I'll start with the positives.
The visuals are amazing. It's just so vibrant with colour and personality. Rayman really does have an identity to call its own. Not to mention the soundtrack being some top quality shit! The boss levels are a load of fun too with loads of creative ideas. It's easy to see how this game did as well as it did!
Now, a lot of people remember this game when Rayman is brought up. Yes, the sequels are better but this one is obviously more recognisable. However, this has aged SO poorly.
Rayman isn't exactly the most fun to control. He's a very stiff character to manoeuvre, not to mention he isn't exactly the most agile character either. Now I don't think Ubisoft knew that because the difficulty takes a MASSIVE slope upwards. Some of the platforming here is just way too tight for a game like this with, at times, platforms that you can just barely reach. There's one level in the Band World where you have to jump around a bunch of slippery platforms that get extremely short. In fact, the later levels play like a fucking ROM hack in places. The amount of trial and error on here is ridiculous!
I find this hard to recommend sadly. I know a lot of people consider this a PlayStation classic but I this doesn't really grab my attention.
This game was also never play-tested. Figures...
The visuals are amazing. It's just so vibrant with colour and personality. Rayman really does have an identity to call its own. Not to mention the soundtrack being some top quality shit! The boss levels are a load of fun too with loads of creative ideas. It's easy to see how this game did as well as it did!
Now, a lot of people remember this game when Rayman is brought up. Yes, the sequels are better but this one is obviously more recognisable. However, this has aged SO poorly.
Rayman isn't exactly the most fun to control. He's a very stiff character to manoeuvre, not to mention he isn't exactly the most agile character either. Now I don't think Ubisoft knew that because the difficulty takes a MASSIVE slope upwards. Some of the platforming here is just way too tight for a game like this with, at times, platforms that you can just barely reach. There's one level in the Band World where you have to jump around a bunch of slippery platforms that get extremely short. In fact, the later levels play like a fucking ROM hack in places. The amount of trial and error on here is ridiculous!
I find this hard to recommend sadly. I know a lot of people consider this a PlayStation classic but I this doesn't really grab my attention.
This game was also never play-tested. Figures...
FUCK this game, so stupidly hard
It was okay, but difficult.
One of the most difficult 2D platformers from this era that I've actually managed to finish. Levels feel like marathons and god help you if you miss a cage. It's incredibly tedious to play this without using a guide if you plan on beating the final boss, who requires you to basically 100% the game. Some of the cage locations are extremely out there or well hidden to a fault; I can only imagine how much more frustrating this would've been had I not used a guide.
This review contains spoilers
This game is an absolute bastard. The overall difficulty needed to complete a level especially on the later half is pretty unprecedented for the time. It really pushes all of it's platforming mechanics to their limit regarding player involvement. For that, I have a lot of respect for it, but locking out the final level behind getting every collectible, AND having a fair deal of those collectibles be tied to activate hidden triggers to even spawn the damn things is a step too far. Combine that with an extremely archaic lives/continue/save system that doesn't mesh at all makes for a really frustrating experience, but one I can't completely condemn. The ending kinda sucks though, both the cutscene and the fact you don't actually fight Mr. Dark himself. I mean seriously what the fuck!
I have fond memories of playing Rayman on my grandparents computer. Alas it is a very difficult game and I doubt I will ever finish it. Otherwise it would probably rate higher for me lol
Guerras Carlistas 1
This review contains spoilers
I have a very conflicted relationship with this game. On one hand it’s one of the most beautiful looking and sounding games I’ve ever experienced, the controls are buttery smooth, and the platforming is super tight. There are several moments in the game where you’re greeted with fun platforming challenges that are tough but reasonable enough to where it’s all the more satisfying once you clear them.
On the other hand, the sudden difficulty spikes that come out of nowhere, extremely cryptic hidden cages that basically require a guide to find and are required to access the final level and ending, and the limited lives and continues system that saves alongside your progress, meaning if you get a game over or use up all your continues, all that will stay that way until you either grind for extra lives or, in the case of continues, start a new save since you cannot get any new continues, all make for one of the most stressful and exhausting games I’ve ever played.
