Rayman: Rayman was created when the Great Dreamer had his very first nightmare.The Nymphs then went to create a being of light as heroic as he is hilarious, so the Dreamer would be so.

Rayman is a fictional character and the main protagonist and the titular character of the video game series of the same name, created by video game designer Michel Ancel for Ubisoft.^[2] He is depicted as a limbless humanoid with floating appendages, which he can throw at enemies to attack them.

Since his first appearance in Rayman in 1995, Rayman has been the subject of several video games, as well as a short-lived animated television series. With his trademark lack of limbs and helicopter hair, Rayman has become a popular and recognisable video game character, and the series has continued to grow and develop across numerous platforms up to the present day. ^[3]

Design[edit]

Rayman was originally designed to simply be an athletic character with a full body, but because of complications rendering on game consoles, he was left without arms, legs and a neck – his hands, feet and head float around his body. The manual of Rayman Origins gives out a new explanation for Rayman's limblessness: the lack of Lums had the consequence of preventing the creation of his limbs. He has a huge round nose, and strawberry-blonde hair which he divides into two fronds (three in the original game). He has the ability to use his hair as a helicopter, which lets him glide across large spaces and make soft landings. His eyes are dark blue in colour, though in most official artwork they are coloured black; two pictures in the original game showed him with lighter blue eyes. While Rayman is unique in most of the games, other members of his unknown species are seen in the original game, notably the Magician, Tarayzan, the Musician and the Musician's wife and child.

Rayman is almost always seen in white gloves and a purple torso with a mysterious white ring on the chest, through which he gains new powers from Betilla the Fairy. The symbol can also absorb the Silver Lums created by the fairies, and magically open the pillars containing the Four Masks of Polokus in Rayman 2. Up until Rayman 3, he wore a red neckerchief, which was then replaced with a red hood. He also wears shoes that are typically yellow and white, though the actual designs have changed throughout the series. Rayman Raving Rabbids is where he is seen wearing different clothing that has raised a few questions about his ‘limblessness’, as he sometimes looks as if he has knees, such as the disco costume with its trousers/pants. In Rayman Origins, his Rayman 3 attire was used, but his hood and shoes are a little different. In Rayman Adventures, he wears a new attire. He wears a red bandanna around his hair, a sleeveless brown coat unbuttoned around the bottom alongside his red hood, revealing a white shirt, and has a brown belt around his waist with a gold buckle. His gloves are now brown and fingerless, and his shoes are the same kind Assassin Ray wears.

Physical[edit]

Rayman is a very laid-back character, as he is often seen snoozing either on a hammock or up against a tree, but he is also very athletic and shows great gymnastic skills (able to scale wall sides, and in the Game Boy Advance version of Rayman 3 he is able to do a 'body shot', kick enemies and can do monkey bars), especially since being given the power to run in the original game, and then get noticeably better from Rayman 2. He is also strong enough to carry things such as baby Globoxes, Magic Spheres, plums and kegs. He can run while carrying an object in Rayman Revolution if he purchases an optional upgrade at the Magic Well. Rayman is also right-handed. Some of Rayman's gymnastic skills include handstands, somersaults and back flips.

Rayman begins as a very poor swimmer; in the original game, he loses a life the instant he falls into any body of liquid. By the time of Rayman 2, he has developed this new skill – although all he can do in this game is a simple dog-paddle. In Rayman Revolution, he is taught to swim by Murfy and a baby Globox at the beginning of the game. In Rayman 3, he is a far more capable swimmer; he can now use his helicopter hair to propel himself through the water, he can perform athletic underwater backflips, and he no longer seems to require any Blue Lums or air bubbles to breathe beneath the surface. In both Rayman Origins and Rayman Legends, he can swim without needing any air like in Rayman 2, and without use of his helicopter hair like in Rayman 3.

Rayman also appears to like several sports, such as basketball. In Rayman 2 he will sometimes take his body off and play with it like a basketball whenever he is left idle. Also, in the Game Boy Advance version of Rayman 3 if the player decided to continue at the 'Game Over' screen, Rayman would throw his body through a basketball net and catch it. In Rayman 3 he seems to also show interest in football, as when he is left idle, he kicks his body around and can also kick turtles and plums. Other sports that Rayman appears to like are golf, bowling and karting, as Rayman Golf, Rayman Bowling and Rayman Kart suggest. One of Rayman's hobbies is painting, which was revealed at a later point in the original game and in Rayman Junior.

