Rayman (video game)

Rayman
Developer(s)Ubi Pictures
Publisher(s)Ubi Soft
Director(s)Agnès Haegel
Producer(s)Gérard Guillemot
Designer(s)
Programmer(s)
  • Daniel Palix
  • Frédéric Houde
  • Fred Markus[14]
Artist(s)
  • Alexandra Steible
  • Éric Pelatan
  • Sylvaine Jenny
Composer(s)
  • Rémi Gazel
  • Didier Lord
  • Stéphane Bellanger
SeriesRayman
Platform(s)
Atari Jaguar
Release
1 September 1995
  • Atari Jaguar
  • PlayStation
  • Sega Saturn
  • MS-DOS
  • Game Boy Color
  • Game Boy Advance
  • Palm OS
    • WW: 1 September 2001[11]
  • Nintendo DSi
  • iOS
    • WW: 18 February 2016[13]
Genre(s)Platformer
Mode(s)Single-player

Rayman is a 1995 platform video game developed by Ubi Pictures and published by Ubi Soft. The player controls Rayman, who must pursue Mr Dark to recover the Great Protoon that used to keep the balance between nature and the people of Rayman's valley. The player must navigate the valley, defeat enemies with abilities gained throughout the game, and free captured Electoons, also encountering a boss at the end of each thematic world.

Michel Ancel conceived Rayman as a teenager and was able to realise the concept after being hired by Ubi Soft in 1989. He initially targeted the Atari ST and then the Super NES CD-ROM but restarted the development for the Atari Jaguar after the Super NES CD-ROM's cancellation. Ancel incorporated several childhood memories into the design and was soon joined by a larger development team. Ubi Soft made Rayman a launch title for the PlayStation in North American and Europe to compete with Japanese platform games on the platform.

Rayman was first released for the Atari Jaguar on 1 September 1995, followed shortly by versions for the PlayStation, the Sega Saturn, and MS-DOS. The game was met with a positive reception, with praise going towards its atmosphere, visuals, and soundtrack composed mainly by Rémi Gazel. Some reviewers warned that the game's aesthetic belied its high difficulty level and others criticised its lack of interest and excitement. Rayman became one of the best-selling PlayStation games and would become the first entry in the Rayman series.

  1. ^ Cite error: The named reference TFL was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  2. ^ Cite error: The named reference Jaguar EU was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  3. ^ a b Rayman (in French). Console Plus. pp. 141–142.
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  11. ^ Cite error: The named reference Rayman Pocket was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  12. ^ Cite error: The named reference DSi NA was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  13. ^ Cite error: The named reference TouchArcade was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  14. ^ "Voici l'interview que j'ai réalisé avec Fred Markus, ancien d'Ubi Soft, impliqué dans le projet Rayman" [Here is the interview I conducted with Fred Markus, formerly of Ubi Soft, involved in the Rayman project.]. Jaguar 64 (in French). Archived from the original on 3 October 2023. Retrieved 2 July 2024.