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Rayman (character)
Encyclopedia
Rayman is a platform
video game series developed and published by Ubisoft
and created by Michel Ancel
.
kept the same core platforming of Rayman 2: The Great Escape
, 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 2D. Rayman DS, which was a port of Rayman 2, is an exception to that, as is Rayman 3D, also a port 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 got their hands on 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
, despite being made around the motion-sensing Wii controller, and simply replaced physical actions with traditional button presses. Rayman has three racing games (Rayman Arena
, Rayman M and Rayman Rush) that feature Rayman characters racing on foot through platformer like stages, and battling in a separate arena mode. There have also been Rayman educational games, such as Rayman Brain Games
, which focused less on gameplay and more on learning.
In Rayman Origins
, Mr. Dark appears once again, invading the Glade of Dreams with a new army of Darktoons at his disposal. In keeping with the previous games, it is revealed at the end of the game that Mr. Dark is actually a Magician Teensie who had tricked the players into his hideout. The player does not actually battle him, but is required to stop his getaway vehicle. After beating the vehicle, it shatters the power source for the hideout, causing it to explode. It is currently unknown if Mr. Dark survived, or if he'll be in another game.
The Back Story of Rabbids.
Rabbids originated from rabbits that were bred for extensive experimentation for the international space programs to collect the medical knowledge to support human space exploration. Unfortunately the rabbits became rabbid with rabies like symptoms and were transported to the quarantine center. It was there where an unsuspecting janitor was cleaning, that the rabbids reached through the cage and grabbed his plungers, escaping to the space shuttles and began creating havoc throughout the universe.
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 plums, small harmless versions of its boss Moskito, etc. Some elements from the original game (e.g. the hunters called Livingstones, and Betilla the Fairy) will feature in the upcoming Rayman Origins
, although since in the new game these characters (and its world overall) bear some visual differences, and more obviously it features Rayman's friend Globox who first appeared in Rayman 2: The Great Escape
, it is likely to be more of a reboot.
See the following articles for synopses and other information on the main series games:
s, though also includes some platform game
s. The series focus on crazy large rabbits known as Rabbids, who like to cause havoc and mischief and are best known for yelling "BWAAAAAAAH!" whenever they experience adrenaline rushes. Though initially shown as part of the Rayman series of games, the popularity of the characters, aided by various viral videos
and media appearances, led Raving Rabbids to become its own separate franchise, dropping the Rayman name as of 2009's Rabbids Go Home
. In October 2010, Ubisoft and Aardman
announced a partnership to produce a TV series pilot and several shorts based on the franchise. One year later, it was announced that 78 7-minute CG animated episodes will be made solely by Ubisoft Motion Pictures, and broadcasted as 26 half-hour episodes by Nickelodeon
beginning in 2013. The Rabbids have made several appearances in non-Rayman games as well, such as Red Steel
, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Smash-Up, and Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell: Conviction
. The song "Here Comes The Hotstepper" in Just Dance 2 includes a rabbid who attempts to dance with the choreographer. There has also been a Raving Rabbids themed version of the card game Jungle Speed
which was released in France.
described the bunnies as "vicious, but at the same time [...] totally stupid". In a recent video review, project lead Loïc Gounon confirmed the possibility of splitting the Rayman and Rabbid series apart, mentioning that the Rabbids seem to appeal more to younger gamers, due to its slapstick humor and minigames deviating from the Rayman series' more fantasy-oriented gameplay.
The Rabbids from the Raving Rabbids series became massively popular both through the teaser trailers and the game itself. IGN
has stated that the Rabbids have "more personality and charisma than 10 of the most popular video game mascots combined", and that the bunnies have literally "upstaged Rayman
himself". GameSpot
has noted, "The Rabbids themselves are almost exclusively responsible for [selling the game's humor], as they are, without a doubt, hysterical. They're adorably designed, with their dumb stares, high-pitched shrieks, and a penchant for taking comedic bumps." There has been speculation by reviewers that the success of the Rabbid character will probably inspire the developers to create more games of the franchise, possibly even without Rayman. This was first hinted in the launch trailer of the first game, where Rayman, despite being the title character, only appears for a fraction of a second, only to be squashed flat by a couch taken over by the bunnies, and became evident in Rayman Raving Rabbids 2
, in which case Rayman disguises himself as a Rabbid, causing the game to put more emphasis on them than on Rayman himself. This was then proven to be true with the announcement of Rabbids Go Home
.