To add insult to injury, if you clear the final level and save after that, there’s no way to access it again. So all that hard work is for one end level you can only play once, and that’s it.
If you want your experience to be a little less strenuous, I recommend you use the 99 lives cheat, nobody will blame you anyway, or you could play the GBA or DSiware versions which help to balance the difficulty a little bit better by adding more hit points.
This is the kind of game that I really REALLY want to love, especially as the first game of one of my favorite game franchises, but it’s hard to with some of its horrible design choices.
On the other hand, the sudden difficulty spikes that come out of nowhere, extremely cryptic hidden cages that basically require a guide to find and are required to access the final level and ending, and the limited lives and continues system that saves alongside your progress, meaning if you get a game over or use up all your continues, all that will stay that way until you either grind for extra lives or, in the case of continues, start a new save since you cannot get any new continues, all make for one of the most stressful and exhausting games I’ve ever played.
To add insult to injury, if you clear the final level and save after that, there’s no way to access it again. So all that hard work is for one end level you can only play once, and that’s it.
If you want your experience to be a little less strenuous, I recommend you use the 99 lives cheat, nobody will blame you anyway, or you could play the GBA or DSiware versions which help to balance the difficulty a little bit better by adding more hit points.
This is the kind of game that I really REALLY want to love, especially as the first game of one of my favorite game franchises, but it’s hard to with some of its horrible design choices.
love the worlds and the characters but not a huge fan of retro platformers, probably because of my terrible attention span. may try again one day.
cheat codes are helpful
As high as I ranked this. I have never passed it without cheat codes, this is definitely not E for Everyone.
I remember this was one of the two games I played before I could even walk.
I remember this was one of the two games I played before I could even walk.
I can say I got bigger biceps than rayman
this game is fucking evil
Filho da puta loiro
Fun... before it starts killing you every second.
The game may start off easy enough but once you get into the mid levels, then it becomes unfairly brutal in difficulty. That's no fun, it's agony!!!
this game genuinely sucks
I really like the art direction, but that's about all I can say of it
It aged okay, I guess?
It's a bit -too- calm at times.
It's also gonna bust your balls.
It's a bit -too- calm at times.
It's also gonna bust your balls.
Was really fun at first but then it got extremely hard for me to bother finishing.
a dificuldade desse jogo escala sem NENHUM SENTIDO KKKKK
tu começa o jogo de boa aprendendo as mecânicas e termina jogando a porra dum kaizo mario, que merda é essa KKKK
MASSSS o jogo tem uma musica boa, o visual é bonito até hoje e tem muita personalidade, e além disso, é RAYMAN, pau no cu de sonic e mario, rayman é o rei dos platformers!
tu começa o jogo de boa aprendendo as mecânicas e termina jogando a porra dum kaizo mario, que merda é essa KKKK
MASSSS o jogo tem uma musica boa, o visual é bonito até hoje e tem muita personalidade, e além disso, é RAYMAN, pau no cu de sonic e mario, rayman é o rei dos platformers!
While I'm thankful that this game introduced me to a franchise I love dearly, the inaugural Rayman game is dated in a lot of ways. It's cleverly designed and there are things to like about it, but the overwhelming difficulty largely makes this a pain in the ass to deal with.
The final level took me like an hour. ONE LEVEL.
Play the other games. They're better.
The final level took me like an hour. ONE LEVEL.
Play the other games. They're better.
Mom, why doesn't he have any arms or legs?
Rayman is a very pretty game with a very pretty art style and very pretty music. The characters are soft and cuddly, the animation is very whimsical, the environments inspire wonder unlike anything else from it's era. Rayman stands out from a crowd, with an appealing character design and an incredibly creative main mechanic (charging and throwing his fists like a pair of boomerangs) that makes him instantly likeable.
