|
|
|
RAYMAN 2: THE GREAT ESCAPE (DC)
|
Publisher: Ubi Soft.
Developer: Ubi Pictures. Released: March 2000. Genre: 3D Platformer. Other versions: PS2; PS; N64; PC. Posted 11th March 2025. By Shane Battams © 2025 |
|
After the PlayStation version proved a huge success for Ubi Soft in 1995, a Rayman sequel seemed inevitable, and would finally arrive around the turn of the millennium. While it would start life as a 2D platformer like its predecessor, development would shift to see Rayman 2 making the jump to a full 3D adventure to match contemporaries of the time. This can always be a tricky endeavour, but luckily for the armless hero, The Great Escape would prove one of the strongest platformers of its generation. Airtight controls, inventive levels and a fantastic presentation puts The Great Escape near the top of the platforming pile.
Rayman 2 centres around the invasion of the Glade of Dreams by Admiral Razorbeard and his fleet of robotic pirates. A fierce battle between the heroes and the pirates causes the explosion of the Primordial Core and the scattering of lums, plunging the world into darkness and stripping Rayman of his powers. His capture appears to leave the world doomed, but following his escape, Rayman begins the task of freeing his allies and collecting the 1000 lums spread across the world. This takes the form of eighteen platforming levels each housing lums and cages to smash with captured allies. There’s a fair amount of story scenes between levels, which is charming for several reasons. Rayman makes for a likeable hero: a bit of a goofball, yet unwavering in his mission. Side characters are funny, such as the Teensies arguing over who is king. Despite contrasting a darker thread with cartoony stylings, the game gels rather well.
Rayman 2 is a perfect example of how to make a sequel. It's beautiful, creative and lots of fun to play
Where Rayman 2 really excels is in its gameplay. Despite making the tricky leap to three dimensions, the platforming is ace. Rayman handles really well, moving gracefully and boasting responsive controls that make jumps easy to pull off. There’s a fun momentum too, as a little roll after landing allows you to chain leaps with ease. The camera works well for the most part, with spacious levels allowing you to rotate the view with little trouble and the transition to more cinematic views is seamless. Rayman’s moveset is small but mighty, allowing players to attack with a punch shot and use a helicopter glide to hover. He gains further moves as you progress, including charge attacks for more damage. Even combat works well, as Rayman can lock onto foes and strafe using one of the triggers, though admittedly, invincibility frames can sometimes drag out battles with tougher foes. On the whole, however, the gameplay here is excellent.
Smart improvements often define great sequels, and this is certainly the case with The Great Escape. The first game caught some flack for being very difficult at points, but the curve here is a lot smoother, without the experience ever feeling too easy. The early going gradually eases the player into more moves and abilities, and later stages offer more complexity and hazards to avoid with these gained powers. There’s also some insane variety to this one, as along with more traditional platforming stages, there’s also a bevvy of unique action levels. Riding on the back of a snake like a water-ski, taming a bullet and riding the back of it and igniting barrels to fly like a rocket keep you guessing what is coming next and prove mostly great fun. Some instances do cause slight frustration, with instant-death hazards seeing you repeatedly sent back, but Rayman 2 foregoes a lives system in favour of a more forgiving checkpoint setup, which sees you back at the start of an area, should the hero lose all his health. It makes this platformer accessible to newer players while keeping a dose of that challenge for the more hardcore gamer.
Smart improvements often define great sequels, and this is certainly the case with The Great Escape. The first game caught some flack for being very difficult at points, but the curve here is a lot smoother, without the experience ever feeling too easy. The early going gradually eases the player into more moves and abilities, and later stages offer more complexity and hazards to avoid with these gained powers. There’s also some insane variety to this one, as along with more traditional platforming stages, there’s also a bevvy of unique action levels. Riding on the back of a snake like a water-ski, taming a bullet and riding the back of it and igniting barrels to fly like a rocket keep you guessing what is coming next and prove mostly great fun. Some instances do cause slight frustration, with instant-death hazards seeing you repeatedly sent back, but Rayman 2 foregoes a lives system in favour of a more forgiving checkpoint setup, which sees you back at the start of an area, should the hero lose all his health. It makes this platformer accessible to newer players while keeping a dose of that challenge for the more hardcore gamer.
|
|
After launching in late 1999 on PC and Nintendo 64, Rayman 2 would see a Dreamcast release a few months later. Michel Ancel, the game’s director, would say this is the definitive version, and it’s easy to see why. Sharp textures create a bright, colourful landscape to explore. Performance is mostly smooth with a bump up to 60fps, and it only makes the controls even tighter. There are certainly still some rougher edges from prior versions with a few character models and cut-scenes looking less flattering, but on the whole, this is a beautiful game with a distinct art style. The varied levels range from darker swamps to ancient temples, cutesy good guys contrast with cold robot pirates and a diverse range of motifs including more mystic characters gels well with the above. The sound remains a delight, with a quality soundtrack that balances dramatic scores, songs which induce wonder and more comedic tracks. The sound effects are high quality, while the voice work employs a charming gibberish.
There’s a lot to seek out in The Great Escape, too. Its eighteen levels house eighty cages and 1000 lums, some of which aren’t too hard to find, while others demand a thorough search. It’ll take about eight hours to finish the game, and a few more to get the coveted 100%. It’s not super-long in fairness, but it never feels bloated as a consequence. Earning 100% in a level rewards a bonus race, which requires tough button mashing to win, especially towards the latter end of the game.
There’s a lot to seek out in The Great Escape, too. Its eighteen levels house eighty cages and 1000 lums, some of which aren’t too hard to find, while others demand a thorough search. It’ll take about eight hours to finish the game, and a few more to get the coveted 100%. It’s not super-long in fairness, but it never feels bloated as a consequence. Earning 100% in a level rewards a bonus race, which requires tough button mashing to win, especially towards the latter end of the game.
|
|
Rayman 2: The Great Escape is a joyful platformer that stands above most of its contemporaries. Fantastic level design, refined mechanics and a beautiful presentation combine to form an excellent experience. There are a few things you could quibble over: it’s not as long as some 3D platformers and a few moments here and there can be frustrating. But these are small woes next to the excellence of the rest of the game. If you’re a 3D platformer aficionado, this is simply a must. If you were scared off by the first game’s high difficulty level, give this a try instead. It does what the best sequels do: it takes what was good about the original, and refines it to a mirror-shine.
|
|
VERDICT"With fantastic level design, refined mechanics and a beautiful presentation, Rayman 2: The Great Escape is a joyful platformer that stands above most of its contemporaries." OVERALL: 9/10 |
OTHER RAYMAN GAMES REVIEWED
Rayman Rush (2002, PlayStation)
|
Rayman Legends (2013, Xbox 360)
|