REVIEW - RAYMAN ORIGINS

This game has been a pleasant surprise if ever I've had one! Purchased in a Steam sale many moons ago, and never installed due to a lack of hard drive space on my slowly dying laptop, I finally got around to playing this game after receiving a new computer! I purchased this game based almost entirely on Rayman 2: The Great Escape nostalgia so my expectations were not very high. Additionally, my recent, unpleasant experiences with Ubisoft titles (Heroes of Might and Magic VI  featured compulsory participation in their 'UPlay' online community - a terrible requirement for someone with a shaky internet connection) lowered my expectations of this Rayman game. Just seeing Rayman, Globox and the Tweensies in a new platforming adventure was all I was after. Rayman Origins blew these simple expectations out of the water with its beautiful visuals, smooth handling and awesome interactive soundscape. Quirky and fun, with a refreshing sense of humour, this game has been a great surprise. 

Rayman Origins features some excellent throwbacks to previous titles such as the return of the incoherent, gobbledegook language known as 'Raymanian', rescuing fairies who have the ability to grant you new abilities and the friendly mosquito - known in the original Rayman game as 'Bzzit' (it is not specified whether the mosquito in Rayman Origins is Bzzit but he certainly seems to be). Additionally, the pace of the game is really engaging. You are thrown quickly into gameplay - there are no tedious tutorials or video sequences - and this speedy, engaging pace is maintained throughout the first world. This feeling of momentum really makes you feel as though you are part of Rayman's adventure. Excellent level design and the impressive soundscape contribute to keeping the game's pace fast and engaging. Not only is the soundtrack to Rayman Origins incredibly catchy, the soundscape and effects of the game affect the soundtrack. So, as you progress through the level it really feels lively as your every movement is mirrored in sound. The reward system too is really well designed - you never have to undertake the tedious task of finding every Lum in each level in order to complete it. 

There are only two small complaints I could make of this game - if you pressed me to! First, the levels in the first world are (at times) a little too easy, however progression to later worlds sees the difficulty increase. Second, the game is obviously designed to handle better with a controller. The PC controls are serviceable, but playing with a controller definitely makes for a smoother experience.

Above all this game is just good fun. In an age where games design is an exploding, wildly extrapolating industry and new titles are appearing left right and centre thanks to crowdfunding and platforms like Steam Greenlight it is easy to get forget that the point of games is simply to have fun. So many games now are about creation, exploration, problem solving, even the simulation of real world problems. And while I hold interest and appreciation for all these types of games it can be overwhelming. It has been really nice to return to a familiar franchise and experience an honest, unpretentious game that is just great fun.