Why I Love The 3D Rayman Games

Despite not having gotten a game in years, Rayman is still one of Ubisoft's most consistently high quality series, not a single entry is bad or even mediocre. I love the UbiArt games to bits and I've even warmed up to the original over time, but there's just something particularly special about the 3D games, Rayman 2: The Great Escape and Rayman 3: Hoodlum Havoc. They take the fascinating dreamlike world of Rayman and bring it to life and ways never seen before or since, while also being top-notch 3D platformers of their respective eras. So, here is the first of several multi-game entries in my Top 100 list.

Let's start with Rayman 2: The Great Escape, the first and more well-known of the 3D Rayman games. As far as story and atmosphere goes, The Great Escape is easily my favorite of the two. Rayman 2 starts with its main antagonist, the evil pirate Razorbeard ,having already won. He's occupied the Glade Of Dreams, has begun enslaving its inhabitants, and has imprisoned its hero, Rayman. While you escape from prison pretty early in the game's strikingly memorable prologue, you spend much of Rayman 2 exploring the Glade Of Dreams and learning about the effects that Razorbeard's tyranny has had on its inhabitants. It's a simple but well-executed story of rebellion that refuses to pull its punches with its villains. Razorbeard spends the game doing increasingly cruel things to Rayman and his friends from brainwashing to enslavement to environmental destruction, and all of it is treated with the utmost seriousness. This also lends the game a uniquely dark, dissonant, and melancholic atmosphere, as you travel through this lush, gorgeous, naturalistic locals that are being torn apart by the more industrial Razorbeard. Of course, everything culminates in a truly climactic multi-stage final act where Rayman finally takes the fight to Razorbeard, and it feels incredibly satisfying after everything the evil pirate has done.

On a gameplay level, Rayman 2 might be one of the best-aged 3D platformers of its time, right up there with Spyro and Rocket: Robot On Wheels. Rayman's control is so snappy and responsive. He turns and jumps on a dime, and he can even jump out of his ledge grab making confident platforming a cinch. Nothing about Rayman's movement in this game has aged poorly, he still plays like an absolute dream. The combat is also pretty alright, focused more on dodging projectile attacks as you and your opponents fire blasts at each other. It's dragged down a bit by limited enemy variety and i-frames, but it's still leagues more interesting and fitting than most 3D platforming combat of the time. Rayman 2 also employs a lot of chase sequences, from the Shell riding sequences to the several slide sections to the wakeboarding in Marshes Of Awakening to the chase sequence in The Precipice. I like these parts, they're really fun and frantic, heightening the adventurous feeling of Rayman 2 and giving the game more variety without straying too far from its core platforming.

The level design in Rayman 2 is generally really strong too, boasting a wide variety of settings, setpieces, and even lengths. You never really know what you're going to get when you enter a new stage, whether it's a lengthy gauntlet like The Sanctuary Of Stone And Fire (one of the best platforming stages ever by the way), something more calming like Whale Bay, or one of those aforementioned chase sequences. There's also a strong level of exploration here as levels are populated with Lums to find, Cages to break, and in the Dreamcast version, hidden crystals that unlock minigames. Searching all of these collectibles and going for 100% is super rewarding, and finding that last 1000th yellow Lum is one of my favorite secrets in all of gaming. While some of the chase sequences I keep mentioning may be a bit of a pain to fully clear, for the most part, Rayman 2's levels does a great job at toeing the line between propulsive linearity and engaging exploration. 

And on top of all of that, this game still looks and sounds fantastic to this day. Rayman 2's aesthetic and art direction is unlike any game out there, from the distinct swirl-heavy textures, to the signature low-framerate animation that almost looks like stop-motion, to just how harsh and jagged everything looks. In its efforts to look more cartoony and artificial than other 3D games on the N64, I think it's aged better visually than a pretty big chunk of them. The music is also really good, as is the norm for most Rayman soundtracks. There's a great usage of leitmotifing in how Rayman's theme is used throughout the game, and the naturalistic instruments and atmospheric pieces do a lot to heighten the game's already impeccable sense of ambience. The highlights for me would be The Hall Of Doors, The Great Escape, The Fairy Glade, Riding The Shell, and The Grolgoth. I also want to give props to the gibberish voice acting, particularly that of Rayman himself. I've always been a fan of when games have their characters fictional, possibly even indecipherable languages, and Rayman 2 scratches that itch so hard. Honorable mention goes to the pig latin speak in Origins though.

So that all sounds fantastic and even if it never got a sequel, Rayman 2 would still probably being on my list. However, I actually like Rayman 3: Hoodlum Havoc even more, though it was a bit of a process since this game does not make the best first impression. My favorite thing about The Great Escape was its atmosphere and tone, so Hoodlum Havoc veering into a far lighter direction with comedian voice actors felt like a massive downgrade especially at first. Rayman himself was still great even with full voice acting as he continued to be voiced by David Gasman, but Globox as voiced by John Leguizamo and Murphy as voiced by Billy West got on my nerves fast. The story itself about Globox accidentally eating an evil Lum is laughable, and the villain Andre is a massive downgrade from the menacing Razorbeard.