Before the game's release, the director Jacques Exertier was asked about why Rayman was omitted, Exertier confirmed that after Rabbids Go Home, Rayman WILL return for more action-adventure video games.
And it looks like Exertier was true to his word, because a Rayman-only game was released on March 1, 2010. However, it was only another re-release of Rayman 2 (this time on the iPhone OS
.)
At the end of May 2010, as a result of rumors that Rayman creator Michel Ancel
was leaving Ubisoft and the Beyond Good & Evil 2
project, fellow game designer and close colleague Nicolas Choukroun
posted on Ancel's unofficial Facebook page stating that Ancel had instead moved into another studio to work on a new Rayman game.
The game was revealed as Rayman Origins
at Ubisoft's E3 2010 conference.
Platform game
A platform game is a video game characterized by requiring the player to jump to and from suspended platforms or over obstacles . It must be possible to control these jumps and to fall from platforms or miss jumps...
video game series developed and published by Ubisoft
Ubisoft
Ubisoft Entertainment S.A. is a major French video game publisher and developer, with headquarters in Montreuil, France. The company has a worldwide presence with 25 studios in 17 countries and subsidiaries in 26 countries....
and created by Michel Ancel
Michel Ancel
Michel Ancel is a French video game designer for Ubisoft. He is best known for creating the Rayman franchise for which he was the lead designer for the first two games, and which as of 2008 has sold the most units for the publisher. He is also known for the cult favourite Beyond Good & Evil and...
.
Gameplay
Rayman games are typically platformer games, although spin-offs have had radically different gameplay. The original Rayman was a 2D sprite based platformer similar to those of the 16 bit era. Rayman 2 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 HavocRayman 3: Hoodlum Havoc
Rayman 3: Hoodlum Havoc is the third major platform game installment in the Rayman series. It tells the story of how Rayman stops André, an evil black lum, from taking over the world with his army of sack-like "Hoodlum" soldiers. The game has sarcastic self-referential undertones and pokes fun at...
kept the same core platforming of Rayman 2: The Great Escape
Rayman 2: The Great Escape
Rayman 2: The Great Escape is a platform game and the sequel to Rayman. It was developed by Ubisoft and first released on October 29, 1999. It is considered to have raised standards regarding 3D, level design and game play, being praised by numerous reviews...
, 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 2D. Rayman DS, which was a port of Rayman 2, is an exception to that, as is Rayman 3D, also a port of Rayman 2. Rayman Raving Rabbids
Rayman Raving Rabbids
Rayman Raving Rabbids, known in French as , is a spinoff in the Rayman series released by the French company Ubisoft as a Wii launch title. The game consists of over 70 minigames...
, which was at first planned to be a traditional platformer, turned into a mini-game collection late in development after the developers got their hands on the Wii
Wii
The Wii is a home video game console released by Nintendo on November 19, 2006. As a seventh-generation console, the Wii primarily competes with Microsoft's Xbox 360 and Sony's PlayStation 3. Nintendo states that its console targets a broader demographic than that of the two others...
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
Xbox 360
The Xbox 360 is the second video game console produced by Microsoft and the successor to the Xbox. The Xbox 360 competes with Sony's PlayStation 3 and Nintendo's Wii as part of the seventh generation of video game consoles...
, despite being made around the motion-sensing Wii controller, and simply replaced physical actions with traditional button presses. Rayman has three racing games (Rayman Arena
Rayman Arena
Rayman Arena, titled Rayman M in Europe, is a multiplayer party game developed and published by Ubisoft. It consists of two modes: an arena fighting mode, and a racing mode. It is a 1-4 player game, or you can play with 1 player vs. the computer. There are three levels of difficulty: Beginner, Pro,...
