Like many of UbiSoft’s classic franchises, Rayman has been in a bit of a tailspin for the past few years. Despite worldwide critical acclaim for Rayman Legends and strong fan demand for a new entry, the franchise has been inactive since 2013 without spin-offs, most of which focused on Rabbids and a few even spawned Rayman himself.
Following some regime changes and a change of company at Ubisoft, it seems that the company is ready to inject some life into the series again, the first salvo being Rayman: 30th Anniversary Edition. Bringing together multiple versions of Rayman’s iconic original title, this undead love affair with Ubisoft is one clearly made for the iconic platformer’s fan base.
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It’s time to celebrate Rayman’s 30th anniversary.
A merger like this is difficult, however. On the other hand, he has a clear and obvious love for the material that this game relies on so much. It’s packed with a ton of content, five versions of, and includes a SNES prototype, as well as some great new video interviews with the creators of the franchise.
On the other hand, what you end up with are five versions of the same game, but each one gets worse. This is doubly disappointing when you consider that the original Rayman was also not that interesting in his first arrival, and the latest 3D chapters have a very different and interesting experience. What’s here is exciting, but the sad part is that this 30th anniversary celebration is quickly losing steam, and if you’re expecting something more, you better go in expecting something.
Ray of Hope
Rayman: 30th Anniversary Edition collects the first game of the beloved platform icon into one package, presented as five different versions of the same game. On offer are the PS1, Atari Jaguar, MS-DOS, Game Boy Color, and Game Boy Advance versions of Rayman, which sound great on paper, but don’t sound like much to practice.
Aside from some graphical differences and some presentation changes in the handheld versions, each game is pretty much the same. I’ve been adamant that the MS-DOS version of the game is actually the best for years, but it’s still pretty cool to have all these versions of the game in one package. There are actually quite a few fun ones missing, including the Sega Saturn, which was one of the better versions. It’s not a big deal, but it would have been nice to see.
Unfortunately, each version of the game sees a significant drop in terms of visuals and quality. To make matters worse, blowing up a GBC or GBA game to fit on a 1080p or 4K display looks awkward, an impression that no amount of CRT filters or funky backgrounds can fix. That said, handheld games seem to shine in handheld mode on the Switch, so that at least fixes some of the issues.
On offer are the PS1, Atari Jaguar, MS-DOS, Game Boy Color, and Game Boy Advance versions of Rayman, which sound great on paper, but don’t sound like much to practice.
However, we must point out that this level of commitment in the first game is admirable. They don’t try to hide it or put it off. The games are presented as they were, which is always nice to see in these types of legacy collections. The biggest problem stems from how similar these games are, a problem that could be solved by adding more games.
When this show hit the rumor mill, I don’t think I was alone in thinking that this would be a collection of the first three Rayman titles. As it stands, you get one very good copy of the platform attached five times. Fatigue will hit you quickly when you start playing others, but the important thing is that the game is preserved for future generations.
Besides the main game, it also includes a fun little SNES prototype. It’s not terribly involved, and it only has one room, but that’s exactly the kind of gameplay we need to see more of. Finished games are great, but seeing older, unfinished games is fun, and I wish more collections could do this.
Talking Heads and Curated Museum
As far as its presentation goes, Rayman: 30th Anniversary Edition absolutely knocks it out of the park. Menu transitions and loading between games are very smooth, with outstanding responsiveness. Setting up each game also brings up a nice menu where you can change the background, CRT filter, and display modes. It’s all a bit of a mess, and a decent CRT filter remains the white whale that the gaming industry can’t seem to overcome, but it’s still nice to have an option.
Rayman: 30th Anniversary Edition presents each game almost like part of a museum, giving some background information about each game. It’s a clean presentation that makes each game feel important, even if the act of playing each one afterwards can leave a lot to be desired. There’s a lot of love and respect for the franchise here, which is a good thing considering how badly Rayman has been treated over the years.
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In addition to the presentation of the games themselves, Rayman: 30th Anniversary Edition includes new video interviews with key members of the game’s production. These new interviews don’t offer a ton of new information that was previously unknown, but having these new videos to watch is still pretty cool for the Rayman fans out there.
There’s still a lot of love and respect for the franchise here, which is a good thing considering how badly Rayman has mishandled it over the years.
This is the type of integration that ends up being somewhat tricky. It’s hard to fully recommend if the standalone version of the game known as Rayman Forever exists on GOG. Not only that, but bundles containing those and Rayman’s best games can also be found cheaply these days. That being said, if you’ve never played the original Rayman or are a die-hard fan of the series, you’d be well advised to pick it up.
For the price of twenty bucks, it’s not a bad price, but when you consider that it’s just one game played five times, you might find it steep. Ultimately, as a Rayman fan, I found it enjoyable, but somewhat pointless when you consider how many better games there are in the series. If you’ve never experienced it, though, it’s a game worth playing.
On the other hand, I still find myself asking who this compilation is for. It’s hard to recommend paying twenty dollars for five different versions and versions of the same game, and it’s even more troubling to say that a new fan should drop cash on one of Rayman’s weakest entries. At the end of the day, I’d be hard pressed to recommend it, as not only are there better Rayman games, there are loads better to be found elsewhere.
Rayman: 30th Anniversary Edition brings together five different versions of Ubisoft’s classic platformer. The presentation and package design is amazing, it’s almost like a living museum to celebrate the game’s great legacy. Unfortunately, there isn’t a lot of variety here between the variations of each game, and it feels like a lot of time was spent polishing Rayman 2 and 3 for inclusion. As it is, Rayman: 30th Anniversary Edition is a great celebration of the original game, but it leaves out its most exciting adventures.
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