But then you get into the actual gameplay and Hoodlum Havoc is a massive improvement across the board. Rayman doesn't feel quite as snappy as before, but he makes up for that with incredibly fluid animation and a great sense of weight, making landing every jump feel totally doable. Rayman 3 also adds the combat fatigues which are power-ups that range from very satisfying grapple hook fists, to wind bullets, to a seeker missile. They're all super fun to use and spice up the platforming considerable, especially in the later levels where you have to switch between fatigues in rapid succession. The combat is noticeably improved upon, taking the great concept of Rayman 2's projectile based combat and just fleshing out and refining everything. Instead of using an infinite amount of magic blasts, you toss your fists at enemies, which already feels way more satisfying. You can arc your punches which some enemies take advantage of, and since you only can have two projectiles at a time, i-frames are entirely removed. On top of that, there's a greater enemy variety, way more combat scenarios than before, and far more interesting enemy attack patterns. By the final stage, there are fights with so many bullets flying around that it almost feels like a 3D bullet hell.

On top of that, the level design is phenomenal. Where Rayman 2 had a lot of shorter stages, Rayman 3 only has nine really lengthy stages each taking place in a really expansive and cohesive setting. This means that every stage is memorable and dynamic, all containing a bunch of unique parts that weave into each other. There really isn't a single bad stage in Rayman 3, they all have something unique to offer, and the difficulty curve is spot-on as they all slowly build on your skills when it comes to basic platforming, combat, and using the fatigues. That being said, where Rayman 3 really goes from "good but not as good as Rayman 2" to "this is the best Rayman game of all time" is in the Desert Of The Knaaren level halfway through the game. This is a stage where Rayman 3 briefly delves into horror and stealth gameplay, as Rayman gets separated from Globox and falls into a temple occupied by the invincible cannibals known as the Knaaren. From there on out, Desert Of The Knaaren is a brutal, terrifying, and satisfying platforming gauntlet as you evade the titular creatures and solve puzzles, not only matching Rayman 2's creepy atmosphere but managing to surpass it. This isn't the only Rayman game to make a sudden shift into pure horror, The Abyss in Origins is another great example, but the Desert Of The Knaaren feels particularly striking with how light and silly the game was before it and how the game would never reach that same level of silliness again. It also helps that this stage is where the terrifying Reflux shows up as a secondary villain, filling in the Razorbeard-shaped hole the game had been missing. And after all that terror, nearly an hour's worth of it, finally reuniting with Globox at the very stage felt... kinda comforting? For all he had been annoying me, I was... glad... to see Globox again.

From that point onward, Rayman 3 would continue to fire on all cylinders as every stage from then on would be a massive banger. The Longest Shortcut is a short but sweet platforming-only gauntlet with a super mystical and intriguing atmosphere. The Summit Beyond The Clouds is a great snow level that starts with you platforming and fighting your way up a tall mountain and ending with a thrilling snowboard section as you ride back down. Hoodlum Headquarters is a very fun penultimate stage with a great sense of intrigue and the funniest gag in the game. And Tower Of The Leptys is a climactic and eerie final gauntlet that tests you on everything you've learned. The second half of Rayman 3 is truly some of the best back-to-back 3D platforming I've ever played and it's hard to understate how much it elevates the entire package.

And I didn't get into the boss fights which are (nearly) all stellar. Rayman 2 didn't have many boss fights, but Ubisoft went all out this time. The first fight in the entire game ends with you stealing the boss's stilts and crushing hordes of enemies with it, and it's still one of the less interesting fights in the game. There's also the very fun cat-and-mouse fight with Razoff, the streamlined and bombastic underwater fight against a giant mech, and easily two of the best Rayman fights ever, the two fights with Reflux. Reflux's 1st fight is genuinely one of the best platforming bosses period, a tough, exciting duel with an intense atmosphere and incredibly satisfying attacks to dodge. His second fight, and the final boss, is also outstanding though, forcing you to jump between using several combat fatigues at once across its many phases. Coming off the heels of Rayman 2's sparse lineup, this is a massive improvement.

And on pretty much every other level, Rayman 3 manages to match or even exceed its predecessor. The collectathon focus is still there with plenty of Pirate Cages to break, but there's also a new combo system where collecting stuff and hitting enemies in rapid succession (as well as just simply finding everything) will increase your score. Getting high enough scores will unlock a bunch of neat little minigames, and it gives Rayman 3 a lot more replayability compared to 2's one-and-done collectibles (though personally I'd still rather 100% The Great Escape, it's just more satisfying). Rayman 3 also looks stunning, keeping that same uniquely mystical Rayman aesthetic that the second game established while throwing in some jaw-dropping lighting and reflection effects given the era it was made. And the soundtrack is still great, not as much of a banger as Rayman 2's score, but it's really atmospheric and every single track heightens the mood and perfectly compliments the stage in which it plays. The highlights for me are Under The Starlight, The Platform Challenge (Spyro 2 soundfont go brrr), Reflux's theme, and especially the very catchy Snowboard Race.

While there are many differences between the two 3D Rayman games, and I personally find Rayman 3 to be the better overall package, a lot of what I love about them are things both these games have in common: A sense of adventure. Rayman 2 & 3 both feel like you're exploring these larger-than-life fantasy worlds, with just enough of a creepy edge to make doing so even more compelling. It always felt thrilling to see what was around the corner, every new stage felt like a discovery. And on top of that, the platforming is consistently polished, the level design is always memorable and fun, and the combat remains some of the finest in a 3D platformer, especially in Hoodlum Havoc. The UbiArt Rayman games are incredibly tight and well-made, but Rayman 2 & 3 take the world and tone of Rayman and run to the hills with it.