Review: 5 Reasons Why You Should Buy Rayman Origins

Rayman's newest entry into the platformer genre has recently been released for all three current-gen consoles, and you should totally pick it up.

Coming out within days of big name titles like Modern Warfare 3, Skyrim, and Skyward Sword, Rayman Origins runs a great risk of being overshadowed.  But this shouldn't stop you from buying it, because...


5.  It Has an Undeniable Charm
Rayman Origins takes the current obsession with photorealistic graphics and rips it to pieces in the most entertaining ways possible.  Make no mistake, the game is weird.  However, it's the quirkiness of it all that helps to define the entire game.

Above: Style!

Everything in Origins has been lovingly hand-drawn and animated.  The environments are lush, and seem to incorporate every color under the sun in order to paint a vivid picture.  The characters are vibrant and enthusiastic, with each one having entirely unique animations, even when performing the same actions (jumping, slapping, etc.).

It's obvious that the designers and programmers put a lot of effort into making this game completely original.  Almost everything about it seems fresh and enjoyable.  For instance, there is one world that you visit during the game that is entirely made out of food.  "But wait!" you say, "Hasn't that been done, like a bunch of times before?"

Yes, indeed it has.

So, what makes Rayman Origins so different?  Well sure, you're going to be platforming across watermelons and oranges, which is quirky and weird on its own.  However, the designers decided to take it one step further.  What if, instead of running across a buncha random foods, the whole world had a contrasting concept of being in a refrigerator and an oven?



Both of these screenshots are from the same world.

This kind of juxtaposition is what I'm talking about when I say that Rayman has a charm like no other game has ever had in a long time.  Everything you encounter is fresh and original, and it never feels like the developers skimped out on anything.  Sure, maybe games like Mario can be just as colorful and quirky, but after being with the plumber for almost 3 decades, even the Mushroom Kingdom starts to feel familiar.  In Origins, the Glade of Dreams has numerous different environments with barely coherent connections, and all of it wraps into one completely unique experience.

Oh, did I also mention that the game is flippin' hilarious?  Seriously, it just exudes a tone equivalant to that of a Saturday morning cartoon.  You will likely be smiling the entire time you're playing it.

4.  The Platforming is Incredibly Satisfying
When people think of the platforming genre, the character that instantly comes to mind is "Mario," and for good reason.  Mario has built up an impressive reputation for putting out rewarding platformers, complete with perilous jumps and exciting obstacles to overcome.  When you finish a level or challenge, you almost always feel accomplished and satisfied.  As a result, Mario games have become the epitome of what it means to be a great platformer.

...And Rayman is going to give the plumber a run for his money...

...With delicate grace and style, of course.

On the surface, the limbless hero acts a lot like Nintendo's mascot.  He can run, slide, jump, wall jump, and attack.  However, there is one key distinction between abilities that might just make Rayman a more enjoyable character to play as for some.  When Rayman gets a power-up, he keeps it.  For good.  This means that he will always be able to attack stuff, instead of just jumping on enemies, and he will always be able to glide to a platform without having to eat a leaf and turn into a weird raccoon thing.

This difference might seem minor, but it plays a HUGE role over the course of the rest of the game.  Once you obtain a new power, the way you're able to traverse obstacles can sometimes change drastically.  This keeps the game feeling fresh and fun to play, even when you're going back to older levels for unlockables.

In terms of challenge, the game is plenty hard enough for even seasoned gamers.  Each level is split up into several different rooms, separated by doors on either side.  The point of these rooms is not to simply "get to the end."  Instead, the game challenges you to explore the nooks and crannies, in order to find Lums and captured Electoons, which are crucial for progressing further in the game.

While on the topic of Lums, I have to say that they are a very interesting collectible.  Although they appear as frequently as coins in any Mario game, I feel compelled to go out of my way to collect them, mostly because they are tied to extra bonuses at the end of the levels.  Things can get pretty intense when those little buggers turn red and start singing, making them worth double the points...

"Go! Go! Go!  Get 'em ALL!  HURRY!  RRRGGGHH!  YEAH!"

I've already gone off a quite a tangent already...My point is this: the unique aspects of Rayman Origins allows the game to become a platformer that is both engaging to play as well as satisfying to beat.  The controls feel solid, and you never feel like the game comes out of nowhere and hits you with a "cheap shot."  Few games out there match the feeling of accomplishment you get when you conquer something like a "Chest Level" in Origins...

You will be insanely focused during these chases.

3.  The Game Does Multiplayer Platforming Right
People are free to disagree with me on this, but I personally feel that Rayman Origins was the first game to correctly accomplish the feat of allowing four friends to traverse obstacles together without making things frustrating for everyone.  The key aspect that makes everything work in this game is the fact that players aren't able to "jostle" each other.  In other words, friends won't be bumping into each other when they're trying to make a jump or run across a platform.  They will instead pass by another character while running in the foreground or background.

Some might argue that this practically makes multiplayer a pointless feature.  After all, if there's no interaction between players, what's the point of having multiple people playing the game in the first place? 

