Rayman Origins review

Also available on: Xbox 360, Nintendo Wii, Nintendo 3DS, PlayStation Vita
Developer: Ubisoft Montpellier
Publisher: Ubisoft
Genre: Platformer

Rayman Origins is one of the best games we've played this year - there, we've said it. Forget Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim, Batman: Arkham City and the latest Modern Warfare, Rayman Origins is as good, if not better. Originally planned as a scaled down online release to show off the new UbiArt graphics engine, the development team came up with so many ideas that they decided to make it a full-blown retail title. Play it for just a few minutes and you'll be glad that they did.

The storyline is a typically inconsequential affair involving Rayman and his chums waking up the "livid" dead with their snoring. Chaos ensues as the dark creatures descend upon the Glade Of Dreams, kidnapping the Electoons and Nymphs in the process.

As with all great platform games, Rayman must embark on a rescue mission, unlocking new worlds and abilities along the way. Clearly we're not dealing with Othello, but the introduction is an insignificant precursor to the wonderful action that follows.

Before we even begin to talk about the gameplay - which is brilliant, if you hadn't already guessed - we've got to mention the visuals. If ever there was a game that could be described as an interactive cartoon, this is it. The sheer level of detail in every world, level and screen is astounding. The backgrounds and foregrounds are positively brimming with activity, with plant life and creatures constantly sprouting, retracting and reacting to your presence.

And while lush green jungles, snowy mountains and flame-filled caverns aren't particularly original backdrops, everything contained within is well and truly unique. Players will navigate treacherous side-scrolling shooter levels on the back of mosquitoes, bounce from bongo to bongo in didgeridoo-laden desert stages and dodge piping hot beans and other multi-eyed monsters around giant pots of chilli. It's wonderfully animated and perfectly scored - with catchy tunes you'll be whistling for weeks.

As for the gameplay, Rayman Origins starts out as a fairly standard, albeit perfectly paced, run and jump platform game. As Rayman (or whichever easily unlockable character you choose to play as) earns extra abilities, the levels become more complex and challenging, with Rayman forced to hover, run off walls and shrink in size to dodge traps, defeat enemies and discover the multitude of secrets and items.

There are roughly 60 levels in total, the majority of which are extremely challenging. Like the latter stages of Super Mario Bros., or even something more recent like Super Meat Boy, Rayman Origins is tough but fair. Players will almost always know exactly where to go and what to do, but actually having the skill to do it is another matter altogether.

To advance in one level, for example, players must repeatedly activate a lift, all the while dodging tentacles. This may sound easy, but looping around the hazard with your wall-run ability, gliding back to the platform and reactivating the lift before it drops, is a lot harder than it sounds. This is just one minor example in a game absolutely bursting with wonderfully designed platform puzzles.

The best levels don't give players a chance to think, instead forcing them forward in a frantic dash to avoid hordes of bats, homing flames, disappearing platforms and whirring buzz saws. It's a real test of skill, speed and dexterity, three components not necessarily missing from today's games, but certainly not always combined in such a devastatingly entertaining way.

If that wasn't enough, Rayman Origins also features four-player co-operative play, which is as much fun as it sounds. Much like LittleBigPlanet and New Super Mario Bros. Wii, players can have fun smacking each other around and trying to pick up the most goodies, but also combine to reach higher platforms and save each other from certain death.

Perhaps the only criticism that we can level at Rayman Origins is that there's no online multiplayer, but with multiple boss battles, side-scrolling shooting sections, speed runs and chase sequences - not to mention secret characters, costumes and stages to unlock - it's a game with enough variety and potential replayability to keep us entertained.

There really aren't enough superlatives to describe what a joy Rayman Origins is to play. Easily on par with genre giants Super Mario Bros. and Sonic The Hedgehog, Rayman Origins is the perfect marriage of addictive gameplay and excellent level design. Not only does it play great, but the fact that Rayman Origins packs one hell of a challenge and boasts some of the most jaw-droppingly gorgeous visuals we've ever seen, cements its place as the new king of 2D platformers.