The Rayman series is one I hold close to my heart as it has played an integral role in my childhood, and has helped shape my gaming knowledge and interests. The Rayman titles are unique in the way they appeal to both children and adults alike. It takes a truly unique platformer to captivate the minds of such an eclectic target audience. Having played through the Rayman series whilst my gaming experience and knowledge were relatively new, I was intrigued to discover how I would cope with another challenging Rayman title as an adult. It’s time to take a look at this quirky title.

Whilst traversing the opening level, I couldn’t help but notice the intricate detail placed in the environment and characters alike. These picturesque visuals are present throughout Rayman Origins, which creates an extremely dynamic environment in this side-scrolling title. As you progress through a level, upon occasion the terrain and environment may alter to conjure a route for you to traverse. You may find that quite often, two routes are presented. One route may possess a collectible for you to retrieve. The other may be a simpler way to make progress through the level. These routes can sometimes speed up the time it takes for you to reach the end of the level.

Electoons play an integral part within the Rayman Origins experience. The player is required to collect electoons to unlock additional levels and characters that can be used to play the game. Players can earn electoons in numerous ways in Rayman Origins. Electoons are often kept captive within cages at the end of a level. There are usually a handful of enemies protecting this cage. The player simply needs to defeat these enemies, and release the electoons from their cage. Collecting lums throughout the level allows the player to earn electoons. Depending on how many lums are collected within a level, the player is rewarded electoons for your effort.

Skull coins are present in Rayman Origins. When collected, these skull coins are worth twenty five lums. The player may see napping lums in a level. If collected, the value of regular lums is increased. If you collect one lum during this period, it will be the value of two lums. When the player discovers a bulb-o-lum, they have the opportunity to strike it. This will unleash various amounts of lums depending on how much strength used behind the strike. There are secret levels in Rayman Origins, that the player can traverse. As a reward for completing these, you are given a cage of electoons. It’s abundantly clear that the collection of lums and electoons are paramount for you to succeed and make progress in Rayman Origins.

As you unlock items in Rayman Origins, you are able to navigate and utilise these in ‘The Snoring Tree.’ Using the electoons you have earned, you are able to purchase new characters to play with throughout the game. You may also return to The Snoring Tree anytime you wish to change your character. The Glade of Dreams allows you to navigate through the various levels available within Rayman Origins. The player has the ability to retry a level to improve their performance and how many electoons they’ve earned.

Rayman Origins provided an enjoyable yet challenging gaming experience for me. The enemies and unique construction of levels often caused a challenge when attempting to traverse a section. Although Rayman Origins is indeed an extremely fast paced game, there is emphasis on ‘looking before you leap’ before proceeding through a level. Lums are not always in the most obvious places, which presents the opportunity to conjure an idea to retrieve them.

As a game that truly tests your gaming abilities and patience, I thoroughly enjoyed the challenges Rayman Origins presented. The unique level themes and quirky animations kept me enthused and curious to progress. Rayman Origins is a title that I feel has been overlooked with the copious amount of games released during a close time period. Now that the hype over the dominant titles has surpassed, I’m sure you’re looking for a title that you can immerse yourself in? What are you waiting for? Invest in this wondrous addition to a phenomenal series today. Rayman Origins – a truly electoonfying title…

I would like to take the time to thank Ubisoft personally for the opportunity to review such a captivating game. I hope to see many more Rayman games hitting the shelves in the future.

My rating: 8/10

Thanks for reading,

Hannah