, Rayman M and Rayman Rush) that feature Rayman characters racing on foot through platformer like stages, and battling in a separate arena mode. There have also been Rayman educational games, such as Rayman Brain Games
Rayman Brain Games
Rayman Brain Games is an educational game, released for the Sony PlayStation. It is part of the Rayman series of computer and video games. It is the first Early Childhood rated game developed for the Sony PlayStation, since Play with the Teletubbies.-Plot:...
, which focused less on gameplay and more on learning.
Characters
- RaymanRayman (character)Rayman is a platform video game series developed and published by Ubisoft and created by Michel Ancel.-Gameplay:Rayman games are typically platformer games, although spin-offs have had radically different gameplay. The original Rayman was a 2D sprite based platformer similar to those of the 16 bit...
is the main protagonist of the series. He has no arms, legs, or neck, though he has hands, feet, and a head that are able to move independently from his body. Rayman is able to launch long range punches at his enemies, and in some games, eject lums from his gloves. He has the ability to use his hair to glide and float by spinning it at a rapid speed. He is typically found wearing white gloves, a red neckerchief on a purple shirt and a white ring on the chest, (which was replaced with a red and purple hoodie), and he wears yellow trainers. He is voiced by David GasmanDavid GasmanDavid Gasman is an actor, director and translator who also directs dubbing of films, cartoons, video games and documentaries. He has appeared in many popular cartoons and video games, such as Rayman and Code Lyoko...
and Steve Perkinson in the video games, and by Billy WestBilly WestWilliam Richard "Billy" West is an American voice actor. Born in Detroit but raised in the Roslindale neighborhood of Boston, Massachusetts, Billy launched his career in the early 1980s performing daily comedic routines on Boston's WBCN. He left the radio station to work on the short-lived revival...
in the animated series. He was awarded the Best New Character award of 1995 by Electronic Gaming MonthlyElectronic Gaming MonthlyElectronic Gaming Monthly is a bimonthly American video game magazine. It has been published by EGM Media, LLC. since relaunching in April of 2010. Its previous run, which ended in January 2009, was published by Ziff Davis...
.
- Globox is a gentle, sensitive glute, who acts as Rayman's sidekick. He is very cowardly, fleeing at the sight of any enemies, leaving Rayman alone to fight them. Globox's magic power is the ability to create a small cloud that rains over fire and machinery after performing a rain dance. He is shown to be allergic to plum juice, which has alcoholic effects on him. In Rayman 3, he is voiced by John LeguizamoJohn LeguizamoJonathan Alberto "John" Leguizamo is an Colombian-American actor, producer, voice artist, and comedian.-Early life:...
.
- Betilla the Fairy is a fairy who helps Rayman throughout the first game by granting him several powers. Mister Dark kidnaps her to stop this, but she is rescued once Rayman chases Mister Dark off. She appeared in the first game and will reappear in Rayman OriginsRayman OriginsRayman Origins is a platform game developed and published by Ubisoft for PlayStation 3, Wii, Xbox 360, Nintendo 3DS and PlayStation Vita. The game was released on November 15, 2011 in North America, November 24, 2011 in Australia and November 25, 2011 in Europe for PlayStation 3, Xbox 360 and Wii....
where it is revealed she was the one who created Rayman.
- Ly the Fairy is a fairy made by the godlike Polokus to help Rayman. She appears as a weak and serious character, but despite this, she's actually potentially dangerous if she has to be, though is an energetic, loving and playful character and hardly loses her patience. She likes activity and experimenting with magic. She is voiced by Kim Michelle Broderick.
- Murfy serves as a guide to Rayman. He has a really hasty nature unable to deal with failure. He appears bored with his job and can't be bothered with trivial details. His race is depicted as mischievous and described as "cultivated hedonists". He is voiced by Billy West.
