can. But I gotta recommend the Dreamcast version.

A platforming marvel. Rayman 2 introduces a new level theme, or concept, or ability, or just anything with almost every successive level, all the while looking absolutely gorgeous on every single thing it released on - and that's a lot of ports. It's no wonder they ported it so much when it's so damn good; the setpieces, the puzzles, the platforming, the atmosphere, I loved practically every second. It's bursting with creativity at the seams, and there's a ton unique concepts that I don't think I've seen anywhere else. I especially adore the soundtrack, all of it's gotten stuck in my head by this point, and yeah it can be a bit reliant on certain leitmotifs and recurring melodies, or even reuse tracks a lot, but I'd be lying if I said it didn't always feel appropriate. Even having to replay whole levels when I missed a lum or two, or a single cage, never bothered me because it's genuinely just so fun and exciting that I'd happily replay a whole level again. It truly was a revolution, as its PS2 remaster so aptly named it. Maybe not in cultural impact, but it was the game that really garnered Rayman the cult following it deserved. Ubisoft's treatment of the franchise and the character has been beyond disrespectful, so one can only hope for a revival that lasts. That final boss can eat a dick though.

I think I'm a masochist.

I've often returned to media I've consumed that has emotionally scarred me as a kid with a sense of reverence. I appreciate when a piece of media affects me deeply in just about any way, even if it's kept me awake at night. Pain and fear are truly ugly, grotesque feelings that can cause deep rooted damage to one's mental psyche, but I've always had a bit of an appreciation towards them. Pain is the greatest teacher, fear is the greatest motivator.

Not that Rayman 2 is an embodiment of pain - far from it. Rayman 2 is one of the smoothest 3D platformers I've ever played. Even with moments of repeated dying, like with the Ssssam's chaotic water skiing extravaganza, to the final boss's checkpoints restarting you from the beginning of a section that requires tight flight navigation, the game never made me want to quit playing. Each level is fun with it's own interesting gimmick, each gimmick is fun within their own right, some of which could be stretched into full of centerpieces of entire game. Riding a pencil shaped rocket, flinging yourself forward on a giant bouncing plum, all of it is just pure game feel fun. Jumping is smooth and easy, hovering helps with any types of complications. Simplistic as the combat may be, the act of shooting dudes with your balls of light is a fun little break up from the main platforming. I personally wouldn't even ask for a more complicated system, but I could see why others may find it a detriment.

So no, Rayman 2 is not at all painful. What Rayman 2 is, is a childhood fear. This comes down almost purely through the art design. The way webby, sticky cobwebs are drawn, to the look of the Zombie Chickens with their tattered clothes, to murky bubbling swamp lands, everything embodies the look of a dream world. A fat stubby man with long arms asks you to assemble strange looking masks as he uses his gigantic finger to create a swirling vortex to teleport you, disintegrating Rayman in the process. The Marsh's Shaman forcing you to go into his mindscape to prove your worth, chasing you from the perspective of inside his mouth, his saliva dripping around his jagged, distorted teeth. (That one in particular gave me such deep anxiety.) The Robo-pirates juxtaposing Rayman and friend's rustic roundness with their jagged edges and rusted metallic bodies. The game starts you off at your lowest point, trapped as a slave within the belly of the ship that houses these monsters, the ever growing count of slaves rising as you progress through the game. Razorbeard himself, as silly and whimsical as him and his men are portrayed, still carry a bit of bite to them. Literally - he eats one of the collectable Lums, forever changing the number from 1000 to 999. Tiny blue men who have debated and bickered on who is the real king among them show you the way to new levels, performing a kick dance along with Rayman to summon the portal. They also open these ancient, primordial gates for you to venture into a new world. It's all so surreal.

And yet, it's playful with a wonderful sense of charm and wit. Characters speak in their own language, making funny mouth sounds as they speak, followed by a triumphant "Yeah! Rayman!". Characters perform slapstick comedy that's incredibly chuckle worthy. The music is spry and springy with bubbly delight, warm and inviting with a sense of wonder, sometimes with sweeping orchestral pieces, to literal and actual genre jungle beats, all of which set the atmosphere of these primarily green soaked world's with life, tension, and wonder. It's such an endlessly charming world.

