Rayman Redemption

Rayman Redemption is an unofficial remake and reimagining of the the original Rayman game, made by Ryemanni and released in 2020 for PCs running Microsoft Windows. Its final update, version 1.1.4, was released later the same year.

This reimagined version of Rayman 1 features nearly all content from that game and focuses on expanding it as well as refining its gameplay, story and difficulty.

The graphics remain mostly the same, using assets from Rayman 1, its ports and prototype versions, as well as spin-offs, such as Rayman Designer. Additionally, entirely new assets were created in the style of the original game. Rayman Redemption adds support for widescreen view and modern screen resolutions. While classic 4:3 is supported, the reduced visible range in this mode makes some locations awkward.

The soundtrack from the original Rayman remains intact aside from a few exclusions, and many additional tracks and sound effects were added. One tune returns in stereo format from Ryemanni's earlier game - Rayman: The Dark Magician's Reign of Terror.

Noteworthy changes include an entire new world known as Playtopia, new levels in most returning worlds, expanded and unified level design, new enemies and bosses including a true showdown with Mr Dark, customization through skins or Ting sound effects, new objects and power-ups, and Rayman starting with all of his abilities unlocked. A system of achievements and accompanying bonuses is present.

Development

Ryemanni (known on the forum as Raymanni) announced the project in a Rayman Pirate-Community forum thread on 17th May, 2018. Game Jolt was chosen as the distribution platform with updates and notifications being posted throughout the game's development and for post-release updates .

Rayman Redemption uses the GameMaker engine. It has been verified to work on Windows 7, 8, 8.1, 10 and 11. A demo was released on 15 June, 2019, and the first full version on 19 June, 2020, after 3 years in development . The final build, 1.1.4, was published on 18 November, 2020.

Plot

Rayman Redemption's plot remains the same as the original game, but with additions and some differences such as the inclusion of new characters, the Toontotems and a greatly changed and expanded final part of the story involving Mr Dark and the Great Protoon.

The game features every world and level from the original Rayman, but also adds some new ones such as Playtopia, Final Showdown and Dark Legacy.

The Dream Forest

The first world of the game is the The Dream Forest, a lush jungle. Rayman's journey begins in a region known as Pink Plant Woods, at the end of which he encounters Darktoon for the first time. The next stage is Anguish Lagoon, where Rayman meets the mosquito Bzzit. After a brief fight, Bzzit befriends Rayman and carries him to the end of the level. From here, Rayman can continue to The Swamps of Forgetfulness. He will help Tarayzan reobtain his loincloth, and as a token of gratitude, will receive from him a Magic seed to help through the flood. The final section of the world is Moskito's Nest, where Rayman battles Moskito. After the battle, Rayman reaches the first Toontotem and releases the pink Flying rings.

Band Land

The second world of the game is Band Land, a landscape composed of music and musical instruments. The first region Rayman passes through is Bongo Hills, an area relatively close to the ground, with many drum platforms. Next, he reaches Allegro Presto, an location higher in the air, composed mainly of slippery sheet music. Climbing even higher, Rayman passes through Gong Heights, high in the cloudy sky, en route to Mr Sax's Hullaballoo, the final area of the world, where he battles Mr Sax. Optionally, Rayman and Bzzit can fly through Mosquitoes' Sonata - an area that combines the look, feel and obstacles of all levels in Band Land.

Blue Mountains

The third world of the game is the Blue Mountains, a cold mountain range. The first level is Twilight Gulch, where Rayman finds himself chased by Mr Stone, the gigantic rock creature who is the boss of this region. The next area is the Hard Rocks, inhabited by rock monsters of various kinds. After taking Bzzit on a ride through The Highest Peak, Rayman continues to Mr Stone's Peaks. He meets The Musician and helps him retrieve his guitar which was hidden by the rock monsters. The Musician rewards Rayman by the Super helicopter potion, critical for navigating through the spiky mazes of this area. At the end of the level, Rayman battles Mr Stone. Having defeated him, he continues to Tempest Terror high in the mountains, where it frequently snows. At the end, Rayman battles Darktoon for the second time and releases the pink Springs from the second Toontotem.