- The Teensies are a race of small Cyan skin colored creatures with elongated noses and beady black eyes. They exist in many forms and most of them have magical powers. Their purpose is to unveil all the roads in the world. They are led by Grand Minimus, who acts as caretaker of the Heart of the World, the Grand Minimus is the greatest little king of them all.
- Tarayzan, the Musician and Joe are three friends of Rayman's who find themselves in different predicaments thanks to Mister Dark's doing and each give Rayman a temporary power in return for his help.
- Mister Dark is Rayman's first enemy and the main villain in Rayman. Little is known about him, except that he is an incredibly talented yet evil sorcerer. After stealing the Great Protoon and imprisoning all the Electoons, Mr. Dark hides away in his lair, at the Candy Chateau, high above the Cave Of Skops. Once Rayman meets him, instead of him fighting directly, Mr. Dark flees the scene and sets fused versions of his main Henchmen upon Rayman. Ever since fleeing the scene, he has not appeared again in the series canon and his location and even existence remain unanswered. Throughout the game, he leads the evil Darktoons:
- Moskito is a gigantic mosquito and the boss of the Dream Forest. Though Rayman kills him, Moskito's son, Bzzit, becomes Rayman's friend and cameos in the PS2 version of Rayman 2.
- Mister Sax is a giant saxophone and the boss of Band Land.
- Mister Stone is a behemoth made of stone and the boss of the Blue Mountains
- Space Mama is an overweight warrior-actress and the boss of Picture City
- Mister Skops is a giant scorpion and the boss of the Caves of Skops
In Rayman Origins
Rayman Origins
Rayman Origins is a platform game developed and published by Ubisoft for PlayStation 3, Wii, Xbox 360, Nintendo 3DS and PlayStation Vita. The game was released on November 15, 2011 in North America, November 24, 2011 in Australia and November 25, 2011 in Europe for PlayStation 3, Xbox 360 and Wii....
, Mr. Dark appears once again, invading the Glade of Dreams with a new army of Darktoons at his disposal. In keeping with the previous games, it is revealed at the end of the game that Mr. Dark is actually a Magician Teensie who had tricked the players into his hideout. The player does not actually battle him, but is required to stop his getaway vehicle. After beating the vehicle, it shatters the power source for the hideout, causing it to explode. It is currently unknown if Mr. Dark survived, or if he'll be in another game.
- Admiral Razorbeard is Rayman's second enemy, the main villain in Rayman 2 and the Game Boy Advance version of Rayman 3. He commands a force of Robo-Pirates and ships that plague over Rayman's World. He rules from a gigantic ship, known as the Buccaneer. Razorbeard is infamous for his attacks that have left over 100 peaceful planets to cosmic dust, making him a vicious and cruel mass murderer. His personality is mainly similar to a power-hungry dictator, a cruel and a sadistic villain. Razorbeard is also extremely frustrated and he has a short fuse, as he throws minor temper tantrums whenever one of his henchmen came to tell him bad news. Unlike Mr. Dark, Razorbeard fights Rayman at the game's climax, but after being beaten by Rayman, he flees the scene. In Rayman 2, he is voiced by Ken Starcevic.
- Andre is a maniacal dark lum and the main villain in Rayman 3 and Rayman: Hoodlum's Revenge. Globox has a strange fondness of him. He is transformed from a red lum into a dark lum when Rayman's hands scare him with shadow puppets. At the beginning of the game, Globox accidentally swallows him, and the Teensies tell Rayman to take Globox to a doctor to get him out. After visiting three different doctors, Andre finds Reflux and makes a deal with him: that if he steals King Gumsi's sceptre, he will give him the opportunity to kill Rayman. At the end of the game, Reflux is defeated and Rayman turns Andre back into a red lum. He is voiced by Ken Starcevic.