Personality[edit]

Rayman's true personality is not explored deeply in the series, though most of the time he is a cheerful character with a good sense of humour. He is also very helpful, and is willing to take on whatever challenges face him for the sake of the safety and harmony of his world. Sometimes he can be a little childish, especially in the original game, as he often pulls grimaces as a form of defence. According to the now defunct Rayman's World website, he is brave, funny and also highly close to nature. In one interview, developer Natalie Paccard discusses the development of Rayman's personality between the two games: 'the original Rayman was a platform game, Rayman 2 is an action game. The universe has also evolved a lot, and so has the character. Rayman 2 is a bit older, able to do more things, and loves a good fight. He is less childish. The game itself includes more action and more tricks.’ In later games, Rayman becomes somewhat self-absorbed, especially in Rayman Raving Rabbids, as the Rabbids start to treat him like a celebrity during his captivity, though he is seen remembering and worrying about the baby Globoxes that he left behind. That however seems to be put behind him as the Rabbids continue to harass him in Rayman Raving Rabbids TV Party. It is revealed through interviews with Michel Ancel that Rayman was meant to be a bit of a show-off who does not take himself too seriously. This aspect of the character was supposedly overlooked during Rayman 2 because of Ubisoft's focus on the environments of the game. It was in Rayman 3 that Ubisoft tried to show Rayman's true personality, giving him an updated look to match his newfound attitude and charisma. A Rayman 3 press release stated that ‘Like his core gaming audience, Rayman as a character has matured and now has a wilder edge, only hinted at in the earlier games.

However, in Rayman Origins, Rayman seems to have recovered part of his childish personality; he bears a more joyful, careless and impulsive attitude, though he keeps the heroic spirit that characterized him in previous games. While the trailers and other commercial media described him as a 'New Crazy', Michel Ancel explains Rayman and Globox's personality: 'They're the kind of characters who look.. stupid, really, but they're not stupid, just simple. And all they really want to do is just focus on doing their job, no matter what.' When Rayman Origins was still developed as a prequel, the newborn Rayman was intended to bear a more immature, confused and unintelligent personality, blowing Betilla's skirt with his propeller hair and annoying the magic people; the game was initially focused on Rayman and Globox's personalities and how they evolved over time to become the heroes of the Glade of Dreams; the concept was changed when the game became a sequel.

In Rayman Legends, he is seen with a mostly unchanged personality from Rayman Origins, although it is presented in a more serious tone.

History[edit]

Rayman is the creation of French video game developer Michel Ancel, who was born in 1972. Around 1980, the eight-year-old Ancel began playing video games. Five years later, he began to create his own simple logic games, featuring characters that he invented himself. He often sketched character concepts on table corners, and around 1992, he came up with his favourite character so far: Rayman. Ancel left Rayman without any arms, legs or neck, making the character very easy to animate, as well as opening up unique gameplay possibilities, such as the telescopic fist. Ancel worked as a graphic artist and programmer on a string of Lankhor and Ubi Soft games in the late 1980s and early 1990s. In 1992, he and a small team of developers began production on a Super Nintendo game starring his Rayman character. Eventually it was decided to scrap this project, and rework it into an Atari Jaguar game, which was eventually released in 1995. By the end of the game's development cycle, the team had grown to contain dozens of members.

Inspiration[edit]

A number of interviews with Ubisoft developers were posted on official websites in the period leading up to the release of Rayman 2. In one interview, Rayman creator Michel Ancel revealed the inspirations behind the character. He states Rayman 2 was inspired by Russian, Chinese and Celtic stories that he read as a child. These elements form the ‘fantastic background’ which comprises the Glade of Dreams, but ‘a more contemporary and cartoonish touch’ has been added.[3] Ancel goes on to say that the concept of the game's world is similar to that of The Dark Crystal, which shares ‘its magic and its Celtic universe’. The cartoonish aspects were inspired by the works of Tex Avery. Ancel states that ‘Rayman is a true high-performance hero who keeps a good sense of humour like Indiana Jones. Rayman is a rebel, fighting against mighty bad guys like in Star Wars or Robin Hood’. This suggests that the villains of Ancel's Rayman games – Mr Dark and Admiral Razorbeard – may have been inspired by the likes of Darth Vader and the Sheriff of Nottingham. The character of Indiana Jones is also referenced by Rayman's co-creator Frédéric Houde and the original game co-designer Serge Hascoët. According to a 2011 interview with the director of the Pix'n Love magazine (which has published numerous Rayman-related articles), Ancel took the name ‘Rayman’ from the ray-tracing software which Ubisoft happened to be using during the development of the original game.