Picture City

The fourth world of the game is Picture City, a landscape composed of artwork and art supplies. The first level is Eraser Plains, where Rayman encounters Viking Mama and her Pirate lackeys. Following that, Rayman will visit Pencil Penthathlon and Art Block, where he will battle Greek Mama and her Knights. The last level is Space Mama's Crater, where {Space Mama is fought in her final form. Optionally, Rayman and Bzzit can visit Riding the Rainbow and navigate through perilous pencils, spiky balls and pins.

The Caves of Skops

The fifth world of the game is the The Caves of Skops, a series of dark but colorful underground caverns. After passing through Crystal Palace, Rayman meets Joe the Extra-Terrestrial at Eat at Joe's. Joe gives Rayman a Firefly to light up the dark caves. Rayman battles a Giant spider in the caves, and helps Joe restore power to his diner. Joe then blows up some beach balls to help Rayman across the water. Rayman then meets Mr Skops, who knocks him down into the Molten Depths. Deep in the caves, Rayman battles Darktoon for the third and final time, unlocks the final Toontotem and releases the pink Poles. After flying with Bzzit in Between a Rock and a Hard Place, Rayman battles Mr Skops face to face in Mr Skops' Stalactites.

Playtopia

The sixth world of the game is Playtopia and is one of Rayman Redemption's new locations, a landscape mostly composed of various toys. After making way through Child's Play and The Playhouse, Rayman enters The Lair of the Chessmaster, and defeats the latter in a game of chess. The defeated Chessmaster gives Rayman the Master Key, which unlocks the Master Door in Brain Games - a level filled with math puzzles (similar to Rayman Junior). At the end of the level, Rayman fights the final boss of Playtopia - The Menace.

Candy Château

The seventh world of the game is Candy Château, a landscape composed of sweets and crockery. In Rayman Redemption it has been expanded to a full-fledged world with multiple locations. After passing through Tasty Reception, Rayman enters Choco Chambers, where he meets the Clown Chef. For fixing his ice-cream machine, the chef give Rayman his sausage Frying pan to navigate the first part of the level. In the next part, Rayman finds the Super helicopter potion, and has to navigate a tricky maze with multiple Keys. Before the end of the level, Rayman is confronted my Mr Dark, who sets a Chocolate monster on him. The next location, The Sweet Spot ends with a maze patrolled by walking Nougat. Rayman can take Bzzit on a flight through The Candy Armada, fighting various Clowns and Lightning eyes. The final level of this world is Mr Dark's Dare, like in the original game. Rayman will have to slide on a Frying pan, run from Dark Rayman on two separate occasions, and overcomeMr Dark's spells affecting his abilities. Finally, he will fight Mr Dark's amalgamation - the Dark Chimera, and Mr Dark himself.

Final Showdown

The eighth and final main world of the game is Final Showdown, inspired by the the original game's SNES prototype. After his defeat at the end of Candy Château, Mr Dark escapes with the Great Protoon, causing the entire world to start ripping from its seams. Rayman travels to The Lonely Cliff and is greeted by all the game's friendly characters, and also by Darktoon who has denounced Mr Dark. Betilla instructs Bzzit to carry Rayman to Mr Dark's hiding place. To get there, they must survive an aerial battle with Dark Rayman on Dark Moskito. Bzzit leaves Rayman at the entrance to an eerie place of dark tendrils, as he is unable to fly through them. Rayman must traverse it on foot, avoiding regular and Giant Antitoons. At the end of the level, a platform carries Rayman up to the final showdown with Mr Dark. Rayman defeats the sorcerer and releases the Great Protoon from its clutches, restoring order to the world.

Dark Legacy

A bonus ninth world was added in Rayman Redemption, inspired by the world of the same name from the Game Boy Color version of Rayman. It consists of a single level, filled with spiky vines, fruit and platforms, and inhabited by Stone men and Spiders. Successfully navigating through this hostile environment unlocks the Breakout Minigame.

Extra

Additional zones available in Rayman Redemption are unlocked throughout the adventure. This includes the Magician's Challenges, Betilla's garden, the shops, the Casino and the Breakout Minigame. It also includes Dark Magician's Challenge, one of the Magician's bonus levels, which is its own small bonus world and a throwback to Flint Jail from Rayman The Dark Magician's Reign of Terror.