The darker tones of Rayman 2 have always left such an impression on me. Of course, playing the game as an adult has lessened these feelings of sheer horror. But there's an irresistible lure to them. They've served as an ever lasting reminder of the dark aspects of world, and how even within the darker world, there's light within that darkness. There's always humor, whimsy, charm. You can't appreciate the light if not for the dark.

Kinda like Goth girls. I'm really into goth girls, so Ly kind of does it for me. She has a tail though, so maybe she's a furry? The heck is that? Ly The Fairy, Ly The Furry more like it. She's got nice hands either way.

Yeah, I'm definitely a masochist.

The thing about "Childlike Wonder" is that it accounts for both the beautifully earnest, warm, yet often unsettling and traumatic experiences of early life. Despite the game's general lack of challenge, Rayman 2's world perfectly walks the line between lush, comforting sentimentality and supernatural peril. It captures the bizarre, wholesome yet visually disturbed imagination of an adolescent kid. Only a handful of minutes traversing the dimly lit, melancholic Glade of Dreams is enough to lure the player into a false sense of security, preying upon the childlike naïveté the game’s atmosphere promotes. This is used to toss them into a blind pit of jarring sounds and visuals crafted from the most chaotic recesses of a child’s creative mind. Whether they’re the unintelligible mumblings of a limbless marsupial-dog hybrid, or the horror of escaping the clutches of a toothed monster from within its maw, these striking visuals, much like the memories and thought processes of a child are seen as erratic or hard-to-follow in the eyes of a more jaded adult. This is why, in a meta sense, it feels almost poetic that this game has no definitive version, having been re-released on all but your TI-84 X Calculator over nearly two decades, each platform offering a somewhat different interpretation on the game's vision.

There are so many fucking releases of this game I couldn't even figure out which version i SHOULD rate 4 1/2 stars. The Dreamcast version is the one I grew up with and love, but it's functionally the same as the N64 version so I'm sticking with this release.

It's incredible that Rayman 2 is Rayman's finest moment because it's VERY VERY Good, which is interesting because the other Rayman games are just fine, mostly. This is an outlier series where one entry is the very best the genre has to offer and everything else is whatever.

Anyway, this game is wonderful, plain and simple. For my money, the best 3D platformer, it controls so good, Rayman is so buttery smooth, so responsive, it has momentum and weight while still feeling light and slick. When I play something like A Hat In Time, I feel like Hat Kid has no weight whatsoever, she is just flawlessly acrobatic in a way where I feel like my inputs make no difference and the game might as well play itself, in something like Mario 64 or Rayman 2, there is that element of player involvement that makes pulling off the meatier challenges really satisfying.

Honestly, this really should be in the echelons with Mario 64 as "really fucking good 3d platformers," but I feel like the hundreds of re-releases making the game worse and worse over time has done a number on the respectability of what really is a crown jewel for the genre. It really is the Sonic Adventure DX problem all over again!

The game does deserve to be remembered as it was originally released, as an extremely tightly designed game with fantastic level design, whimsical and catchy music, plus honest-to-god artistic cohesion. Rayman never goes to the Shopping Mall level or the Snowman level, he is always in a consistent, realized fantasy world and the platforming challenges feel fantasy enough to fit, while also feeling contextualized enough to make sense.

I think the combat leaves something to be desired, but it seems like they were aware of the problem a lot of 3d platformers had of combat being so ancillary and pointless it felt like an inclusion for its own sake, like, even as a child I don't think a goomba ever grazed me in Mario 64. For what it's worth, this world feels alive, enemies feel like actual threats, it doesn't have the Glover thing where it feels weirdly cold and empty, they've taken great measure to give Rayman an identity all its own.

So how should you play Rayman 2? Probably ReDream to be honest. The PC version requires so much dicking around to get working I don't think it's worth the hassle. The PS1 version is MISSING stuff!! Revolution adds in a bunch of crap to a game that didn't need anything, and every version afterwards finds some way to make the game less playable. A shame!!