Rayman's origins[edit]

Several conflicting accounts have been given for Rayman's origins. During the development of the original game, the developers considered a story in which a ten-year-old boy named Jimmy created a world called Hereitscool inside his computer, and became Rayman once he was sucked into it. This idea was quickly abandoned. When the original game was released in 1995, Rayman's backstory was left ambiguous, although he already appears to be an established hero within his world by the beginning of the game. The manual states that he is 'the guardian of this world'. The manual of Rayman 2 does however contain a different account of Rayman's origins. It tells of Rayman's first appearance in the Glade of Dreams, sometime before the events of the original game. In this version of the story, he is discovered by fishermen, who for some reason does not seem to have encountered his species before.

A revised origin story for Rayman was revealed at the E3 expo of 2010, when Ubisoft showed a trailer for the upcoming game Rayman Origins. The trailer showed the creation of Rayman by Betilla the Fairy. At this point in its development, Rayman Origins was intended as a two-player episodic downloadable prequel to the series, but it was eventually retooled into a four-player sequel with a retail release. A final, slightly modified version of Rayman's origin story was eventually offered on the official Rayman Origins website in November 2011, and can also be found in the game's manual. It is not specified whether this story is intended to replace or complement the one from the Rayman 2 manual.

The PlayStation Vita version of the game contains two mosaics which can be viewed when the player collects enough relics. One of these mosaics tells a story about Rayman's past. Long ago, Rayman was completely bald, and had a wife or girlfriend of his own species. One night, as they slept together in a forest, a colony of tiny blonde hair creatures crept up on Rayman and fused themselves into his head. Rayman's female companion, frightened by this strange turn of events, attempted to cut Rayman's hair with a pair of scissors. The terrified hairs pulled at Rayman's head, forcing him to flee, and he fell over the edge of a cliff, apparently to his doom; however, he was saved by his new hair, which gave him the ability to fly like a helicopter.

Reception[edit]

Since Rayman debuted on the Atari Jaguar in 1995, he has become a popular video game character, along with his trademark helicopter hair and lack of limbs.

In video games[edit]

When Rayman was released in 1995, Rayman's backstory was left ambiguous, although he already appears to be an established hero within his world by the beginning of the game. The manual of the game states that he is 'the guardian of this world'.

However, the manual for Rayman 2 states that Rayman was found by fishermen, having washed up on the shore of the Sea of Lums, and won the trust of the people of the Glade of Dreams by defeating Mr Dark. Upon collecting all 1,000 Lums in the game, the player is told that Rayman is the only being in the Glade not to be dreamt into existence by Polokus, and that his origins and the identity of his parents are a mystery. It is speculated (in the game) that Rayman could be a 'chosen one' selected by all the gods of all the worlds, destined to fight against evil.

A different account is provided by Rayman Origins: the launch trailer shows him being created from moonbeams by Betilla the Fairy in the Primordial Forest, destined from creation to protect the Glade of Dreams from Dark forces. The game's manual states that Rayman was created by the nymphs, who dropped a sack of Lums when distracted by some 'zombie chickens' on the way to perform the ritual, resulting in Rayman's incomplete, limbless form.

Throughout his adventures, Rayman has accumulated a number of allies. The original game introduces the Magician, Tarayzan, the Musician, and Joe the Extra-Terrestrial, Bzzit the Mosquito, and Betilla the Fairy. Meanwhile, Rayman 2 introduces a largely new cast including the bumbling Globox, the helpful flying greenbottle Murfy, the numerous Teensies, and the mystical Ly the Fairy.

Rayman appears in Tonic Trouble's Ski Slope level and end credits.

In Beyond Good And Evil, another Ubisoft game developed by Michel Ancel, there a hidden reference to the Rayman games: a distinctive pink mosquito can be found on the nose of a dead cow in the factory level.

Rayman, Globox and Barbara appear as skin costume for the Xbox 360 version of Minecraft

He also appears as a collectible trophy in Super Smash Bros. for Wii U, appearing as a fully rendered model sent to the developers by Ubisoft themselves along with Globox and Barbara.^[4] Rayman appear as a playable character in Brawlhalla.^[5] Rayman appears in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate as a spirit.

References[edit]

1. ^Matulef, Jeffrey (12 August 2014). 'Rayman creator Michel Ancel reveals new IP Wild'. Eurogamer. Gamer Network. Retrieved 22 June 2017.
2. ^'Rayman Origins Michel Ancel Video Interview'. GameSpot. Retrieved 24 January 2015.
3. ^'IGN Presents: Run Through Rayman History'. Retrieved 24 January 2015.
4. ^'Miiverse - Sakurai's post - Nintendo'. Miiverse - Nintendo. Archived from the original on 11 October 2014. Retrieved 24 January 2015.
5. ^https://twitter.com/Brawlhalla/status/1036401501655244800