Gameplay

Just like Rayman 1 and Rayman: The Dark Magician's Reign of Terror, Rayman Redemption is a 2D side-scrolling platform game. The game takes place in a valley which is made up of nine different worlds. Some worlds are reimagined areas from Rayman 1, others are new, often inspired by locations from other Rayman games. The worlds are a mix of natural environments (the Dream Forest, Blue Mountains, the Caves of Skops and Dark Legacy) and imaginary ones (Band Land, Picture City, Playtopia and the Candy Château).

The seven main worlds are divided into four primary levels, each with six Electoon cages to find. New collectibles were added - Magician tokens and hidden Gifts. Most worlds include bonus levels and extra locations. Unlike in Rayman 1, breaking all cages is not mandatory to access Mr Dark's Dare, the Final Showdown or the end-game credits; however, it is required to open the bonus world - Dark Legacy. Magician tokens give access to special Magician challengess, and all of them are required to access the last of those challenges - True Boss Rush.

Rayman Redemption features three modes acting as a permanent difficulty setting for a save file: Classic, Casual, and Demise, the latter introduced in version 1.1.0.

• Classic behaves similarly to the original Rayman, with limited lives. However, unlike Rayman 1, extra lives reappear whenever levels are replayed, making their "farming" easier.
• Casual is a modern mode giving the player infinite lives. In this mode, lives cannot be bought in the Shop and will give the player some Tings instead when collected.
• Demise is a difficult mode introduced to challenge the player to the best of their abilities. In this mode, lives are limited, and can only be recovered by buying them in the Shop. Rayman starts with only one life point, instead of the normal three. However, upgrades in Betilla's Garden still work, so a maximum of five default health points can be reached. Big Powers and lives found in the levels are rigged, damaging or killing Rayman when he touches them. Cheat codes and mid-level checkpoints are also disabled, although the latter are still visible in levels and can be customized as usual. In this mode, the game is far more difficult, and some achievements and extra skins cannot be unlocked normally.

Replays

All levels can be replayed an unlimited number of times, in any order. Unlike the original game, all boss segments, dialogs and story events are always accessible in replays, excluding a few such as the corrupted version of The Lonely Cliff. Cages that have been broken will reappear as golden empty cages, awarding Rayman some Tings instead when broken. Gifts and Magician tokens that have already been obtained reappear as transparent versions of themselves, but won't reward Rayman with anything when collected. Unlike Rayman 1, lives respawn later in levels and the player has infinite continues, making it far easier to keep a high number of lives.

In some cases, backtracking is necessary, because certain items are out of reach until Rayman frees some particular Pink Helpers. Pink Helpers that have not yet been freed appear in their would-be locations as transparent versions of themselves, thus serving as indications to the player as to which areas will need to be revisited.

List of powers and power-ups

In Rayman Redemption, Rayman starts with all of his abilities from the original game, including the grimace and running powers, which are now assigned to separate buttons and are no longer mutually exclusive. Access to new areas is gained by freeing the Pink Helpers and interacting with them. Rayman will also receive new permanent upgrades and temporary power-ups along the game. Shop upgrades can be turned off in the game's settings.

Permanent abilities

• Grimace: Rayman can grimace to get rid of tall Livingstones which are scared of this. An achievement is also tied to this ability.
• Telescopic fist: Rayman's main power, which allow him to punch enemies to defeat them. It can be temporarily powered up by Golden Fists and Speed Fists.
• Hanging: Allows Rayman to hang onto ledges.
• Grappling fist: Rayman can use his fist to grapple onto Flying rings which are scattered around the place, allowing him to reach high places and cross wide gaps. He can also use it to grab lives from afar.
• Helicopter: Rayman can use his odd-looking hair as a helicopter which allows him to glide down, extending his jump range. Unlike the original game, Rayman can glide indefinitely, similarly to its sequels. The activation mode of the Helicopter (tap, like in Rayman 2 or hold, like in Rayman 3) can be configured in the game's options.
• Running: Rayman's ability to move faster than walking. It also makes his jumps a lot longer and faster.

Shop power-ups

All Shop upgrades, once bought, stay until the end of the game.

