Line #1 VideoGame/Rayman


1	[[quoteright:300:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/rayman_3.png]]
2	[[caption-width-right:300:[[FanNickname The Limbless Wonder]]]]
3
4	''Rayman'' is a Creator/{{Ubisoft}} video game series created by Creator/MichelAncel. Rayman is a strange, [[FloatingLimbs limbless]] individual of [[MultipleChoicePast various origins]], who fights to save the Glade of Dreams from a variety of antagonists. While nominally a {{platform\|Game}} series, the games are known for never sticking to a gameplay style or setting for more than a game or so, with each title reinventing the series in some major way.
5
6	The first game in the series, simply titled ''{{VideoGame/Rayman\|1}}'', is a 2D platformer, in which Rayman must defeat the evil Mr. Dark, a sinister individual who has stolen the [[MacGuffin Great Protoon]]. Along the way, Rayman must rescue the many Electoons, who have been held captive by Mr. Dark's minions.
7
8	The second game, ''VideoGame/Rayman2TheGreatEscape'', is his first 3D title, and the most popular among fans. DarkerAndEdgier, although still wacky and cartoony, it features an evil group of sinister Robo-Pirates, lead by the Admiral Razorbeard, who enslave the people of the Glade of Dreams and split the Heart of the World - the planet's Primordial Core - into 1000 beads of light, the Yellow Lums. In order to defeat the pirates and restore the Heart of the World, Rayman must gather four legendary masks, which will summon Polokus, who created Rayman's world. This was followed by ''Rayman 2: Revolution'', a Platform/PlayStation2 exclusive remake of ''Rayman 2'', which made several significant changes to the level design and featured improved graphics.
9
10	The following game, ''VideoGame/RaymanM'' (known as ''[[MarketBasedTitle Rayman Arena]]'' in the US), was a multiplayer-focused game consisting of racing and battle segments. It introduced a few new characters but it didn't have a storyline.
11
12	The third game in the main series, ''VideoGame/Rayman3HoodlumHavoc'', was the first ''Rayman'' game without Michel Ancel, and featured a more detailed storyline involving Andre, a Black Lum, who seeks to use the power of the Heart of the World to spawn an army of Hoodlums, hooded {{mooks}} shaped like potato sacks. It also employed voices from well-known actors, including Creator/BillyWest as Murphy (who coincidentally voiced Rayman for the TV show) and John Leguizamo as Globox.
13
14	There have also been several handheld adaptations and a PartyGame spin-off series, ''Rayman Raving Rabbids'', featuring Rayman's attempts to do battle in various {{Mini Game}}s with a horde of bizarre rabbit-like creatures. The Rabbids later spun off into [[VideoGame/RavingRabbids their own franchise]], breaking ties with ''Rayman'' and following its own agenda. [[AnimatedAdaptation A little-seen Rayman CGI TV Series was also made]], but only lasted four episodes and was never finished due to lack of funding. [[http://kidscreen.com/2019/10/11/ubisoft-turning-multiple-ips-into-kids-shows/ However, in 2019, another animated series was announced.]]
15
16	For a while, it seemed like Rayman would be Creator/{{Ubisoft}}'s answer to Creator/{{Nintendo}}'s [[Franchise/SuperMarioBros Mario]], becoming its mascot, but the character was all but abandoned by the company once they became one of the biggest international gaming producers with the likes of ''Franchise/AssassinsCreed'' and left the whole childrens' market all together, considering that 1.) [[Creator/MichelAncel Ancel]] moved away from the line-up after ''The Great Escape'' to work on other titles, such as ''VideoGame/BeyondGoodAndEvil'', making the series lose its luster, 2.) the Rabbids themselves [[SpotlightStealingSquad stole Rayman's spotlight]] to the point that he's basically become a minor character (and they would be the ones to [[VideoGame/MarioPlusRabbidsKingdomBattle meet Mario and his friends]] down the line, to boot), and 3.) the series was never popular enough to become a {{cash cow\|Franchise}} anyway.
