Reviews from

in the past


game that drinks your juice and calls you a bitch. i love it

One day I'll complete every level in this game, please be patient with me.

this game is weird because gameplay wise it's atrocious but it's so charming and i keep getting drawn in by the visuals and keep getting urges to replay it but it makes me so mad

the music is pretty good too

I can say I got bigger biceps than rayman

This is the only good Rayman game and it's still bad.


Está guapísimo, pero no me lo pasaba hoy ni aunque me pagaran

Cute game with cute story and decent gameplay.

I probably should preface this review by stressing that there's gonna be heavy amounts of nostalgic bias. For several years as a kid, all I had was a PS1, and of the several CD's I was lucky enough to get, only two interested me: Crash Bandicoot 1, and this. Both of which are fairly short games which I would boot up and crank out a full run on a near daily basis. With that, I possess an immense amount of practice and muscle memory that few others would be likely to obtain these days, unless you chose to be part of the speedrunning community.

I had to keep this in mind as I was skimming through the reviews found on this site, acting surprised as it turned out that the larger majority of the world finds this game to be total bullshit. And even though I eventually got really good at it, I had to recall that once upon a time, during my initial couple runs of Rayman 1, some of the levels had me gripping the controller so hard, I could've sworn my handshakes were firmer after the fact. Yeah, no, the memories came flooding back, I'm pretty sure I hated this game once. But, it was 1 of the 2 platformers that I owned, so, what choice did I have but to keep pushing on with it?

So, call it Stockholm Syndrome or what have you, but cut to about 16 years later, and I'm here to tout that Rayman 1 can be actually pretty good, with some adjustments and the right mindset anyway. Starting off, I'd like to present new players some tips for a more enjoyable experience:

Tip #1: If you've got an emulator, put on an infinite lifes cheat. Alternatively, the game itself has a built-in cheat for 99 lives, you can find how to activate it here. Alternatively alternatively, just make a save state for every checkpoint you reach. While it does kinda sap away the point of the collectibles, alongside removing the game over screen as a stake... Rayman is already difficult as is, that getting to the end of a stage should serve well enough as its own reward.

Tip #2: Besides the regular collectibles, each level has 6 cages with trapped scrimblos to rescue. It sounds rather enticing if you love your collectibles, but the first problem comes up when you're halfway through the game and you realize you still have no idea what rescuing those cages actually does. It is only at the end of the game, that the purpose is revealed: You cannot access the final stage, unless you have rescued every single caged scrimblo.

At that point, I figure anybody playing this blind would just go "no thanks!" and shut the game off. After all, the locations of many cages are obtuse, and often hidden out of sight unless you touch a specific pixel to make the cage appear. You'll be likely to miss cages in just about every stage, so you're basically being told to replay the game all over again.

But don't worry, there's a workaround! First things first, just don't bother with the cages. Maybe get what you can just for the sake of engaging in exploration, but seriously, don't go for 100%. Instead, the way you want to unlock that final stage is by using the game's password system. Simply look up the password for 100% completion, and you're good. However, I highly recommend only using this password once you reach the end of the game, because using it at the very start of your run will lock you out of most bosses. They can only be fought once, how 'bout that.

Tip #3: Regarding the "right mindset", I wholeheartedly believe that Rayman requires to be treated less like a casual Mario platformer, and more like one of those "Meat Boy/Celeste-like" type games. Death is inevitable, but with that, comes learning from your mistakes. Stages have decent checkpointing as well, not like "per every room", but each level is short enough that you're not losing TOO much progress. To beat Rayman, requires committing yourself to the challenge that awaits you, and perhaps take breaks if you're tired. But, as someone with practice, I can guarantee that every stage is possible to get consistently good at, and I'd even argue it's satisfying to do so.

Tip #4: If you're really not feeling this, try the "Rayman Redemption" fangame instead. It serves as a reimagining of Rayman 1 that's extremely faithful in replicating every aspect of the controls, sound, and graphics, alongside adding several QoL improvements. However, the keyword here is "reimagining", as the level design is not exactly like Rayman 1, and oftentimes introduces new elements alongside it.