Rayman 2 is one of the greats that pushed the 5th gen's boundaries to the skies with its technical finesse and wonderful presentation.
An awesome 3D platformer with a nice sprinkle of varied concepts for its never staling set of levels.

A complete tonal whiplash after the sugar-rush pop of Rayman 1. I felt a degree of uncertainty, and could already tell within the first five minutes as the opening cutscene revealed that ROBO-PIRATES FROM DEEP SPACE had ENSLAVED the entire population of Rayman’s world and destroyed the HEART OF THE WORLD, that this game was going to exude quite a different atmosphere. And to this day, I’ve never quite seen another game replicate the exact atmosphere of Rayman 2. From dense, lush fairy tale forests to abyssal, skeletal caves where zombie chickens abound (yep, you heard, zombie chickens - actually more terrifying than the name might imply, particularly to an impressionable 9 year old!), to subdued coastlines and ancient abandoned temples, the world feels LIVED, feels much, much older than the characters inhabiting it. It’s the jarring hopelessness of a magical, fantastical world being invaded by an unstoppable, inhuman force – and the design really makes you feel this quite palpable sense of dread...of things being off...or damaged... or sickly, in a way which is sometimes difficult to pin down. Like a childhood nightmare, half remembered, but still gnawingly unsettling. Also buoyed by a sometimes catchy, often melancholic soundtrack, which again mixes fairy tale, tribal and robotic rhythms, sometimes within the same level, to augment this morbidly beautiful atmosphere.

It IS like playing through a child's nightmare in places, even though the game is mostly a lot of fun with its puzzle-platform dynamics. The combat seems tacked on, though: shoot at enemy until enemy falls down and, annoyingly, some enemies have a cooldown/invincibility window where you must wait before lobbing another energy fist-beam pellet at them. I mean, it only seems fair given that Rayman also has the same invincibility cooldown, but it does lead to a bit of aggravating waiting around during fights and turns them all into the same dance: dodge, shoot, wait, dodge, shoot. There are "bosses" which slightly eschew this pattern, but whatever. Does a game like this even need combat? asks the reviewer, tentatively waiting for the onslaught of dissent.

More complaints? Sure, I got ‘em. The camera, while not a massive dealbreaker in the sense that it can be stiffly controlled to some limited extent, still swings around obstacles rather awkwardly, sometimes getting stuck on terrain if Rayman’s too close. On the other hand, there are some cool shots where the camera will automatically zoom out as Rayman walks out of a dank cave to reveal a sizeable coastline or traversable vista, giving a much wider scope to the world. Certain platforming segments also have their own bespoke camera angles, usually to the benefit of the player. In fact, I wondered if a fixed camera for each corridor or gauntlet would be more beneficial, but then you’d lose some of the sense of wonder the world wants you to feel.

Although the game is quite linear, it still makes you want to stop and take it all in. The texture work and the environments and the art in general is vibrant and beautiful. Michel Ancel, the creator of Rayman and the director of Rayman 2, once commented on his love of Studio Ghibli, and in particular, My Neighbour Totoro, as a heavy visual inspiration for his own designs. And you can definitely see it in the more forested areas – the kind of almost impressionistic artwork where a flat vegetation texture can suggest a tree or forest far more evocatively and artistically than a real tree would in some way. There’s an artistic cohesion to the world, and hats off to the designers for straddling the line between the natural and the uncanny so subtly.

More about the game itself? Sure, if you insist. As mentioned, this is a relatively early 3D platformer, mainly focused on jumping and occasionally the odd scrap. There are a handful of other mechanics too, such as riding on the backs of missiles like horses (yep) or water-skiing and swimming. The levels are somewhat varied, although they typically fall into ‘forest’, ‘coastline’, ‘ancient temple’ or ‘pirate ship’ categories. You traverse these levels, free creatures from cages and collect Lums, which are pieces of the exploded heart of the world, which must also be collected in order to unlock certain gates in the level-select hubworld, although in truth I was never short on the Lum requirement at any point, which is why accusations of a collectathon nature are rather unfounded here. Yes, you can go for 100% and collect all the cages, lums and see all the bonus levels, but I never felt an imperative to do so and still felt I had a rollicking great time.