Well, first of all, you can still mess with your friends in the game, if you really want to.  Attacking your allies can send them backwards and knock them off platforms.  So, if you want to have fun that way, go right ahead.

...You jerk...

However, if you and your friends want to make some progress in the game, doing so can be an incredibly wholesome experience.  Sure, you're characters aren't really interacting with each other within the game, but that's not the point.  The game encourages you to interact with your partner sitting next to you on the couch instead.  When the game throws something crazy at you (and that will happen a lot), everyone's inclined to laugh or get excited about it together.  The constantly changing and moving environments offer opportunities for multiple players to feel the surprise and wonder of the levels together. 

In essence, Rayman Origins brings gamers back to the times when playing games together in the same room, instead of across houses online, used to be more enjoyable and memorable than playing it alone.  The removal of "jostling" other characters prevents the frustration that often occurs when playing games like New Super Mario Bros. Wii, and replaces it with an opportunity to genuinely enjoy a game together with a few friends.

Memories in the making.

2.  You Can Pick It Up Pretty Cheap
In what might be considered a bittersweet turn of events, the price for a new copy of Rayman Origins has dropped dramatically, most likely due to a lack of sales.  You can now pick it up for a mere $30 at your local GameStop.  If you've been tight on cash for the past few months, this is your chance to pick up this gem without shelling out too much money.

Although it's a shame that Origins had to take a price cut so soon after it's release, I suppose it serves to benefit the people who were hesitant on taking a $60 risk on such a quirky looking title.

...I really don't have much else to say on the matter, so I guess I'll just show off another hilarious screenshot...

Shooting down a blimp-like bird while riding mosquitos.
...Nothing THAT unusual...

1.  Games Like These Really Need to be Supported

I'm going to try (and probably fail) to get through this without sounding too "preachy."  Here goes...

It's obvious that the developers of this game put their hearts into crafting an enjoyable experience.  They took a MASSIVE chance by making the art style what it is.  When you look at all of the color and detail that goes into the characters and levels, it's hard not to appreciate what the team of artists have accomplished.  The entire world is zany and cartoon like, which invokes a sense of wonder that appeals to a gamer's inner child.  As a complete package, this game has everything positive going for it.

...Except for an audience...

As I said before, Rayman Origins was released next to some pretty massive behemoths of the gaming world.  A new Call of Duty, Elder Scrolls, AND Zelda game?  All of these franchises are well-recognized and beloved.  They've built up an enormous reputation, and for good reason.  However, amidst these gaming titans is a modest game that is trying to bring back to life an equally beloved, though forgotten, mascot.

This game bears little resemblance to the likes of Skyrim and Gears of War.
Unfortunately, this only serves to hurt it in the long run.

The focus of a lot of games today often revolves around photorealism in graphics.  Developers are trying to make their games looks as "realistic" as possible.  The problem with this line of thinking lies in what many people consider "realistic" to be.  Words that are often synonymous with the term in the industry are "mature" and "serious."  Unfortunately, this leads to games that all start to look the same...

I'm not suggesting that all of these games in fact are the same.  I'm also not suggesting that they're bad games in any sense of the word.  I'm only pointing out the fact that...well...look at all the brown!  Sure, the games look nice, and the characters and facial expressions are all rendered fluidly and realistically, but when you look at the variety between the games' visuals, there is little to find.

It's off-putting to see photorealism getting more of a push than other forms of stylized graphics.  It's actually quite a change when you consider where gaming started.  Heck, back then one of the most popular games on the market involved a plumber shooting at turtles with fireballs he acquired after eating a magic flower.  Would anything in that previous sentence make any sense to someone who wasn't already familiar with Mario?  Probably not. 

This kind of wackiness in games seems to have lost its appeal with the modern audience, which is a shame, because it often brought welcome variety to the table.  Rayman Origins is an attempt to revitalize what it means to be an entirely unique game.  The entire concept and art style is a shout out to gamers who still think that quirky and colorful games have merit in the industry today. 

Humor and style is welcome here.

If you feel like the gaming world is becoming too generic and samey, it's up to you to change it.  In the end, consumers hold the ultimate power in deciding what becomes popular.  Buy Rayman Origins as a way of telling the developers that you support their visions for the game.  Buy it if you agree with their efforts of bringing color and style to the gaming culture.  Let the industry know that games that take chances like this can actually make money.  If publishers don't see the cash coming in, they won't green-light as many future projects with unusual concepts, and the gaming world will continue to look "realistically brown," because that's what the industry thinks we want.

Now, that all sounds incredibly morbid.  However, it should probably be noted that I'm not saying that "buying Rayman Origins will change the gaming industry forever."  Of course one game's sales aren't going to impact a global market.  But, if this kind of support is given to multiple different games like this upon their release, it's likely that publishers will take notice, and be willing to approve more crazy ideas.  This would add variety to the world of video games that could co-exist with the still-impressive photorealistic games.  So, although Rayman Origins can't move an entire industry on its own, I'll argue that it's quite an enjoyable first step to take in the right direction.

If you want to listen to another guy talk about variety in the industry, watch this episode of The Game Overthinker.  A lot of the things said in his video were the inspiration for what was written above.