17
18	However, after years of waiting for news on the state of the next 'proper' ''Rayman'' game, one was finally announced in the form of ''VideoGame/RaymanOrigins''. While originally intended to actually be a prequel of sorts to the series, it instead takes place sometime after ''Rayman 2'' and [[ArcWelding combines plot and world elements from the first two games]]. The game follows Rayman and [[CoOpMultiplayer up to 3 friends]] (Globox and the Teensies) as they battle through a [[SugarWiki/AwesomeArt beautifully]] [[SceneryPorn detailed 2D world]] in order to save the Glade of Dreams from the evil Darktoons who have invaded, in a [[GenreThrowback throwback]] to the great 2D platformers of old. Oh, and the game was developed by series creator Michel Ancel in his return to the series after ''Rayman 3''. The sequel, ''VideoGame/RaymanLegends'', was released in 2013 on Wii U, [=PS3=], Xbox 360, and PC. The series has since returned to a hiatus on consoles, with Ubisoft seeing fit to port ''Legends'' to modern platforms including [=PS4=], Xbox One, and Nintendo Switch, while releasing several mobile spin-offs that utilize the same game engine as ''Legends''. However, in 2017, the series' creator Michel Ancel talked about bringing Rayman back to 3D, once he will be done with ''Wild'' and ''Beyond Good and Evil 2''. Unfortunately, his departure from the gaming industry in September 2020 leaves the series up in the air.
19
20	Rayman appears as a major recurring character in the adult animated series ''WesternAnimation/CaptainLaserhawkABloodDragonRemix'', where he is [[ClusterFBomb much less]] [[TheAlcoholic kid-friendly]] than usual.
21
22	If you were looking for the ''Rayman Raving Rabbids'' games that were originally a part of this series, see ''VideoGame/RavingRabbids''.
23	----
24	[[folder: Games in the Series]]
25	!!Main Series Games:
26	[[index]]
27	* ''VideoGame/Rayman1'' (1995) Jaguar, [=PS1=], Saturn, PC, GBC, GBA, [=DSi=], PSN, iOS[[note]]This version has since been delisted from the App Store, though it remains available for re-download if previously purchased.[[/note]]
28	* ''VideoGame/Rayman2TheGreatEscape'' (1999) [=N64=], PC, Dreamcast, [=PS1=], [=PS2=], GBC, DS, PSN, 3DS, iOS[[note]]This version has since been delisted from the App Store, though it remains available for re-download if previously purchased. It will not run on iOS versions newer than iOS 10.[[/note]]
29	* ''VideoGame/Rayman3HoodlumHavoc'' (2003) GBA, [=GameCube=], [=PS2=], Xbox, PC, N-Gage, Mac OS X, PSN, XBLA, Mobile
30	* ''Rayman: Hoodlum's Revenge'' (2005) GBA[[note]]A sequel specifically to the GBA/N-Gage version of ''3'', which in itself was more of a direct sequel to 2 than the non-portable versions[[/note]]
31	* ''VideoGame/RaymanOrigins'' (2011) Xbox 360, [=PS3=], Wii, PS Vita, PC, 3DS, Mac OS X
32	* ''VideoGame/RaymanLegends'' (2013) Wii U, Xbox 360, [=PS3=], PS Vita, PC, [=PS4=], Xbox One, Nintendo Switch
33
34	!!Spinoff Games:
35	* ''Rayman Junior/Rayman Brain Games'' (2000) PC, [=PS1=]
36	* ''[[VideoGame/RaymanM Rayman M/Rayman Arena/Rayman Rush]]'' (2001) [=PS2=], [=PS1=] PC, [=GameCube=], Xbox
37	* ''Rayman Golf'' (2003) Mobile
38	* ''Rayman Jungle Run'' (2012) iOS, Android
39	* ''Rayman Fiesta Run'' (2013) iOS, Android
40	* ''Rayman Adventures'' (2015) iOS, tvOS, Android
41	* ''Rayman Mini'' (2019) iOS, tvOS, and macOS through Apple Arcade
42
43	!!Crossovers:
44	* ''VideoGame/{{Brawlhalla}}'' (2017) PC, [=PS4=], Xbox One, Nintendo Switch, iOS, Android [[note]]Rayman appears as a playable GuestFighter while Globox and Barbara appear as [[PaletteSwap alternate skins]] for two of the game's existing characters. A Lum King is also present as a sidekick.[[/note]]
45	* ''VideoGame/MarioPlusRabbidsSparksOfHope'' (2023) Nintendo Switch [[note]]The DLC ''Rayman in the Phantom Show''[[/note]]
46
47	!!Expanded Universe:
48	* ''WesternAnimation/RaymanTheAnimatedSeries''
49	[[/index]]
50
51	->For the Rabbids games, refer to the ''VideoGame/RavingRabbids'' page.
