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.
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.