- Reflux is a Knaaren, a race of invincible, ruthless warriors who cannot stand sunlight, who gives up his invincibility while stealing the scepter from the Leptys. He is voiced by Ziggy MarleyZiggy MarleyDavid "Ziggy" Marley is a Jamaican musician and leader of the band Ziggy Marley and the Melody Makers. He is the oldest son of famed reggae musician Bob Marley...
.
- Rabbids are the titular characters of the Raving Rabbids series of games. They are large absent-minded rabbits who love to cause havoc and dress up in weird costumes. Their most notable aspect is their habit of yelling loudly whenever they get overly excited. They first appeared in Rayman: Raving Rabbids where they kidnapped Rayman and forced him to participate in various games for their amusement.
The Back Story of Rabbids.
Rabbids originated from rabbits that were bred for extensive experimentation for the international space programs to collect the medical knowledge to support human space exploration. Unfortunately the rabbits became rabbid with rabies like symptoms and were transported to the quarantine center. It was there where an unsuspecting janitor was cleaning, that the rabbids reached through the cage and grabbed his plungers, escaping to the space shuttles and began creating havoc throughout the universe.
Main series
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 plums, small harmless versions of its boss Moskito, etc. Some elements from the original game (e.g. the hunters called Livingstones, and Betilla the Fairy) will feature in the upcoming Rayman Origins
Rayman Origins
Rayman Origins is a platform game developed and published by Ubisoft for PlayStation 3, Wii, Xbox 360, Nintendo 3DS and PlayStation Vita. The game was released on November 15, 2011 in North America, November 24, 2011 in Australia and November 25, 2011 in Europe for PlayStation 3, Xbox 360 and Wii....
, although since in the new game these characters (and its world overall) bear some visual differences, and more obviously it features Rayman's friend Globox who first appeared in Rayman 2: The Great Escape
Rayman 2: The Great Escape
Rayman 2: The Great Escape is a platform game and the sequel to Rayman. It was developed by Ubisoft and first released on October 29, 1999. It is considered to have raised standards regarding 3D, level design and game play, being praised by numerous reviews...
, it is likely to be more of a reboot.
See the following articles for synopses and other information on the main series games:
- Rayman
- Rayman 2: The Great EscapeRayman 2: The Great EscapeRayman 2: The Great Escape is a platform game and the sequel to Rayman. It was developed by Ubisoft and first released on October 29, 1999. It is considered to have raised standards regarding 3D, level design and game play, being praised by numerous reviews...
- Rayman 3: Hoodlum HavocRayman 3: Hoodlum HavocRayman 3: Hoodlum Havoc is the third major platform game installment in the Rayman series. It tells the story of how Rayman stops André, an evil black lum, from taking over the world with his army of sack-like "Hoodlum" soldiers. The game has sarcastic self-referential undertones and pokes fun at...
- Rayman: Hoodlums' RevengeRayman: Hoodlums' RevengeRayman: Hoodlums' Revenge is a game that was released exclusively for the Game Boy Advance in early 2005. It takes place shortly after the events of Rayman 3: Hoodlum Havoc and, like its predecessor, pokes fun at the platformer video game genre...
- Rayman OriginsRayman OriginsRayman Origins is a platform game developed and published by Ubisoft for PlayStation 3, Wii, Xbox 360, Nintendo 3DS and PlayStation Vita. The game was released on November 15, 2011 in North America, November 24, 2011 in Australia and November 25, 2011 in Europe for PlayStation 3, Xbox 360 and Wii....
Spin-off series
- Rayman JuniorRayman JuniorRayman Junior is an educational platform game, developed by Ubisoft, with contributions from schoolteachers for the PlayStation and PC. Rayman Junior supports educational levels 1 - 6, 1 being easiest and 6 being hardest. Each level is sold separately...
- Rayman Brain GamesRayman Brain GamesRayman Brain Games is an educational game, released for the Sony PlayStation. It is part of the Rayman series of computer and video games. It is the first Early Childhood rated game developed for the Sony PlayStation, since Play with the Teletubbies.-Plot:...