call me an 11 year old who just found out postal was a thing but for the life of me i can't stand most cartoonsy-scrimblo-bimblo games like banjo-kazooie, mario, etc etc but i feel like the first two rayman games, beyond just being very nostalgic for me, have a more defined sense of fantasy without being over-the-top with smiling clouds, trees and loud sound effects or trying to put a joke between every word, it just feels like a wonderous world not pandering particularly to kids. not only that, this game in general is probably the definitive 3D platformer of its time and to this day. it pulls off everything right, from the controls to the pacing to the collectathon mechanics and you get fairly immersed in this small rebellious world. i really doubt that you will hate this if you at least like action games and haven't completely forgotten how childlike joy feels like, as close as many of us are to that

At the time, this was a solid 3D platformer featuring Rayman and friends. Graphics were colorful and had the right vibe for what the Rayman universe should entail, and were as good as the hardware allowed it.

Gameplay makes or break platforming games and Rayman 2 was fairly good. Some of the platforming sections were a bit hard, especially on the landings and camera angles were not the best in certain levels. Being able to shoot enemies was fun and added a new layer of being able to strategize from afar as opposed as most of the 3D platformers of the time which required close proximity for combat.

Wanted to re-log this as my thoughts on it are still fresh in my mind.

Rayman 2 is weird conceptually. The sequel to an already great, weird 2D platformer (with an amazingly whimsical soundtrack), turns out to be almost a soft reboot; rayman is redesigned, his world has a small bit of lore, new characters who end up being mainstays are introduced, and it’s a 3d platformer on the n64. All of this taken into consideration, I feel like this would be a kind of scary position to put yourself into. Competing against other more popular 3d platformers at the time, as well. Nevertheless, rayman 2 improves upon 3d platformers in the late 90s and is still so fun to play.

The game started out as a basic sequel to the ps1 original, consisting of the same 2d platforming gameplay (you can actually play the first level of the prototype for this version of rayman 2 on the PS1 version of the game). But mid development it apparently shifted over towards the n64. Rayman 2 has incredible soundscapes and simple worldbuilding techniques that allow the game to have a very unique atmosphere and aesthetic, which I’m very fond of. Outside of that, rayman controls extremely well. While not having as varied as a moveset, he’s given “Lums” to throw as a melee attack that locks on to enemies, he has a glide after a jump, and that’s pretty much it aside from being able to swing from flying lums like a grappling hook and being able to strafe during combat (which was a neat addition. But this allows the game age extremely well whereas some would argue other 3d platformers on the n64 could use some refinement. It quite literally feels like it could’ve been made today, albeit with very, very minor hitches (like how rayman’s acceleration and deceleration feels). Puzzles in this game are extremely fun and don’t feel like they’ve been mimicked time and time again; one puzzle had me going from one end of the level, to the other end, carrying two orbs to the center of the level while avoiding enemies and lava. There’s a lot of variety in the gameplay too. Rayman has to carry items, defeat enemies, ride on top of rockets, fly through gusts of wind, find hidden switches to exit a level, its all fun. Never does any part of the gameplay feel like it should’ve been cut.

Collecting lums is extremely simple but fun, very akin to how banjo kazooie throws musical notes into its worlds. But contrary to mario 64 and banjo kazooie, rayman’s “Glade of Dreams” feels lived in. Every level feels connected to the last; the world feels cohesive, not like the disconnected, “themed” levels that both banjo and mario 64 managed. The Glade of Dreams feels dark and moody, not only because of the story, but because of the stellar ambient soundtrack and foley.

Rayman 2 is a very consistent, well paced 3D platformer that I feel doesn’t get enough credit for being released during this era. I would highly convince anyone who plans on picking this up for the first time to try looking at the version differences to see the additional content and George Lucas-esque changes made to the ports of this game. Thats not to say the changes are bad, some are actually very welcome changes. Personally, I love the Dreamcast version; it has a new world map and uses the original high quality assets the team wanted to use before pivoting to the n64 from the pc version for launch in 1999, and is also at 60fps.