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Rayman 3: Hoodlum Havoc is the third major platform game installment in the Rayman series. It tells the story of how Rayman stops André, an evil black lum, from taking over the world with his army of sack-like 'Hoodlum' soldiers. Unlike the game's predecessor, Rayman 3 took a more light-hearted turn, it has sarcastic self-referential undertones and pokes fun at the platforming video game genre. It was released for the GameCube, PlayStation 2, Xbox and Microsoft Windows by Ubi Soft in 2003 and OS X by Feral Interactive in 2004. A remastered HD version of the game was released for PlayStation Network and Xbox Live Arcade in 2012. 2D versions were developed for the Game Boy Advance, N-Gage and mobile phones. A follow up game, Rayman: Hoodlums' Revenge, was released for the Game Boy Advance in 2005. This would be the last main series Rayman game to be released until Rayman Origins in 2011. The game is also the latest in the series to be in 3D.

Gameplay[edit]

Rayman's controls are similar to that of Rayman 2: The Great Escape, albeit utilising long-ranged punches (and kicks at some opportunities), instead of throwing Energy Spheres. Instead of permanent upgrades to his abilities, Rayman can now find special 'Laser Detergent' cans (used by the Hoodlums to turn their clothes into combat fatigues) containing one of five temporary power-ups. The Vortex allows Rayman to fire mini-tornadoes instead of punching, the Heavy Metal Fist increases Rayman's strength and allows him to break down certain doors, the Lockjaw gives Rayman extendable claw weapons that can be used to latch onto and electrocute enemies or swing across gaps, the Shock Rocket allows Rayman to fire a remote controlled missile, and the Throttle Copter provides Rayman with a special helmet that allows him to fly vertically for a limited time.

Unlike most entries, Rayman 3 features a scoring system that tallies points based on Rayman's actions. Whenever points are scored, the system switches to a 'Combo mode' that adds even more points acquired from such actions, though if the player's scoring stops after a few seconds, the Combo mode ends as well. If using a power-up acquired from a Laser Detergent, points earned are doubled. Points earned can unlock hidden content and, in some levels, allow access to hidden areas.

Plot[edit]

One night, a Black Lum, who was supposedly said to have grown out of pure evil, named André appears, and transforms other Red Lums into Black Lums to join him. The group eventually gains enough hair from various animals throughout the forest to dress themselves as scarecrow-like Hoodlums. In the middle of the process, Murfy, one of the residents and workers of the Fairy Council, discovers them. André later discovers him hiding nearby and begins to pursue him. Murfy is eventually chased to a small clearing, where Rayman and his friend Globox are sound asleep. Just as Murfy reaches them, Globox is awakened by the commotion. Now aware of the situation, Globox helps Murfy to try to get Rayman, who is still asleep, to safety. In the process, Globox accidentally removes Rayman's hands, forcing Murfy to pick Rayman up by his hair and fly him away from the clearing himself. In an attempt to save himself, Globox runs away to safety, taking Rayman's hands along with him.

As time passes, more and more Hoodlums invade the forest. After Rayman wakes up, he and Murfy reach the entrance to the Council and discover Globox hiding in a barrel. Just as Rayman gets his hands back from Globox, André and a few of his minions appear, following Globox as he flees into the Council. As Rayman and Murfy pursue them, they learn of André's evil plan: to taint the heart of the world so that he can create an army of Hoodlums. Eventually, André catches up with Globox, who ends up accidentally swallowing the evil creature. Afterwards, Rayman attempts to seek out a doctor that can rid André from Globox's insides and Murfy departs from the team, warning Rayman the Black Lum may force Globox to drink plum juice, in spite of the latter's allergy to it. Rayman meets up with three doctors: Otto Psi (a play on the word autopsy), Romeo Patti (homeopathy), and Art Rytus (arthritis). After all three doctors attempt to independently purge André by using various parts of Globox's body as musical instruments, they succeed in getting rid of him after collaborating in Art Rytus' clinic room. Refusing to admit defeat, André teams up with Reflux, a member of the Knaaren race that Rayman had previously defeated.

Reflux steals the scepter of the Leptys – a god worshiped by his people – from the child king of the Knaaren and uses it to increase his power, which in turn will allow Andre to infinitely reproduce. With Globox's help, Rayman climbs to the top of the Tower of the Leptys and faces Reflux and André as the former transforms into a giant winged monster. After a prolonged battle, Rayman and Globox destroy Reflux and Rayman turns André back into a Red Lum which results in all the Black Lums turning back into Red Lums. Shortly thereafter, Rayman and Globox return to the clearing that they were in before. Before they resume their nap, Globox admits that he misses André and would like him back, but Rayman says that's not a good idea and that he doesn't know how. Globox says that a Red Lum has to be scared to be a Black Lum to which Rayman replies that he would hate to imagine what could scare a Lum. A flashback to before the beginning of the game reveals that Rayman unwittingly created André when his hands went off on their own and scared a Red Lum with frightening shadow puppets.