• Ting magnet: Allows Rayman to attract Tings which are very near to him.
• Better power-ups: A shop ugrade which gives Rayman more extra health when collecting a Big Power.
• Cage locator: Bought at Joe's Wares, it points at cages located in the current section of a level.
• Item locator: Bought at Joe's Wares, it points at Magician tokens and gifts located in the current section of a level.

Pink helpers

• Pink rings: Imprisoned in the Dream Forest Toontotem. Freeing them allows Rayman to grapple to them.
• Pink springs: Imprisoned in the Blue Mountains Toontotem. Freeing them allows Rayman to bounce on them, similarly to other bouncy surfaces.
• Pink poles: Imprisoned in the Caves of Skops Toontotem. Freeing them allows Rayman to climb on them, similarly to vines.

Temporary power-ups

• Magic seed: Given to Rayman by Tarayzan, and later found in some specific areas, Rayman plants seeds to help him reach ledges and escape floods or rising lava.
• Super helicopter: A potion that allows Rayman to fly with his helicopter hair. Given to him by the Musician, and later appears in specific area.
• Paint fist: Allowing Rayman to create temporary platforms out of paint on some background walls.
• Keys: Four colored keys, allowing Rayman to open matching doors.
• Master key: A unique key necessary to get past the Master Door in Brain Games.
• Invincibility: Granted by the Great Protoon after Mr Dark's defeat, making Rayman invincible and his touch deadly to any enemies.
• Shrinking: Touching Blue elves makes Rayman tiny, which is useful for accessing areas which were too small for normal-sized Rayman to go through. He returns to normal size when he touches another Flying blue elf.

Recurring collectibles

• Tings: Small blue bubbles used as a currency in the shops. Unlike in Rayman 1, they are not automatically converted into extra lives, and so a large number can be accumulated (which is required for a specific achievement).
• Rainbow Tings: Yield 9 Tings when grabbed.
• Powers: Come as a small red atom with a P on the front, or a large red one - the former gives Rayman one or two units of health, while the latter replenishes his entire health and gives extra health points (reset if Rayman loses a life). Differently from the original game, big powers can keep increasing Rayman's health even further if he collects more. Big powers are rigged in Demise mode, damaging Rayman upon touch.
• Speed Fist: Allows Rayman's fist to fly faster and further than normal. Up to three upgrades can be stacked at the same time - additional ones have no effect. Losing a life drops the speed by one level. Speed power-ups also affect Bzzit's projectiles.
• Golden Fist: Turns Rayman's fist golden and doubles its power. Also affect Bzzit's projectiles.
• Golden power combines the effect of the big power (with additional health points), the Golden Fist and triple Speed Fist.
• Life: Gives Rayman an extra life, as well as restoring his entire health. They are rigged in Demise mode, killing Rayman upon touch.

Characters

The final epilogue image displayed at the end of the game shows Rayman with all his friends.

Throughout the game, Rayman meets an array of different characters, some of which aid him through his journey.

Friends

• The Magician: He introduces the game's story. During the game, Rayman can visit him at the Magician's Challenges area, in which he hosts a variety of time-based challenges.
• Betilla: A benevolent floating female fairy, who failed to protect the Great Protoon from Mr Dark. Rayman can meet her in Betilla's Garden, where she would upgrade his life points every time he breaks a necessary number of Cages.
• The Photographer: This character acts as checkpoint. Should Rayman lose a life, he will return to where he last had his photograph taken.
• Tarayzan: Encountered in The Swamps of Forgetfulness, he gives Rayman a magic seed in return for giving him back his loincloth. One of the very few others to be seen from Rayman's species.
• The Monk: Encountered in Gong Heights, he releases Golden rings into the air, and teaches Rayman to swing on them to reach new areas. It is unknown whether other Golden rings encountered in later areas were also produced by the Monk.
• The Musician: Living high in the Blue Mountains with his family, his guitar had been stolen by a rock monster. Rayman returns it to him, and the Musician gives Rayman the Super helicopter power.
• The Painter: Rayman meets him in Art Block, where his art kit has been stolen by the Antitoons. For returning it, he rewards Rayman with a Paint fist - a power-up that allows Rayman to create temporary platforms on blank paper walls. Like Tarayzan, appears to belong to Rayman's species.
• Jack: A friendly jack-in-the-box met in Playtopia. He gives Rayman a Key that allows him to open the nearby Door and continue on his quest.
• Joe the Extra-Terrestrial: An alien that owns his own snack bar on the beach in the Caves of Skops. His neon lights have been unplugged, and Rayman must go down into the dark caves to plug them back in. In his shop, Joe's Wares, Rayman can purchase items that help him locate various objects hidden in the levels.
• Clown Chef: Met in Choco Chambers, he gives Rayman his old Frying pan, in return for fixing his ice-cream machine. May belong to Rayman's species.
• Bzzit: Initially appears as an enemy, but befriends Rayman after their fight. He plays a much more significant role in Rayman Redemption, accompanying Rayman in multiple levels throughout the game, including the trip to the End of the World.