Going back to the idea of requiring "commitment" to beat the game, the question may arise, is it even worth "committing" to it? This is obviously gonna vary from person to person, but my reasons stand as such: I think Rayman himself, control-wise, is tight and responsive. Initially, you start off with a shockingly tiny set of abilities (move and jump), but you soon get your attack button, followed by a grapple move, a hover ability, and - to round it all off - the run button. This concept was reused in Rayman 2, where you start off weak and basic, before obtaining more abilities that make you more versatile and powerful-feeling. Here, you may argue that something like the run button and the hover should've just been given to you from the start - which honestly, I have no argument against - but I think it does work in the sense of letting the game be very simple for anyone to pick up, and get gradually more complex, and more fun as it goes on.

I also think that if you're all about that 90's PS1 aesthetic combined with a dash of surrealism, Rayman's an excellent example of using the power of a 3D console to make a very nice looking 2D game. Rayman's presentation aged so gracefully, with plenty of lush backgrounds, and bizarre expressive animations to oogle your eyes at. Almost every level introduces at least one new mechanic or enemy to keep your attention, along with bosses that seem to get increasingly more creative.

The soundtrack is a bit of a unique case for its time, that's emblematic of one of early Ubisoft's traits. Most platformers of this time would just settle for playing one song throughout the whole stage, but Rayman's strategy is to repeatedly switch between two audio tracks. One track contains music, and the other contains pure ambience. It goes from music, to ambience, back to music, back to ambience, just like that on loop. I think it's a fascinating way to create a soundscape for your game, an endearing attempt to make it feel more alive, and its sounds less predictable. The music itself has instrumentation that anyone nostalgic for 80's-90's synth and guitar will feel right at home with, just absolutely full of that CD audio cheese.

In all my attempt to convince the person reading this to play the game however, I think I've made one case most convincingly clear: It's not for everyone. It's a pretty difficult romp, it really sucks to 100%, and it takes like 40% of the game before you obtain abilities that really open it up. At the same time, I don't think Rayman 1's only for people who grew up with it. If you have even a general appreciation for the PS1 era of gaming, you should give this a shot. If you're ready to challenge yourself, you should optimize that challenge however you like, whether it's playing the game as intended, or giving yourself a leg up with cheats. Both ways are fine, I ain't gonna fucking gatekeep. Because for all the flaws that Rayman has, I really think there's plenty to appreciate about its variety of gameplay mechanics, and whimsical aesthetic. And I would like everyone to experience those positives by eliminating the primary negative: The fact that the game kicks your ass way too hard.

But, y'know, it's important not to force yourself to play something you're not enjoying either... so, worst case scenario, you can move on to Rayman 2. It is a very different experience from the first installment, and one that's much more palatable to a general audience. It's what I would consider a good entry point into the series. Rayman 1 is not that. It's for weirdos like me.

CHINGADAMADRE RAYMAN PERO SI SI SALTE BIEN

Classic platform game that makes you crush your controller of frustration

The continue system is archaic BS and feels out of place in a PS1 game. Why would you have that in an 11 hour game? I wasn't very impressed with the level design - it felt average.

I think the original Rayman has the potential to be rated a lot higher, if certain parts of it held up today. The main issue I have with this game, and why I gave up roughly 60% of the way through, is the way it handles lives + progress. Otherwise the gameplay, while difficult and unforgiving, is pretty damn fun. A brilliant game for 1995, a bit too painful for 2023 though

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.

One of my favorite childhood games. Needless to say, I did not beat it then. Finally worked my way through this, actually I think this is a perfect but hard platformer. All of the elements of this game I am a fan of, the soundtrack, graphics, everything. Only thing that is such bs is not having unlimited continues when using memory card. There is zero reason not to have them in a game like this and it's only a nuisance. The difficulty does not bother me since I am pretty used to it.

No es un plataformas perfecto pero es un buen comienzo para la saga

Played on a PlayStation classic during VGM Con 2023. Did not make it far, but played with a friend from Counterpoint class.

Man oh man is Rayman fucking great. While my least favorite of the main series, this is still an ingenius platformer with a ton of style, challenge, and artistry. Rayman's world is ingenius in its design and the storytelling within it is excellent. My only problem with the game is that its platforming isn't that tight and can lead to some really frustrating boss and level scenarios. The 100% Lum requirement for the final boss is a bit odd to, but it forced me to play more Rayman so I can't complain.