- Rayman ArenaRayman ArenaRayman Arena, titled Rayman M in Europe, is a multiplayer party game developed and published by Ubisoft. It consists of two modes: an arena fighting mode, and a racing mode. It is a 1-4 player game, or you can play with 1 player vs. the computer. There are three levels of difficulty: Beginner, Pro,...
- Rayman GolfRayman GolfRayman Golf is a golf spin-off of the Rayman series developed by Gameloft for the mobile phone. The game features an 18-hole golf course with 13 different clubs that the player can choose from...
Raving Rabbids
The Raving Rabbid series, known in France as The Lapins Crétins, is a spinoff series of Rayman which consists mainly of party gameParty game
Party games are games that some people play as forms of entertainment at social gatherings. Party games usually involve more than one player. There are a large number and styles of party games available and the one selected will depend on the atmosphere that is sought to be generated...
s, though also includes some platform game
Platform game
A platform game is a video game characterized by requiring the player to jump to and from suspended platforms or over obstacles . It must be possible to control these jumps and to fall from platforms or miss jumps...
s. The series focus on crazy large rabbits known as Rabbids, who like to cause havoc and mischief and are best known for yelling "BWAAAAAAAH!" whenever they experience adrenaline rushes. Though initially shown as part of the Rayman series of games, the popularity of the characters, aided by various viral videos
Viral marketing
Viral marketing, viral advertising, or marketing buzz are buzzwords referring to marketing techniques that use pre-existing social networks to produce increases in brand awareness or to achieve other marketing objectives through self-replicating viral processes, analogous to the spread of viruses...
and media appearances, led Raving Rabbids to become its own separate franchise, dropping the Rayman name as of 2009's Rabbids Go Home
Rabbids Go Home
Rabbids Go Home, known in France as Les Lapins Crétins : La Grosse Aventure , is a "comedy-adventure" video game developed by Ubisoft Montpellier and published by Ubisoft for the Wii and Nintendo DS. The game was released in North America on November 1, 2009, in Australia on November 5, 2009 and...
. In October 2010, Ubisoft and Aardman
Aardman Animations
Aardman Animations, Ltd., also known as Aardman Studios, or simply as Aardman, is a British animation studio based in Bristol, United Kingdom. The studio is known for films made using stop-motion clay animation techniques, particularly those featuring Plasticine characters Wallace and Gromit...
announced a partnership to produce a TV series pilot and several shorts based on the franchise. One year later, it was announced that 78 7-minute CG animated episodes will be made solely by Ubisoft Motion Pictures, and broadcasted as 26 half-hour episodes by Nickelodeon
Nickelodeon
Nickelodeon is a US cable TV channel.Nickelodeon may also refer to:-In television:*Spinoffs of the Nickelodeon channel:** Nickelodeon Magazine, a children's magazine.** Nickelodeon Universe, an amusement park....
beginning in 2013. The Rabbids have made several appearances in non-Rayman games as well, such as Red Steel
Red Steel
Red Steel is a first person shooter video game published by Ubisoft for Nintendo's Wii console. It was developed by the Ubisoft Paris studio and was unveiled in the May 2006 issue of Game Informer. It was released on November 19, 2006 in North America, the date of the first Wii launch...
, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Smash-Up, and Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell: Conviction
Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell: Conviction
Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell: Conviction is an action-adventure stealth game, developed by Ubisoft Montreal. Key members of the Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six: Vegas team, such as creative director Maxime Béland, also worked on the game...
. The song "Here Comes The Hotstepper" in Just Dance 2 includes a rabbid who attempts to dance with the choreographer. There has also been a Raving Rabbids themed version of the card game Jungle Speed
Jungle Speed
Jungle Speed is a card game created by Thomas Vuarchex and Pierric Yakovenko in 1991. First self-published and now published by Asmodee Editions, it is played with non-standard playing cards...
which was released in France.
