Rayman (series)

Rayman is a platform video game series developed and published by Ubisoft and created by Michel Ancel.

Series description
The original Rayman was a 2D sprite based platformer similar to those of the 16 bit era. Rayman 2: The Great Escape moved the series into 3D, and added more variety to the gameplay with new actions such as riding a rocket, being pulled through a marsh by a snake, and an entire level where Rayman's hair allows him to fly instead of simply hover. Rayman 3: Hoodlum Havoc kept the same core platforming of Rayman 2, but added timed power ups and had a bigger emphasis on combat. The handheld entries in the series have remained similar to the sprite-based original in gameplay in that they are mostly 2D; Rayman DS and Rayman 3D are the only exceptions to this, as both are ports of Rayman 2. Rayman Raving Rabbids, which was at first planned to be a traditional platformer, turned into a mini-game collection late in development after the developers were able to try out the Wii Remote and Nunchuck. Early trailers for the game and early information portray it having a darker atmosphere than is typical of a Rayman game, and show Rayman riding animals including a giant spider. Rayman could alter his appearance, and his dancing style with it, and dance to entrance the Rabbids. Ultimately this idea was scrapped, and replaced with motion based mini-games similar to those in WarioWare: Smooth Moves. Rayman Raving Rabbids was also released on the Xbox 360, PlayStation 2, Nintendo DS, and PC despite being made around the motion-sensing Wii controller, and simply replaced physical actions with traditional button presses and stick movements. Rayman M features Rayman characters racing on foot through platformer like stages and battling in a separate arena mode. There has also been a Rayman educational game, Rayman Junior, which focused less on gameplay and more on learning.

The games in the main series have fairly distinct settings (sometimes described as different realms, etc. within Rayman's home world) and plots. Nonetheless, besides the titular hero, several characters (Globox, Murfy, Ly) and themes (freeing magical beings from cages, collecting magical energy, etc.) do appear with some regularity.

Particularly, the universe featured in the original Rayman has largely been left unvisited in subsequent installments, with the exception of cameos including the famous purple lums, small harmless versions of its boss Moskito, etc. Some elements from the original game (e.g. the hunters called Livingstones, the Magician and Betilla the Fairy) are featured in Rayman Origins.

Connection With All-Stars

 * Rayman is a playable character in Playstation All-Stars Battle Royale.
 * Globox appears as a unlockable minion for Rayman.
 * Murfy appears in Rayman's Story Mode.
 * Ly, Betilla and Teensie are downloadable minions.

Games

 * Rayman - 1995 (PS1)
 * Rayman 2: The Great Escape (Revolution) - 1999 (PS1/PS2)
 * Rayman Junior (Brain Games) - 2000 (PS1)
 * Rayman M (Arena) (Rush) - 2001 (PS1/PS2)
 * Rayman 3: Hoodlum Havoc - 2003 (PS2)
 * Rayman Raving Rabbids - 2006 (PS2)
 * Rayman Origins - 2011 (PS3/PS Vita)
 * Rayman Legends - 2013 (PS3)