Enemies

• Darktoon: A recurring mini-boss, met several times throughout the game. He claims to have been sent directly by Mr Dark to hinder Rayman's progress. After being defeated repeatedly, he falls into disfavor with Mr Dark, who takes away all of Darktoon's powers.
• Bzzit: The first boss (or mid-boss) of the game, a large eyed mosquito, who lives in Anguish Lagoon in the Dream Forest. After Rayman defeats him he befriends Rayman and lets him fly on top of him.
• Moskito: Bzzit's stronger counterpart, and the boss of the Dream Forest.
• Mad Drummer: A miniboss in Bongo Hills of Band Land, he attacks Rayman with his huge maces, which cause damage either by direct hits or through flames and lightning bolts created as products of their activity.
• Mr Sax: Boss of Band Land, he is a walking saxophone that attacks by blowing explosive wrong notes.
• Mr Stone: Boss of the Blue Mountains, he is a creature made of rock who constantly thumps on the ground and sends smaller stone creatures to attack Rayman.
• Space Mama: A very large woman who's the boss of Picture City. She fights Rayman three times, wearing different contumes, and sometimes accompanied by helpers such as Pirates and Knights. She is able to attack Rayman with lasers or knives out of her rolling pin, or fireballs from her torch.
• The Chessmaster: He awaits Rayman inside his own lair in Playtopia and challenges him to a game of chess, while smoking a cigar. Attacks Rayman either by summoning Chess piece minions, or hurling his bow tie at him. He is the only boss who is never attacked directly, but surrenders after being checkmated by Rayman.
• The Menace: the boss of Playtopia, he is a green mischievous monkey-like creature who attacks by clinging to the wall and hurling explosive balloons at Rayman, or simply spinning around the arena. After taking a few hits, he summons his red-colored angry friend, and Rayman must defeat them both.
• Giant spider: Guards the deep dark caves of Eat at Joe's. Attacks Rayman with his legs or his fangs.
• Mr Skops: A giant scorpion who is boss of the Caves of Skops. He attacks with his giant claws and tail, which can string Rayman as well as shoot homing beams.
• Bad Rayman: The result of a spell that Mr Dark casts in the Candy Château, he resembles Rayman with a dark palette and mimics every move he makes throughout the stage. Rayman must stay on the move as Bad Rayman's touch is lethal. Can only be defeated by finishing the stage.
• Dark Moskito: accompanies Bad Rayman in their air battle against Rayman and Bzzit en route to the End of the World.
• Chocolate Monster: awaiting Rayman at the end of Choco Chambers, this one lives inside a pool of hot chocolate, with only its eyes visible. Rayman must drop fruit onto the Chocolate Monster, while avoiding its projectiles and the rising flow of chocolate.
• Mr Dark: The main antagonist of the game, who stole the Great Protoon. He first attempts to slow down Rayman's progress through the Candy Château with various spells, then sets his Dark Chimera amalgamation on him, and only after it is beaten, fights Rayman directly. If Rayman manages to defeat him, Mr Dark escapes to the End of the World, where Rayman must follow for the Final Showdown.

Levels

The game contains 37 levels, split across 9 worlds. 6 of the worlds are returning from the original Rayman, and 3 are new. Of the new worlds, one is a normal world, one contains the final showdown of the game, and the final one is a bonus world, consisting only of a single, hard level, which is unlocked if the player manages to beat all prior levels, while breaking all the Cages. The total number of levels and content is more than double that of the original game.

