I can’t give you a good excuse why I didn’t play this wonderfully beautiful platformer when it was first released on the Wii. Considering its initial sales numbers, it apparently wasn’t alone, which is a horrible shame, one that will hopefully be rectified over time. Because while it’s not the ultimate platformer born out of the cosmos, Rayman Origins is a smart, fun, well-paced, and absolutely stellar game from Michel Ancel and those lovely folks at Ubisoft Montpellier.

In Rayman Origins, you play as (you guessed it!) Rayman, as you take on nearly a dozen different areas, filled with levels that cover the required range of fire, ice, and water themes, but with a few other interesting ideas thrown in. to make feel very cool again. For example, a chain of levels is related to the theme of music, with piano keys spread across the floor and drum pads launching it into the sky, integrated into the stage as an eye-catcher and part of the design. level smart. .

And intelligent design is. The game is quite simple, at first. Basically, you just run, jump, and stomp bad guys like you’d expect in a typical platformer, but as you progress, you gain powers like the ability to attack, swim, and wall run. Surely nothing revolutionary, but when these powers are combined with some really clever ideas about level design, the gameplay really shines. In fact, if you choose to sprint through a level (and the game even encourages you to try), you start to get the feeling that many levels can be completed without breaking stride, with a perfection in movement that feels a bit such as Sonic the Hedgehog’s speed combined with Contra’s precision and “no margin for error” gameplay. Needless to say, things can get pretty tough.

Of course, they don’t have to be. Playing through this game, with the goal of reaching the finish line, shouldn’t be much of a problem. However, this game wants you, begs you to collect, and that is what its entire framework is based on. I would even go so far as to say that you are not really playing the game as the developers intended, if you choose to go ahead, collecting the bare minimum.

No, what really makes the levels challenging and interesting is collecting lums and finding and releasing hidden electoons (the first and second are the cute collectible creatures in the game). This provides much more satisfaction than just crossing the finish line, as all the things you collect are tallied at the end of each level and fill up a nice medallion respectively, to track your progress. On the world map, you can see which levels you’ve completed medallions on, as well as other milestones (such as gold medals for collecting a demanding amount of lums and trophies for completing time trials). You even receive tangible rewards for your work, like unlocking additional characters to use and additional levels to play, including the true and much more satisfying ending of the game (and a very difficult level to reach). This is one of those games that you want to complete 100% before you put it down.

Visually, Origins is one of the most beautiful games I’ve ever played. It adopts an art style that feels like a cartoon or living painting, and I can see it standing the test of time with its charming and energetic graphics. The music is also well done, but it takes a bit of time to get there. At first the music is underwhelming, but as you progress through the game it takes on importance and becomes less lax and more dramatic. It even begins to frequently feature the lums singing rivetingly, something you have to listen to yourself to really appreciate.

But what would any platform game be without some epic boss fights? Origins has them, but doesn’t get their hands on them until the second half of the adventure. The bosses are huge enemies that really wield the work of the illustrators, and they are creative battles, being as much a test of your wits as your skills. It’s nothing you haven’t experienced before, but it’s a masterclass in how to properly design old-school platforming boss fights. The final boss fight is a complete and utter disappointment, and I’m still completely confused as to how it happened, but the “real” final boss fight, if you unlock it, is surely one of the best boss fights in the game, and eerily hilarious too.

I haven’t played the other versions of Rayman Origins, but this game honestly feels like it was designed for the Vita. It’s perfect on the handheld and one of the best games currently available. But regardless of the system you own, this game is totally worth it and deserves to be played. I was never a real fan of Rayman, often associating his brand more with the Rabbids than anything else, but now I’m a total devotee and champion good old Ray as a solid entry on the short list of best platformers. I don’t think Rayman has reached the platforming heights of Mario and Luigi, he is hot on their heels.