It's a contender for the most beautiful and creative 2D game of the fifth generation, and upon your very first glance it's charm is gonna grip you immediately and try to whisk you away to the greatest little platformer you've ever played.
Emphasis on "try".
While there's a lot to love about the first Rayman's presentation, it undercuts itself with it's difficulty. This game is not kind, not in the slightest. And I don't really mean that in a good, "it builds character" way. Nah, the game is just really really mean, and has no consideration for your feelings or just logic in general. Pits and death traps are everywhere, enemies spawn in surplus and have really unruly attack windows, and bosses are just cruel.
And the game only gets worse as you try to complete it. In order to reach the final boss, you MUST 100% it, which means busting every prison crate that holds this game's character-maguffins, the Electoons. Unfortunately for you, many of them are surrounded by loads of even Harder level design. And if that doesn't make it enough of a pain, the game really likes this one little thing where you walk to a certain spot, touch a nearly invisible little flitter of light, and it spawns a whole new set of platforms and obstacles/enemies to wade through which will take you to a hidden spot. So be prepared to scour across every inch of a map trying to spot those.
You will game over and game over and game over playing this game. It's relentless. I really wish it wasn't like this, because Rayman 1 as a whole has potential to be a very fun game. But it's not.
So I'm taking this moment to tell you, reader, to go play "Rayman Redemption" instead! It's a fan-recreation of this game with more fair level design, bonus content, and removes the need to 100% it to reach the ending. The improvements double my score to a 4/5, which I wish I could give this because this game is SO close to competency and the art and music really deserve their dues. But I can't give them in good faith to the original version.
And if you don't think playing a fangame remake is appropriate for a fair shake, then skip this game and go play Rayman 2. That's an order. On the double!
It's a contender for the most beautiful and creative 2D game of the fifth generation, and upon your very first glance it's charm is gonna grip you immediately and try to whisk you away to the greatest little platformer you've ever played.
Emphasis on "try".
While there's a lot to love about the first Rayman's presentation, it undercuts itself with it's difficulty. This game is not kind, not in the slightest. And I don't really mean that in a good, "it builds character" way. Nah, the game is just really really mean, and has no consideration for your feelings or just logic in general. Pits and death traps are everywhere, enemies spawn in surplus and have really unruly attack windows, and bosses are just cruel.
And the game only gets worse as you try to complete it. In order to reach the final boss, you MUST 100% it, which means busting every prison crate that holds this game's character-maguffins, the Electoons. Unfortunately for you, many of them are surrounded by loads of even Harder level design. And if that doesn't make it enough of a pain, the game really likes this one little thing where you walk to a certain spot, touch a nearly invisible little flitter of light, and it spawns a whole new set of platforms and obstacles/enemies to wade through which will take you to a hidden spot. So be prepared to scour across every inch of a map trying to spot those.
You will game over and game over and game over playing this game. It's relentless. I really wish it wasn't like this, because Rayman 1 as a whole has potential to be a very fun game. But it's not.
So I'm taking this moment to tell you, reader, to go play "Rayman Redemption" instead! It's a fan-recreation of this game with more fair level design, bonus content, and removes the need to 100% it to reach the ending. The improvements double my score to a 4/5, which I wish I could give this because this game is SO close to competency and the art and music really deserve their dues. But I can't give them in good faith to the original version.
And if you don't think playing a fangame remake is appropriate for a fair shake, then skip this game and go play Rayman 2. That's an order. On the double!
UGGGGHHHHH, I want to give this game a higher score, I really do but no cigar
Positives
1. The graphics are pure eye candy. The colorful environments, Well animated sprites, and the opening cutscene are wonders to the eye
2. The music is great with plenty of funky and jolly tunes you'll remember (ex: The map screen, Plink plank woods, Mr. Darks Dare)
3.The controls are tight and precise making the game a joy to control
4. The bosses (except one) are pretty fun and fair challenges
Negatives
1. It makes sense that the game wasn't play tested much cause HOT DAMN is the difficulty pure hell. The game loves to just put you in constant do or die situations and sprinkles in some beginners traps. couple that with some bullshit enemy placement and questionable level design at points leaves you with an unbalanced, messily designed, frustrating game.