Jogo muito bom, mas difícil, kkkk

Oq são essas fases psicodélicas com lápis por todo lado, colheres voadoras, espinhos...
Dai depois temos cavernas bizarras e até fase no escuro...

Jogo roda extremamente bem, creio que o fator 2d seja o principal motivo para o bom desempenho

Até o primeiro boss (mosquito do qual tu até vira amigo), é tranquilo e divertido, depois começa a ser um pouco frustante...

A corrida com o "Rayman do mal" é vibes

Unless you have nostalgia, are a kid with endless free time, or have a very specific kind of taste when it comes to challenging games, Rayman has nothing to offer beyond the very appealing presentation.

Design-wise, this 1995 game feels like a lost game from the late 80s, as the design philosophy of "fuck the player" is in full force. Rayman feels like it's difficult just for the sake of being mean - this is to me illustrated by the fact that you cannot run when you first begin the game. That's an upgrade you have to earn. I have never heard of a 2D platformer where running is an upgrade.

Absolutely and needlessly brutal, with nothing to offset the frustration. Did I mention that this 10-hour long platformer released only on consoles has limited continues, with no way of earning more unless you use cheats? Brilliant.

Yes, the game is very difficult. But it's one of the most charming games from Ubisoft.

tried to play this a few times, but it's too damn tanky and brutally difficult for my taste

This review contains spoilers

Most nostalgic and memorable game from my youth.

Ah yes, Rayman. My journey in the world of gaming, all started with this gem of a game. My uncle had a nice Windows 95 pc and bought this game so I could play it in his home.

Right from the start, I was addicted to its colourful graphics, the nice music, and the jolly animations in the background from different objects and fauna.

Story wise, Rayman is a classic fairy tale. A villain called Mr. Generi… I mean Mr. Dark tries to take over the world and is imprisoning every magical creature in Rayman’s homeland and our hero Rayman must stop him and save all his little buddies. You know, classic stuff.

The graphics are sweet and colourful, and the animations are smooth. The same goes for the controls, they are spot on and feel very natural. This makes that, even today, the game looks like a modern Indie game and is perfectly playable and controls just as well.

I want to personally pay my respects to the music composers in this game. In terms of soundtracks, Rayman is in my top 10 of all time. Every track fits the environment and different worlds perfectly. My personal favourite is the music that plays when fighting Mr. Stone.

Speaking of stones, this game is harder than bricks enclosed in concrete. It has no mercy and I think the developers hated kids. Although doable most of the levels, some examples are the Space Mama boss fight, the water level in Mr. Scorp’s caves with the yellow floating balls and the annoying piranha and of course, Mr. Dark himself. This i a game that says: "Hey bro, git gut".

The game is very large for its time to. You got many different worlds to explore with different themes which gives the game great variety.

Back then, and even today, I have some minor complaints about the game, like the invisible triggers that spawn a cage or death-trap out of nowhere. This game is all about exploring the levels and trying to reach hidden places, but sometimes you need to take a jump into limbo and bling a cage appears or a secret cloud takes you there. As a kid, I never completed all single world 100%, because my little child brain could not anticipate on this factor.

Secondly, I wished their where more extra life powerups. As mentioned, this game is relentlessly hard, and you spent your extra lives quicker than you can blink.

I have played a fair deal of games in my youth, but when talking nostalgia, Rayman takes the cake.

Even today I can play this game anytime and it will be just as entertaining (and hard) as it was back then. Rayman is an example of a game that ages really well and does not become “unplayable” with time.

It will always have a place in my heart, and I am glad that I have experienced its magic back in the day.

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.

Mon premier vrai jeu vidéo d'aussi loin que je m'en souvienne je l'ai prêter à ma voisine je l'ai jamais récup MDRRR


This is only getting the extra half star because it's charming and has nice music but otherwise this game ruins lives. What the hell were they thinking?

This game starts ok and very quickly stops being ok. A mean platformer disguised as a kid friendly game, with tight jumps, enemies and other dangers waiting for you off screen, basically telegraphed first time deaths, and all of those old timey things that old devs thought meant "difficulty".

This world is hard on silly games. Games filled with a joyous whimsy. Nothing in this world is harder than being a goofy and fun loving game.

Bs difficulty ruins what could have been a classic