Rayman Origins Preview

This Rayman Origins preview gives a quick look at what can be expected from Ubisoft Montpellier’s upcoming platform game.

Rayman Origins follows Rayman, his friend Globox and two teensies as they fight evil creatures that have infected the Glade of Dreams, a world created by the Bubble Dreamer, a creature which takes on different forms throughout the game. His nightmares are starting to transform the world, as good Electoons turn into the Darktoons and evil creatures appear in the world. Rayman and his friends must stop this and save the Glades of Dreams. The game will see familiar characters and creatures returning from previous titles in the series such as Betilla the Fairy and Mr. Dark – the main antagonist in the story.

The upcoming platform game developed by Ubisoft Montpellier and published by Ubisoft will be available on the PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, Wii, Nintendo 3DS, PlayStation Vita, and PC (iOS) platforms.

The game is due to be released on November 15th (NA), November 24th (AU) and November 25th 2011 (EU) for PlayStation 3, Xbox 360 and Wii. It will also be released for the Nintendo 3DS and PlayStation Vita at a later date.

Lead Narrative Designer Gebrielle Shrager talks about Rayman origins in this all-encompassing interview from E3 2011!

Rayman Origins explores the origins of this limbless wonder in this new trailer for the classic game series, straight from E3 2011.

And, in this E3 2011 interview, Michael Ancel talks about the art direction and visuals of Rayman Origins, the subject of 2D gaming and the character of Rayman himself!

Key Features of Rayman Origins

Here is a list of key elements that will be available in Ubisoft Montpellier’s Rayman Origins based on news and announcements made so far.

Single-Player Mode and Co-op
The game will feature local four-player co-operative play, with the players controlling Rayman, Globox and two Teensies; it will still be possible however to play through the game in single-player mode. There are currently no plans for online play.

The Return of the Yellow Lum!
Yellow Lums, which first appeared in Rayman 2, are once again collectible items in the game.

Confirmed Levels
While featuring numerous original environments, Rayman Origins will also be the first game in the series to revisit locations explored in previous games.

The game will be divided into three phases. In the first phase, the player will make their way through six worlds – Jungle, Music, Food, Mountain, Ocean and Picture. Once the first phase is complete, the second phase can be accessed: new levels become available in each of the six worlds. When this phase is complete the third and final phase contains only one world – the Land of the Dead.

Descriptions of seven worlds have been announced so far:

  • Jibberish Jungle – Rayman is born in the Primordial Forest, indicating that this jungle is in fact the Dream Forest from the original game. The trailer indicates that the monstrous daisy and gigantic living statue are the bosses of this level.
  • The Desert of Didgeridoos – The design of this world is drawn from music and musical instruments. It seems to be based on Band Land, a location which has not been seen since the original game.
  • The Gourmand Lands – made up of several areas, The Gourmand Land is a surreal environment made of food and cooking materials. Known as the Infernal Kitchen, its aesthetic is inspired by the Mexican Day of the Dead celebration. Another environment in the Gourmand Lands is Frosty Delights, an icy landscape perhaps inspired by the Glacier Cocktail level from Tonic Trouble.
  • The Sea of Serendipity – trailer footage shows Rayman and Globox swimming near the sea floor, surrounded by marine life in this level. They are chased by aquatic insects and above the surface of the ocean, a tribe of Globox’s species lives in a village supported on stilts.
  • Mystic Peak – A mountainous location it is surrounded by floating land masses similar to the floating earth platforms of the original game. Moody Clouds, a steam punk level in which Rayman rides on the back of Moskito is also part of ‘Mystic Peak.’
  • The Land of the Livid Dead – the final level in the game, it bears a strong resemblance to both the Cave of Bad Dreams and Tomb of the Ancients from Rayman 2, and is the home to the villains of Rayman Origins.

Cages
Much of the gameplay can be reminiscent to that of Rayman, in that the aim is to find cages and rescue the Electoons that are imprisoned inside them. Most if not all cages are being guarded by several enemies that collectively use a force field to protect the cage; the team must defeat every single enemy that uses the force field, then the cage can be destroyed. Most of the cages in Rayman Origins are hidden away in secret passages, so once the Electoons are free, they will create a portal which leading to other areas.

Take a look at the trailer!

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