Notable versions[edit]

Handheld version[edit]

As a counterpart to the 3D PC and console versions of the game, the Game Boy Advance and N-Gage versions of the game were 2D sidescrolling platformers, controlling similarly to the original Rayman game.

GameCube version[edit]

The GameCube version of the game features exclusive content compared to the other releases of the game, which include several minigames. Additional content could be unlocked by connecting the Game Boy Advance version of the game to it.

HD version[edit]

A high definition version of Rayman 3, titled Rayman 3 HD, was announced by Ubisoft in November 2011 and was released on PlayStation Network and Xbox Live Arcade in March 2012, nine years after the original version. The game runs at 60 frames per second, in up to 720p. This version includes the original game content, and features newly introduced leaderboards and Trophies/Achievements. However, it lacks the original intro which featured the Groove Armada song 'Madder', and also lacks the 'Wanna Kick Rayman' bonus videos, which are replaced with the pages from the art book that came with the collector's edition of Rayman Origins. This game also has a different ESRB rating than its non-HD counterpart, which is E for Everyone, whereas the HD version is rated E10+.

Reception[edit]

By the end of March 2003, Rayman 3: Hoodlum Havoc had sold more than 1 million copies.^[15]

Rayman 3: Hoodlum Havoc received generally positive reviews from critics. Review aggregator websites GameRankings and Metacritic gave the Game Boy Advance version 82% and 83/100,^[2][8] the PlayStation 2 version 80% and 76/100,^[4][10] the PC version 78% and 74/100,^[5][12] the GameCube version 78% and 77/100,^[6][9] the Xbox version 77% and 75/100,^[7][11] the Xbox 360 version 69/100,^[14] and the PlayStation 3 version 72/100.^[13]

References[edit]

1. ^'Rayman 3 – Ultimate Powers! Ultimate Enemies! Ultimate Havoc! - Feral News'. www.feralinteractive.com. Retrieved 26 June 2017.
2. ^ ^ab'Rayman 3 for Game Boy Advance'. GameRankings. CBS Interactive. Retrieved 11 September 2013.
3. ^'Rayman 3 for N-Gage'. GameRankings. CBS Interactive. Retrieved 11 September 2013.
4. ^ ^ab'Rayman 3: Hoodlum Havoc for PlayStation 2'. GameRankings. CBS Interactive. Retrieved 11 September 2013.
5. ^ ^ab'Rayman 3: Hoodlum Havoc for PC'. GameRankings. CBS Interactive. Retrieved 11 September 2013.
6. ^ ^ab'Rayman 3: Hoodlum Havoc for GameCube'. GameRankings. CBS Interactive. Retrieved 11 September 2013.
7. ^ ^ab'Rayman 3: Hoodlum Havoc for Xbox'. GameRankings. CBS Interactive. Retrieved 11 September 2013.
8. ^ ^ab'Rayman 3 for Game Boy Advance Reviews'. Metacritic. CBS Interactive. Retrieved 11 September 2013.
9. ^ ^ab'Rayman 3: Hoodlum Havoc for GameCube Reviews'. Metacritic. CBS Interactive. Retrieved 11 September 2013.
10. ^ ^ab'Rayman 3: Hoodlum Havoc for PlayStation 2 Reviews'. Metacritic. CBS Interactive. Retrieved 11 September 2013.
11. ^ ^ab'Rayman 3: Hoodlum Havoc for Xbox Reviews'. Metacritic. CBS Interactive. Retrieved 11 September 2013.
12. ^ ^ab'Rayman 3: Hoodlum Havoc for PC Reviews'. Metacritic. CBS Interactive. Retrieved 11 September 2013.
13. ^ ^ab'Rayman 3 HD for PlayStation 3 Reviews'. Metacritic. CBS Interactive. Retrieved 11 September 2013.
14. ^ ^ab'Rayman 3 HD for Xbox 360 Reviews'. Metacritic. CBS Interactive. Retrieved 11 September 2013.
15. ^'Record 4th Quarter Sales of €179 Million – Up 98% (Up 109% at a Constant Rate) With 23% Annual Growth (Up 30% at a Constant Rate), Ubi Soft Once Again Outperforms the Market' (Press release). Ubisoft. 6 May 2003. Archived from the original on 21 September 2017.

External links[edit]

• Rayman 3: Hoodlum Havoc at MobyGames