Rayman Origins Announced

Ubisoft today announced the return of the classic series, Rayman, in Rayman Origins. They’ve taken the decision to drop the fancy graphics and make this a full 2D, side-scrolling, platforming adventure game with a 4 player co-op mode. There’s some story behind the title: When the Glade of Dreams is overrun by “nefurrious” Darktoons, the Fairy Council hastily invokes Rayman to save the day; but the hero of light isn’t quite all there…To help him, Rayman teams up with his best friend, Globox, and two crafty wizards, the Teensies.

·         Rebirth of a Platforming Legend: It’s been 15 years since the first launch of Rayman.  Rayman Origins brings back many of the classic characters, revived in their original 2D form, as well as a whole new world of characters and environments.  Discover the roots of Rayman by collecting pieces of the Glade’s history, and assemble them to reveal the truth behind Rayman’s origins.

·         4-Player, Jump-In/Jump-Out, Co-op Gameplay: Play as Rayman in the solo campaign, or have up to three friends jump in at any time to play as Globox or as one of the two Teensies.  Players can leave at any time without affecting the others’ progression.

·         Unique Approach to 2D Art: A rich world with over 100 characters and 12 unique environments created by some of the VG’s most reputed artists and animators.  This creative approach to 2D design will recapture the hearts of platformer fans and introduce a new generation to one of the industry’s best-loved characters in his original 2D form.

·         A Vast Playground: Rayman Origins includes over 60 levelsof 2D platforming gameplay designed for all ages and playing styles.  Unlock new abilities progressively and return to previous levels to discover new paths and secrets.

·         Variety of Gameplay: Rayman Origins is a platformer at its core, but it has elements of many game genres.  Rayman, Globox and the Teensies gain unique abilities as they progress through the adventure, including swimming, diving and the sensational “HairlyCopter.”  The game also features many elements of action, adventure and beat-’em-up gameplay.

·         Epic Boss Fights: A giant pink monster with hundreds of eyes… A possessed, mountainous golem…  An evil daisy-cum-carnivorous plant…Rayman Origins will put players to the test with these and many more challenging boss battles!

·         A Handful of Highly Talented Artists and Engineers: Rayman Origins was developed by the UBI art team in Montpellier and is built on an open-source game engine—the UBI art Framework—designed by Michel Ancel to allow much smaller teams of artists and developers to produce incredibly high-quality graphics and gameplay quickly and efficiently.  This garage-game approach has led to great strides in creativity and innovation.

This game will be available on the Xbox 360, PlayStation 3 and the Nintendo Wii; however, a firm release date has yet to be announced but it’s likely to be the holiday season this year.