- Rayman Raving RabbidsRayman Raving RabbidsRayman Raving Rabbids, known in French as , is a spinoff in the Rayman series released by the French company Ubisoft as a Wii launch title. The game consists of over 70 minigames...
- Rayman Raving Rabbids 2Rayman Raving Rabbids 2Rayman Raving Rabbids 2 is the second installment of the Rayman Raving Rabbids party franchise, in which the Rabbids attempt to invade Earth and have set up headquarters near a local shopping mall. Players have the option to play as a Rabbid or as Rayman, who has disguised himself as a Rabbid to...
- Rayman Raving Rabbids TV PartyRayman Raving Rabbids TV PartyRayman Raving Rabbids TV Party, known in French as Rayman Prod' présente : The Lapins Crétins Show and during development as Rayman Raving Rabbids 3, is a video game developed by Ubisoft and is the third installment in the Rayman Raving Rabbids series. A teaser trailer was released on April 29, 2008...
- Rabbids Go HomeRabbids Go HomeRabbids Go Home, known in France as Les Lapins Crétins : La Grosse Aventure , is a "comedy-adventure" video game developed by Ubisoft Montpellier and published by Ubisoft for the Wii and Nintendo DS. The game was released in North America on November 1, 2009, in Australia on November 5, 2009 and...
- Raving Rabbids: Travel in TimeRaving Rabbids: Travel in TimeRaving Rabbids: Travel in Time, known as The Lapins Cretins: Retour Vers Le Passé in France, is a party video game developed and published by Ubisoft for the Wii. It was released in North America on November 21, 2010, in Europe on November 26, 2010, in Australia on November 25, 2010 and in...
- Rabbids 3D
- Raving Rabbids: Alive & KickingRaving Rabbids: Alive & KickingRaving Rabbids: Alive & Kicking is a video game which was released by publisher and developer Ubisoft on November 1, 2011 in North America and in Europe and November 3, 2011 in Australia for the Xbox 360 video game platform. The game is from the Raving Rabbids franchise, a spin-off of the Rayman...
Development of Rayman 4
The earliest Rayman 4 trailers depicted menacing and zombie-like rabbits, simply appearing from underground with a blank stare in various shapes and forms, smaller eyes and furry. At this point, trailers showed the game as an adventure game with fight stages, where Rayman would need to punch and kick himself kung fu style through a horde of zombie-bunnies. As the game concept evolved, from one of a central objective to minigames, and viral videos were created, the rabbits slowly evolved into the Rabbid figures, which were much more conscious and amusing, changing from merely being enemies to fight through into more memorable characters with various traits and quirks. Rayman creator Michel AncelMichel Ancel
Michel Ancel is a French video game designer for Ubisoft. He is best known for creating the Rayman franchise for which he was the lead designer for the first two games, and which as of 2008 has sold the most units for the publisher. He is also known for the cult favourite Beyond Good & Evil and...
described the bunnies as "vicious, but at the same time [...] totally stupid". In a recent video review, project lead Loïc Gounon confirmed the possibility of splitting the Rayman and Rabbid series apart, mentioning that the Rabbids seem to appeal more to younger gamers, due to its slapstick humor and minigames deviating from the Rayman series' more fantasy-oriented gameplay.
Reception
Since his debut in 1995 on the Atari Jaguar, Sega Saturn, PlayStation and PC Rayman has become a popular and recognizable video game character over the past decade, along with his trademark lack of limbs and Helicopter power, having appeared in several titles up for many platforms until the present day. Since the first game's release in 1995, the Rayman games have become highly successful and popular with many fans.The Rabbids from the Raving Rabbids series became massively popular both through the teaser trailers and the game itself. IGN
IGN
IGN is an entertainment website that focuses on video games, films, music and other media. IGN's main website comprises several specialty sites or "channels", each occupying a subdomain and covering a specific area of entertainment...