2. The lives and continues system is very egregious here. Normally I actually prefer lives in 2D platformers but here, considering how much you die and losing all your continues means getting kicked to the title screen and to your last save, it's infuriating. There's a reason why everyone recommends the 99 lives code
3. The entire endgame is locked behind 100% completion. In order to do the last level and see the credits, you have to save 246 electoons which considering how well some are hidden, is a massive task and a half.
The games 3 negatives are unfortunatly crippling enough to knock it to a 3.5 stars. It's still a great game but be prepared for it's difficulty
Positives
1. The graphics are pure eye candy. The colorful environments, Well animated sprites, and the opening cutscene are wonders to the eye
2. The music is great with plenty of funky and jolly tunes you'll remember (ex: The map screen, Plink plank woods, Mr. Darks Dare)
3.The controls are tight and precise making the game a joy to control
4. The bosses (except one) are pretty fun and fair challenges
Negatives
1. It makes sense that the game wasn't play tested much cause HOT DAMN is the difficulty pure hell. The game loves to just put you in constant do or die situations and sprinkles in some beginners traps. couple that with some bullshit enemy placement and questionable level design at points leaves you with an unbalanced, messily designed, frustrating game.
2. The lives and continues system is very egregious here. Normally I actually prefer lives in 2D platformers but here, considering how much you die and losing all your continues means getting kicked to the title screen and to your last save, it's infuriating. There's a reason why everyone recommends the 99 lives code
3. The entire endgame is locked behind 100% completion. In order to do the last level and see the credits, you have to save 246 electoons which considering how well some are hidden, is a massive task and a half.
The games 3 negatives are unfortunatly crippling enough to knock it to a 3.5 stars. It's still a great game but be prepared for it's difficulty
Stunning cartoon-like graphics and superb OST.
But the level design and game difficulty hate you.
It´s like the game is playing tricks on you all the time until you decide to throw the controller away. And the limited field of view (4:3) won't help at all. The characters are a little too big (and Ray is so slow and sluggish) for such a small FoV.
I'm happy the series improved so much over time.
But the level design and game difficulty hate you.
It´s like the game is playing tricks on you all the time until you decide to throw the controller away. And the limited field of view (4:3) won't help at all. The characters are a little too big (and Ray is so slow and sluggish) for such a small FoV.
I'm happy the series improved so much over time.
game that drinks your juice and calls you a bitch. i love it
Beautiful game, great music, great level design even but this shit's way too hard especially with limited continues. I'm gonna play Raymond Redemption instead.
As cool and pretty as this game is, it's also BULLSHIT.
Rayman isn't a bad game. It's gorgeous, has loads of personality, is charmingly unique, and controls tightly. The problem with Rayman is that it is the type of 2D platformer I do not vibe with. Generally, I don't vibe with 2D platformers much to begin with, but Rayman is the kind I especially dislike. It reminds me a bit of Mario Kaizo and games of that likeness. Platformers where you not only need to have incredible skill with 2D platformers but also that skill sometimes just does not matter as enemies will literally spawn out of nowhere or hazards will be placed in certain spots specifically designed for you to die at. Rarely can you adjust on the fly and make it through a level with sheer skill and anticipation. Every Rayman level is an exercise of trial and error in which you constantly die to either some terrible new obstacle or the same exact obstacle you've been stuck on the past 5 lives.
It is tough as I see a really well designed and beautiful platformer. Unfortunately, it is not the kind of game I want to spend hours and hours just playing trial and error in order to finish. For now, Rayman will be abandoned as I move on to more of the original Playstation library.
It is tough as I see a really well designed and beautiful platformer. Unfortunately, it is not the kind of game I want to spend hours and hours just playing trial and error in order to finish. For now, Rayman will be abandoned as I move on to more of the original Playstation library.