Like so many of UbiSoft’s long-standing franchises, Rayman has been in a bit of peril for the last several years. Despite worldwide critical acclaim for Rayman Legends and strong fan demand for a brand-new entry, the franchise has been dormant since 2013 outside of spin-offs, many of which focused on the Rabbids and a few that even excluded Rayman himself.
Following some regime changes and company shifts at Ubisoft, it seems as if the company is ready to inject some life back into the series once more, with the opening salvo being Rayman: 30th Anniversary Edition. Bringing together multiple versions of Rayman’s spectacular debut title, this loving tribute to Ubisoft’s legacy is one that was clearly made with respect to the iconic platforming hero’s remarkably passionate fanbase.
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Compilations like this one are tough, however. On the one hand, you have a clear and obvious love for the property that this game leans on heavily. It’s packed with a ton of content, five versions of , and even includes an SNES prototype, as well as some excellent new video interviews with the creators of the franchise.
On the other hand, what you are ultimately getting is five versions of the same game, but each one gets progressively worse. This is doubly disappointing when you consider that the original Rayman is also the least interesting of his original adventures, with later 3D chapters being far more diverse and interesting experiences. What is here is fun, but the unfortunate part is that this 30th anniversary celebration runs out of steam rather quickly, and if you’re expecting something more, it’s best to go in with your expectations tempered.
A Ray of Hope
Rayman: 30th Anniversary Edition collects the charming platforming icon’s first game into one package, presented as five different versions of the same game. What’s on offer is the PS1, Atari Jaguar, MS-DOS, Game Boy Color, and Game Boy Advance versions of Rayman, which sounds pretty good on paper, but doesn’t quite feel as fun in practice.
Aside from graphical differences and some presentation changes in the handheld versions, each game is largely the same. I’ve stood firm that the MS-DOS version of the game is actually the best for years, but it’s still pretty nice having all these versions of the game in one package. There’s actually quite a few fun ones missing, including the Sega Saturn, which was one of the better versions. It’s not a huge deal, but it would have been fun to see.
Unfortunately, each version of the game sees a pretty significant downgrade in terms of visuals and quality. What makes matters worse is blowing up a GBC or GBA game to fit on a 1080p or 4K display looks rather unsightly, a vision that no amount of CRT filters or fun backgrounds can fix. That being said, the handheld games look rather sparkling in handheld mode on the Switch, so that at least remedies some of the issues.
What’s on offer is the PS1, Atari Jaguar, MS-DOS, Game Boy Color, and Game Boy Advance versions of Rayman, which sounds pretty good on paper, but doesn’t quite feel as fun in practice.
Even so, it’s worth pointing out that this level of commitment to the original game is admirable. They don’t try to hide it or pretty it up. The games are presented as they were back in the day, which is always nice to see in these sorts of legacy compilations. The main issue stems from just how similar the games are, a problem that could have been remedied by including more games.
When this edition hit the rumor mill, I don’t think I was alone in potentially assuming this was going to be a collection of Rayman’s first three titles. As it stands, you get one excellent platformer copy-pasted five times. Fatigue will hit you pretty quickly once you start playing the others, but the important part is that the game is preserved for future generations.
Aside from the main game, it also includes a funky little SNES prototype. It’s not terribly involved, and consists of just one room, but that’s exactly the type of game preservation we need to see more of. Finished games are great, but seeing older, unfinished games is such a treat, and I wish more collections would do this.
Talking Heads and a 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 is supremely slick, with outstanding responsiveness. Pausing each game also brings up a nifty menu where you can change the background, CRT filter, and display modes. This is all fairly rudimentary, and a decent CRT filter remains an elusive white whale that the gaming industry can’t seem to conquer, but it’s still good to have the option.
Rayman: 30th Anniversary Edition presents each game as almost part of a museum, giving some background information about each game. It’s a neat bit of presentation that makes each game feel important, even if the act of playing each one subsequently 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 mistreated Rayman has been for years.
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In addition to the presentation of the games themselves, Rayman: 30th Anniversary Edition includes brand-new video interviews with key members of the game’s production. These new interviews don’t give a ton of new information that wasn’t already known, but having these new videos to pore over is still quite fun for Rayman fanatics out there.
There’s still a lot of love and respect for the franchise here, which is a good thing considering how mistreated Rayman has been for years.
This is the type of compilation that ends up being somewhat tricky to judge. It’s hard to recommend fully when a standalone version of the game known as Rayman Forever exists on GOG. Not only that, but a bundle containing that and far better Rayman games can also be had for rather cheap nowadays. That being said, if you’ve never played the original Rayman or are a hardcore fanatic of the series, it’s probably worth picking up.
At a price point of twenty bucks, it’s not terrible value, but considering it’s just one game repeated five times, you may find that a bit steep. Ultimately, as a Rayman fan, I found it to be enjoyable, but somewhat pointless when you consider how many better games there are in the series. If you’ve never experienced it, however, it’s a game well worth playing.
Conversely, I still find myself asking who this particular compilation is for. It’s difficult to recommend paying twenty dollars for some interviews and five versions of the same game, and it’s even more worrisome to say a new fan should drop the cash for one of the weaker Rayman entries. At the end of the day, I’d be hard-pressed to recommend it, as there are not only better Rayman games, there are better bundles that can be found elsewhere.
Rayman: 30th Anniversary Edition brings together five different versions of the classic Ubisoft platformer. The presentation and design of the package is stellar, acting almost like a living museum to celebrate the game’s impeccable legacy. Unfortunately, there isn’t a lot of variety here between each game variation, and it feels like there could have been more time spent on polishing up Rayman 2 and 3 for inclusion. As it stands, Rayman: 30th Anniversary Edition is a great celebration of the first game, but leaves out his most entertaining adventures.
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