52	[[/folder]]
53
54	!!This series as a whole provides examples of:
55
56	* AbandonedMascot: Used to be the mascot of Creator/{{Ubisoft}} before being replaced by the Rabbids.
57	* AdventureDuo: Rayman and Globox.
58	* ArrowCam: In ''Rayman 3'', you've got the missile fist, and in ''Rayman Arena'', there's the Buzz Rocket weapon.
59	* ArsonMurderAndJaywalking:
60	** According to The General in ''Rayman 2'', the Grolgoth can kill, crush, destroy, torture, and pull ears.
61	** In one area of Hoodlum Headquarters in ''Rayman 3'', the lady's voice over the intercom warns the Hoodlums of the Leptys' sensitive nature, advising that they not drink in its presence and to ''avoid verifying the room temperature.''
62	* TheArtifact: Yellow Lums become this after ''Rayman 2'', where they were the 1000 parts of the Heart of the World that had been destroyed by the pirates. In later games (except ''Rayman 3''), they still appear, no longer limited to 1000, despite no mention of the Heart of the World.
63	* ArtEvolution: Every entry in the series looks different compared to its predecessor.
64	* AutoScrollingLevel: A few, most notably in Blue Mountains.
65	* BenevolentArchitecture: Floating rings and platforms that are uncannily useful, or objects/switches that coincidentally allow you to use them ''only'' with a specific power you happen to have acquired… yeah, this is in essentially every single game.
66	* BottomlessPits: Plenty of them in the original ''Rayman'' and ''Rayman 2''. Mostly averted in ''Rayman 3'', in which falling off of a high ledge that ''looks'' like a bottomless pit tends to result in landing in an area that allows you in some way to make your way back to where you were. Heck, falling into a supposed bottomless pit is even ''required'' at one point in the game to avoid death. The single bottomless pit in the game is found during the final battle, and even then it isn't much of a threat.
67	* BreakingTheFourthWall: In ''Rayman 3''.
68	* BroadStrokes: It seems what continuity the series ''does'' have operates on this; the general events of at least the mainline events are treated as canon, but the specific details differ from game to game, from how the world works to the character designs and, in some cases, even the ''species'' of the characters. ''Origins'' and ''Legends'' are the most consistent games in this regard.
69	* BubblegloopSwamp: There's at ''least'' one area like this in every game.
70	* CameraLockOn: The 3D games.
71	* CerebusSyndrome: From ''Rayman 2'' and onwards, the character as well as the game plotlines become a lot more serious and dramatic, when the original game was intentionally wacky and cartoony in its gameplay as well as its generic story. Finally averted in ''Rayman Origins'' and onward, where it goes back to the series' original comedic formula.
72	* ChuckCunninghamSyndrome: Ly the fairy from the second game doesn't appear in any of the sequels. Betilla, however (from the original game) reappears in ''VideoGame/RaymanOrigins'', and Murfy (from the second and third game) appears in ''VideoGame/RaymanLegends''.
73	* CloudCuckooLander: Globox. He's also [[TheDitz quite stupid]].
74	* CollisionDamage: Played straight in ''Rayman'', and in ''Rayman 2'' one type of {{Mook}} will charge towards you (surprisingly fast given their appearance) in order to squash you flat. Even more annoying in this game is that small creatures like ordinary-sized spiders and innocent-looking crabs will ''hurt you'' if you touch them. Luckily, they aren't encountered very often.
75	* ColorCodedForYourConvenience: Alternate skins in ''Rayman M'' when multiple players choose the same character, and of course the lums in almost every other game.