has stated that the Rabbids have "more personality and charisma than 10 of the most popular video game mascots combined", and that the bunnies have literally "upstaged Rayman
Rayman (character)
Rayman is a platform video game series developed and published by Ubisoft and created by Michel Ancel.-Gameplay:Rayman games are typically platformer games, although spin-offs have had radically different gameplay. The original Rayman was a 2D sprite based platformer similar to those of the 16 bit...
himself". GameSpot
GameSpot
GameSpot is a video gaming website that provides news, reviews, previews, downloads, and other information. The site was launched in May 1, 1996 by Pete Deemer, Vince Broady and Jon Epstein. It was purchased by ZDNet, a brand which was later purchased by CNET Networks. CBS Interactive, which...
has noted, "The Rabbids themselves are almost exclusively responsible for [selling the game's humor], as they are, without a doubt, hysterical. They're adorably designed, with their dumb stares, high-pitched shrieks, and a penchant for taking comedic bumps." There has been speculation by reviewers that the success of the Rabbid character will probably inspire the developers to create more games of the franchise, possibly even without Rayman. This was first hinted in the launch trailer of the first game, where Rayman, despite being the title character, only appears for a fraction of a second, only to be squashed flat by a couch taken over by the bunnies, and became evident in Rayman Raving Rabbids 2
Rayman Raving Rabbids 2
Rayman Raving Rabbids 2 is the second installment of the Rayman Raving Rabbids party franchise, in which the Rabbids attempt to invade Earth and have set up headquarters near a local shopping mall. Players have the option to play as a Rabbid or as Rayman, who has disguised himself as a Rabbid to...
, in which case Rayman disguises himself as a Rabbid, causing the game to put more emphasis on them than on Rayman himself. This was then proven to be true with the announcement of Rabbids Go Home
Rabbids Go Home
Rabbids Go Home, known in France as Les Lapins Crétins : La Grosse Aventure , is a "comedy-adventure" video game developed by Ubisoft Montpellier and published by Ubisoft for the Wii and Nintendo DS. The game was released in North America on November 1, 2009, in Australia on November 5, 2009 and...
.
Before the game's release, the director Jacques Exertier was asked about why Rayman was omitted, Exertier confirmed that after Rabbids Go Home, Rayman WILL return for more action-adventure video games.
And it looks like Exertier was true to his word, because a Rayman-only game was released on March 1, 2010. However, it was only another re-release of Rayman 2 (this time on the iPhone OS
IPhone OS
iOS is Apple's mobile operating system. Originally developed for the iPhone, it has since been extended to support other Apple, Inc. devices such as the iPod Touch, iPad, and Apple TV. Apple, Inc. does not license iOS for installation on third-party hardware...
.)
At the end of May 2010, as a result of rumors that Rayman creator Michel Ancel
Michel Ancel
Michel Ancel is a French video game designer for Ubisoft. He is best known for creating the Rayman franchise for which he was the lead designer for the first two games, and which as of 2008 has sold the most units for the publisher. He is also known for the cult favourite Beyond Good & Evil and...
was leaving Ubisoft and the Beyond Good & Evil 2
Beyond Good & Evil 2
Beyond Good & Evil 2 , or BG&E2, is the sequel to the 2003 video game Beyond Good & Evil, currently in development by Ubisoft Montpellier and published by Ubisoft. Michel Ancel, the creator of the original game, is back as lead designer of the sequel...
project, fellow game designer and close colleague Nicolas Choukroun
Nicolas Choukroun
Nicolas Choukroun is a French multimedia author with multiple talents that encompass video games, music, professional audio, video and the internet.- His career in the video game industry :...
posted on Ancel's unofficial Facebook page stating that Ancel had instead moved into another studio to work on a new Rayman game.
The game was revealed as Rayman Origins
Rayman Origins
Rayman Origins is a platform game developed and published by Ubisoft for PlayStation 3, Wii, Xbox 360, Nintendo 3DS and PlayStation Vita. The game was released on November 15, 2011 in North America, November 24, 2011 in Australia and November 25, 2011 in Europe for PlayStation 3, Xbox 360 and Wii....
at Ubisoft's E3 2010 conference.