In each of the returning worlds, all original levels are present. Each level in Rayman Redemption is a reimagination of the corresponding level of Rayman 1, with recognizable design and changes on top of it, usually expanding the level. Many worlds have entirely new levels. In Rayman 1, The Dream Forest and Band Land contained 4 levels each, while the later worlds had 3. Rayman Redemption adds additional levels, so that all the worlds now have exactly 4 main levels, including the new one - Playtopia.

All worlds after the first have new levels, where Rayman is riding Bzzit, similar to the section in Anguish Lagoon. These levels are optional and their completion is not required for story mode, but they contain extra Magician tokens, which unlock additional challenges. Some of them contain custom skin collectibles for Bzzit.

All of the Magician's bonus levels have been removed from the levels, and replaced with harder and more varied Magician's Challenges. Access to the challenges is granted by collecting a certain number of Magician tokens in the regular levels. The final three challenges include a throwback to the Flint Jail world from Rayman: The Dark Magician's Reign of Terror, and two "boss rushes" - a regular and a hard one.

The levels are laid out on a map of The valley, similar to that of the original Rayman, with additional areas for the new worlds. Special points on the map exist for extra sections, where the player can purchase upgrades, or access Magician's challenges. The Breakout minigame, which opens up after completing The Final Challenge, now has its own icon on the map, instead of requiring a cheat code.

The Dream Forest

• Pink Plant Woods
• Anguish Lagoon
• The Swamps of Forgetfulness
• Moskito's Nest

Band Land

• Bongo Hills
• Allegro Presto
• Gong Heights
• Mr Sax's Hullaballoo
• Mosquitoes' Sonata (Bzzit)

Blue Mountains

• Twilight Gulch
• The Hard Rocks
• Mr Stone's Peaks
• Tempest Terror (new)
• The Highest Peak (Bzzit)

Picture City

• Eraser Plains
• Pencil Pentathlon
• Art Block (new)
• Space Mama's Crater
• Riding the Rainbow (Bzzit)

The Caves of Skops

• The Crystal Palace
• Eat at Joe's
• Molten Depths (new)
• Mr Skops' Stalactites
• Between a Rock and a Hard Place (Bzzit)

Playtopia

• Child's Play (new)
• The Playhouse (new)
• The Lair of the Chessmaster (new)
• Brain Games (new)
• Playful Flight (Bzzit)

Candy Château

• Tasty Reception (new)
• Choco Chambers (new)
• The Sweet Spot (new)
• Mr Dark's Dare
• The Candy Armada (Bzzit)

Final Showdown

• The Lonely Cliff (new)
• The End of the World (new)

Dark Legacy

• The Final Challenge (new)

Extra

• Magician's Challenges (new)
• Betilla's Garden (new)
• The Shop (new)
• The Casino (new)
• Joe's Wares (new)
• Breakout Minigame

Notes:

• The Lonely Cliff has two different variations, with the second one only being available during the end of the story when Mr Dark corrupts the world map.
• The game automatically saves the player's progress each time a level is completed or exited. Thus, the special save icons present on the map of Rayman 1 have been removed, as they serve no purpose.

Soundtrack

The game features most of Rayman 1's PlayStation soundtrack, as well as some sounds and music taken from other games such as the main theme from the Atari Jaguar version of Rayman. The new tracks of Rayman Redemption were composed by Ryemanni, some of which are inspired by some pieces from a few versions of the original Rayman. This new soundtrack has been made available to download on the game's Game Jolt page page, including three early versions of some tracks as an extra.

Reception

Rayman Redemption was received extremely favorably, being regarded by many players as one of the best Rayman games both fan-made and official, and one of the best fan-made games in general. Informally, it is considered as "the ultimate version of Rayman 1".

Criticism tends to focus on the difficulty of the final worlds and some of the bonus challenges or achievements. However, most of the game is viewed as considerably easier than the original, and it is often recommended to new players as the least frustrating introduction to the Rayman 1 experience.

See also

• Rayman: The Dark Magician's Reign of Terror
• Rayman ReDesigner

External links

• Game Jolt page
• Discussion page