76	* ConvectionSchmonvection: The fight with Mr. Skops in the first game. You can be hanging off a ledge ''with your feet dangling inches above the lava'' and not die. And there are entire ''levels'' in ''Rayman 2'' and ''Rayman 3'' that feature tons of lava and overall scorched settings... the only hint that there's heat rising at all is that in ''Rayman Revolution'' you're allowed to keep your flying power indefinitely as long as you're over lava, in which the rising heat could help you stay airborne.
77	* CoolClearWater: Starting in ''Rayman 2'', Rayman is able to swim in clear, "clean" water, but [[GrimyWater ugly water]] kills or damages him.
78	* CowardlySidekick: Globox isn't the bravest of sidekicks and runs away whenever he sees Robot Pirates or Hoodlums.
79	* CraniumRide: In ''Rayman'' and ''Rayman 2'', knocking a plum onto the heads of certain {{Mook}}s allowed you to jump onto their heads in order to reach otherwise unreachable areas and items.
80	* CriticalExistenceFailure: Every single game. What's funny here is how crazy Rayman's deaths tend to be, ranging from him turning into Antitoons and flying away to him disappearing into glowing balls.
81	* DependingOnTheWriter: The universe and the personality of characters change a lot between each game.
82	* DownTheDrain: Both ''Rayman 2'' and ''Rayman 3'' have underwater levels.
83	* DefeatMeansFriendship: In the original game, Bzzit begins to cry after being defeated by Rayman. Rayman then consoles his opponent and befriends him, and proceeds to ride the mosquito right in the next stage. (No relation to Moskito, a PaletteSwap of Bzzit who tries to kill Rayman a few stages later.)
84	* ExpositionFairy: Literally. Almost all characters who provide information are fairies in one way or another (Betilla in the original game, Ly and Murfy in the sequel, Murfy in the third, etc.).
85	* FatAndSkinny: Globox and Rayman respectively.
86	* {{Flanderization}}: Globox's stupidity and clumsiness is turned up to eleven in ''Rayman 3''. Rayman himself also went from being a somewhat hotheaded DorkKnight into a full blown wisecracking MascotWithAttitude.[[note]]Also, his very first line in the game is him making a comment about Globox over his cowardice, which sounds almost like an insult. This is something that he would never do in 2, where he said to him that he shouldn't be ashamed of being scared, and it's clear he greatly respected the guy despite his flaws.[[/note]] And then Videogame/RaymanOrigins went even further...
87	* FloatingLimbs: A series trademark, especially for Rayman himself, who was formerly the TropeNamer.
88	* FloatingPlatforms: They're everywhere, and in different varieties.
89	* FollowTheMoney: In the first game, tings are almost ''always'' a dead giveaway to bonus powers and secret areas that feature the Magician's hat or hidden Electoon Cages; in general, if you see a ting, it means that you can find something good if you go to it. Lots of these even form paths or arrows, while some go as far to write out 'YES' or 'NO' in some levels to indicate whether you're going the right way or not. In the second and third games, Lums tend to be scattered around paths that you need to follow to progress in the level.
90	* FungusHumongous: A repeating element in the series.
91	* GrimyWater: Many levels in ''Rayman 2'' and ''Rayman 3'' have several variations of this. Pretty much all water encountered in the first ''Rayman'' qualifies, as well.
92	* HammerSpace: Where ''else'' could Rayman stash all of those lums he's running around collecting? And don't forget tings in the first game. Oh, and how about ''Rayman 2'''s raindance mask and elixir of life? He pulls them out of nowhere; he doesn't even have a BagOfHolding for an excuse.
93	* HelicopterHair: One of Rayman's trademark moves is to spin his hair fast enough to glide. There are only specific instances in which he can really fly or ascent, such as catching ascending winds in ''Rayman 2'' or getting a few seconds helicopter upgrade with a can in ''Rayman 3''.
94	* HeliCritter: Rayman himself, using his hair.
95	* HeterosexualLifePartners: Rayman and Globox, who, from what we can tell of ''Origins''' plot, have pretty much been best buds forever.
96	* HumongousMecha: The Grolgoth in ''Rayman 2'', Celoché in ''Rayman 3''. Also the Mecha Daisy and Mockingbird in ''Rayman Origins''.
