Dark Storm
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| Dark Storm | ||
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| ← Dark Stronghold | Ending → | |
The Dark Magician has been beaten, but... I'm afraid there is still something you have to do. The Dark Storm that started all this has grown bigger. It will only keep causing more and more horrors! You have to find the Heart of the Storm and destroy it. But my magic alone can't open the path for you... You must free all of the Electoons.
The Dark Storm is the twelth and final world of Rayman: The Dark Magician's Reign of Terror, and also a part of the game's true main antagonist. Its only level, Eye of the Storm, is unlocked from its hub located on the Dark Stronghold's roof by breaking all of the cages in the game similarly to Candy Château in the original Rayman. It is a mysterious and ever-growing malevolent storm of dark magic in the sky, composed of dark grey clouds in a tempestuous rain, and with a small purple core of dark magical energy. Rayman will be attacked by lightning clouds harassing him with thunderbolts in the Eye of the Storm, before ultimately facing the Heart of the Storm itself, attacking Rayman with dark energy projectiles.
Rather uniquely for Rayman, it is both an environment and an antagonist. The storm's origin is unknown as it suddenly arrived one peaceful day in the Valley, it is not explicitly known if is possesses an actual consciousness or intelligence, being possibly more akin to a sort of magical natural catastrophe in Rayman's world. It keeps growing over time as hinted by the Magician, filling the Glade's atmosphere with dark magic. A giant red lightning bolt struck the Great Protoon after it arrived, which subsequently gave life to the Dark Magician, displaying the storm's mighty dark powers which are able to even corrupt the Great Protoon itself. During his birth, the Dark Magician claimed he would take over the place "for the great darkness", possibly referring to the storm and thus implying he may obey or venerate it. As a result, it is behind all of the game's events.
Once Rayman destroys the Heart of the Storm, the sky clears out progressively one cloud at a time and the dark magic fades from the atmosphere, vanishing until nothing is left of it. After the game's ending, Rayman can resume from Dark Storm's hub, which will be transformed into a clear version of itself featuring a clean sky similar to the Flying Mountains, while the Magician will congratulate Rayman for restoring the world's peace. Defeating the storm also results in Dark Rayman being unlocked as a skin in the Magician's bonus shop, as well as Mr Dark if Rayman gathered all the collectibles, the last one being the Dark Magician's wand in Eye of the Storm. Despite the storm's disappearance, the Eye of the Storm stage will remain available and play out as it did before without any changes, unlike Mr Dark's Dare becoming permanently unavailable in most versions of the original Rayman.
Gallery
Screenshots
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The Dark Storm hub after the ending.
Trivia
- Dark Storm is the only world that goes unnamed in-game, as its name doesn't appear above the final stage's title, and the exit sign leading to Dark Storm's hub refers to it as "roof" while its own sign says "inside", as it's located on the top of the Dark Strongold. Only character dialogues hint at it, while the stereo soundtrack confirms it through the music belonging to Eye of the Storm, being titled "Dark Storm" while the stage's name was relegated to Heart of the Storm.
- Like Almost Space and Fiery Fort, it is one of the only worlds to have a single stage, and does not feature an exit to a next world.
- Dark Storm's hub is unique as it's the only one changing after certain game events, does not feature any music in its first variation, and uses On the Sky's theme after the game's ending, making it the only hub with a music intended for a level. It shares its property of having two versions affected by the game's story with the Lonely Cliff from Rayman Redemption.
- Dark Storm shares the concept of being both an antagonist and an environment with El Stomacho from Rayman Origins and Rayman Legends through Back to Origins, as the heroes must travel through his gut in My Heartburn's for You.