Giving Rayman Origins GOTY was not something I expected to find myself doing. It was up against some powerful competition and it was nothing more than a humble 2D platformer. It's nothing more than simple runny, jumpy fun. Sure it has a few nice little touches like wall running and wall jumps but there's nothing really new in the repertoire. So it just goes to show that you don't need crazy new ideas and gimmicks or even high polygon count 3D models of realistic Russian soldiers to make a fun game. Just really fucking awsome design choices will do the trick. Some of the best choices in Rayman Origins were made in regards to the difficulty. Rayman Origins is hard, very hard indeed. But really the game is only as hard as you make it. By that I mean the hardest level in the game is optional and can only be unlocked after finishing a series of slightly less hard speed run style levels. Hunting lums and freeing electoons presents another optional, yet satisfying challenge as they will require more advanced platforming skills as well as a keen eye for potential hidden areas. Additionally the challenge in the game is never made overly frustrating or unfair because Ubisoft decided to abolish any lives systems and use regular and forgiving checkpoints so that although the game is extremely challenging it is broken down into managable pieces. This makes the game very addictive indeed in a way that I haven't seen in a game in ages. People talk about Skyrim hijacking massive chunks of life but for me that was nothing compared to Rayman Origins forever tempting me to move forward and seek out the next challenge. It's also the most rewarding game I've played in ages (probably since Bayonetta) with more than a few occassions of me yelling "Fuck! Yes!" at the TV with some sort of obscene gesture accompanying it. You will find yourself being amazed at your own skill and at times needing to put down the controller and stare at the screen, all the while thinking did I just do that?
The level design and art direction are nothing short of superb. The platforms and jumps and enemies and lums are all perfectly placed to ensure the game has a nice smooth flow and rhythm to the way it plays. Think along the lines of Donkey Kong Country 2 and 3 on the SNES mixed in with a bit of the indie hit Super Meat Boy and that will give you a fair idea of how the game will feel to play. And all the while admist this wonderful yet challenging gameplay are the most beautiful and varied environments. I'd wife a bitch a fifth as pretty as this on looks alone. So the gameplay is excellent and the levels are excellent and the graphics are gorgeous so here's the part where we talk about the cons.
There are none.
Ok ok so I guess the story is kind of baffling. Not that it even fucking matters. Honestly if you can't have fun with this game because you don't feel the story is up to speed then I don't want you reading my blog. You are beyond help. But the story is basically Rayman and his friends snore so loudly they wake up the dead. I'm not exactly sure what the motivations are beyond this point for Rayman and pals to journey through these rediculously challenging levels except that they somehow find it equally as rewarding and fun as the player. But honestly I didn't even stop to think about what the end goal actually was until I was nearing the end of the game anyway, I guess Mario has conditioned me to stop caring about the story in 2D platformers.
As if all this wasn't enough but the game also supports 4 player co-op. Not that I ever used it but many trusted sources tell me that it works really well and isn't crap like it kinda is in New Super Mario Bros Wii. So there you have it. Rayman Origins; the best 2D platformer I've ever played, the best Rayman game by far and the best game released in 2011. It's been released on all home consoles, 3DS, Vita and even PC so you have absolutely no fucking excuse not to play it. For what it's worth I played the 360 version.
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