97	* IconicSequelCharacter: Several of the series' most iconic recurring characters only got established from the second game onwards, like Globox, Murfy, the Teensies and the Lums. Barbara also counts, having debuted in ''Legends'' and appearing in everything ''Rayman''-related since.
98	* IdleAnimation: Each game has this to some extent. Besides Rayman in the first and second games, all characters in ''Rayman Arena'' have a unique animation if they're left idle. Globox has his own idle animations in ''Rayman 3'' as well.
99	* LaughablyEvil: Pretty much every {{Mook}} in the series could be classified as this, though it is most notable in the first game.
100	* LavaPit: Tons of 'em.
101	* LethalLavaLand: If the names "Sanctuary of Rock and Lava" or "Sanctuary of Stone and Fire" aren't a dead giveaway, there's something wrong with you.
102	** Also, the Hoodlum Headquarters in ''Rayman 3'', combined with EternalEngine. The voice over the intercom even states, in a rather sultry voice, "Interior temperature: 98.6 degrees ''[[AccidentalInnuendo and rising]]''" -- the Foundry itself is built ''entirely over a lava pool''!
103	* LevitatingLotusPosition: The Monks in the band land, Ly from ''Rayman 2'', and Glute monks in ''Origins'' do the floating variation of the LotusPosition.
104	* LifeMeter: All of them except the most recent games, ''Origins'' and ''Legends'', which instead opt for a system where you can collect a floating valentine heart that disappears when hit.
105	* MalevolentArchitecture: Especially in Razoff's mansion in ''Rayman 3'' and the Tower of Leptys.
106	* MercyInvincibility: ''Un''mercifully short compared to other games, and in the first game it tends to push you into [[SpikesOfDoom something]] [[LavaPit that's]] [[CollisionDamage going]] [[GrimyWater to]] [[SuperDrowningSkills kill]] [[AdvancingWallOfDoom you]] [[EverythingTryingToKillYou anyways]].
107	* MindScrew:
108	** In ''Rayman: Raving Rabbids'', if you wear the disco outfit, you can clearly see knees in the pants, even though Rayman has no legs. This hints that he might have limbs after all, but they're just invisible. But then again, if he does have invisible legs, then why did he need a [[spoiler:walking stick to help him walk when he lost his shoe in ''Rayman 2'', if he could try to walk using his invisible leg?]]
109	** The US marketing for ''Rayman 3'' hints toward him having a penis, especially the magazine ad.
110	* MiniGame: In ''Rayman Revolution'', collecting enough Familiar Spirits will unlock a multitude of mini-games, which will increase Rayman's health bar upon winning. In ''Rayman 3'', miscellaneous assortments of short, single-player minigames are rewards for achieving higher scores. ''Rayman Raving Rabbids'' is '''completely''' comprised of mini-games.
111	** A cheat code in the original ''Rayman'' started a Breakout-style minigame.
112	* MultipleChoicePast: Rayman has always lived in a valley populated by other limbless beings and creatures, and his lack of limbs is completely normal.
113	** [[CanonDisContinuity No, he was first found by fishermen, washed-up on the coast of the Sea of Lums.]]
114	*** [[RetCon No, he was woven by the nymphs from the magnificent moonbeams of the second summer solstice.]]
115	*** [[AllThereInTheManual No, he was woven by the nymphs not from the magnificent moonbeams but from bags of Lums.]]
116	*** [[WhatCouldHaveBeen No, he was a 10-year old boy named Jimmy who was sucked into his computer. Wait... forget that one.]]
117	*** [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hHxD0dCB3aQ No, he was originally some bald guy who lived with his wife before a bunch of creatures attached themselves to his head and then he fell off a cliff and...]] [[BigLippedAlligatorMoment I'm sorry, what?]] (Note: [[ContinuitySnarl this origin is featured in the same game that gives the "woven by the nymphs" story.]])
118	* NintendoHard: The first game is very hard due to never having been play-tested before release (outside the developer team)! ''Origins''[='=] later levels can be tricky, and the less we say about [[BrutalBonusLevel the bonus level]], Land of the Livid Dead, [[PlatformHell the better]]!
119	* OurFairiesAreDifferent: Rayman's world has practically become the universal meeting place of ''every single freakin' type of fairy ever heard about.''
120	* PlotCoupon: Electoon cages in ''Rayman'' and the four masks of Polokus in ''Rayman 2''.
121	* PowerFist: Golden Fist in ''Rayman 1'' and ''2''; Heavy Metal Fist or Tornado Fist in ''Rayman 3''.
122	* RibcageRidge: The Cave of Bad Dreams in ''Rayman 2'', and the Desert of the Knaaren in ''Rayman 3''.
123	* RiseToTheChallenge: In ''Rayman'', ''Rayman 2'', '''and''' ''Rayman 3''.
124	* RocketPunch: Well, it's Rayman's standard attack. It isn't used in ''Rayman 2'' or ''Rayman Arena'', but returns from the first game in ''Rayman 3''. Speaking of ''Rayman 3'', there's also an upgrade can that grants a [[HomingProjectile guided missile]] to Rayman to reach unattainable targets to progress in the game.
125	* SentientPhlebotinum: The lums. They're glowing orbs of energy with enough intelligence to float towards you. The {{Backstory}} in ''Rayman 2'' reveals that [[spoiler:they created Polokus by combining their collective thought, and Polokus created the world]].
126	* SlidingScaleOfSillinessVersusSeriousness: Overall, it's closer to the silliness end, but it's also got elements of seriousness in it — especially in ''Rayman 2''.
127	* SlippySlideyIceWorld: One part of a Blue Mountains level in ''Rayman'' features slippery rocks slicked over with icy snow, part of "The Sanctuary of Water and Ice" in ''Rayman 2'', and "The Summit Beyond the Clouds" in ''Rayman 3'' is completely covered by snow and ice.
128	** Band Land from ''Rayman'' has slippy, slidey ''musical staff bars''. Later on, Picture City features a few slippy, slidey [[ItMakesSenseInContext erasers covered in ink]].
129	* SoundCodedForYourConvenience: Especially important in the first game, where a very short, specific sound indicates that you triggered something to appear. It's also possible to recognize what kind of enemy is just off-screen with this, since some of them make specific sounds when they idle or initiate an attack, like the hunters and zooming antitoons. And in ''Rayman 3'', different types of hoodlums have varying voice files that you can learn to instantly differentiate between the different types without looking at the hoodlum themselves too closely.
130	* SphereEyes
131	* SpikesOfDoom: Spikes are a common hazard in the series.
132	* StoppedNumberingSequels: The first and second sequels of the main platform game series are numbered, but from ''Origins'' onward, the games are no longer numbered.
133	* SuperTitle64Advance: ''Rayman Advance'' (The original game on UsefulNotes/GameboyAdvance), ''Rayman DS'' (''Rayman 2'' for... [[Platform/NintendoDS well, you know]]), and ''Rayman 3D'' (actually a second port of ''Rayman 2''... guess which console).
134	* TempleOfDoom: Several levels in all of the games have temple-themed levels. ''Rayman 2'' even focuses on this.
135	%%* TheChosenOne
136	* TownGirls: Betilla the Fairy (Femme), Ly the Fairy (Neither) and Barbara (Butch).
137	* {{Utopia}}: When it's not under some sort of attack, Rayman's world is this.
138	** This is explained in several ways, such as The Great Protoon causing balance and harmony to the world, and all evil dreams (part of the series' [[{{Mythopoeia}} fictional mythology]]) being locked away in The Cave of Bad Dreams.
139	* {{Wackyland}}: The series is ''full'' of this, especially the first game.
140	* WhiteGloves: Rayman has a pair, which show up in almost every instance except his appearances in the Rabbids series (where he wears black fingerless gloves instead) and on some of his skins in ''Legends''.
141	* WombLevel:
142	** The Organic Cave in the GBA version of ''Rayman Raving Rabbids''. The same location was planned to appear in ''[[WhatCouldHaveBeen Rayman 4]]''...
143	** ''Rayman Origins'' has a boss level that takes place inside the stomach of a dragon.
144	* YouHaveResearchedBreathing: Rayman needs to be taught such basic things as how to run (in the original) and how to slap things (in ''Origins'').

Context VideoGame / Rayman