Rayman Origins Vita Review

Rayman Origins is special, rare and precious. Somewhere in the last few years, the classic notion of games being benign and whimsical escapist fantasies was lost in favor of battered, war torn landscapes and desolate dystopian apocalypse. Vibrant worlds turned to rot and grit, smiles turned to screams, and it seemed that by and large, gaming lost its innocence.

Is it possible for a game in this era to recapture the magic that inspired this industry to begin, while still proving itself a capable, full-fledged experience under modern scrutiny? In the case of Ubisoft's Rayman Origins, the answer is "slapsolutely."

In many ways, what we have here is this generation's most artistically cohesive package, with perfectly imagined visual direction that never ceases to induce smiles. It's as if art director Michel Ancel drew a single, whimsical napkin sketch and then built an entire world around it, consistently expanding on but never once backing down from his original vision. Plant life unfurls around you, fiery pillars collapse, and avalanches give way to lush landscapes for goofy characters to happily slap each other around. It's fantastic vibrant chaos that's exquisite on the eyes, with buttery smooth animation to boot despite the very rare framerate hiccup that rears its head when things are at their most chaotic.


Back in November, Rayman Origins was a platforming bliss on consoles and it's just as rewarding in the palm of your hands on the PlayStation Vita's gorgeous display. There are moments of total madness where the background elements mesh with the foreground causing occasional confusion, but Rayman's biggest visionary downside is that it's almost distractingly beautiful. l want to stop to take it all in, but instead I hop and bop and collect everything I can in a mad dash to the goal. Luckily, most stages buck this trend by becoming more meticulously calculated affairs, where you strategically grab Lums, (Rayman's answer to coins) and explore hidden corners of the worlds to conquer secret sub areas at your own pace. I was worried that Origins wouldn't translate well to anything smaller than an HDTV but that was totally not the case once I saw it in action on the Vita. Occasionally the view may be pulled back a little too far to truly catch every detail but with the newly implemented pinch to expand multi-touch controls, nothing gets lost.

Like the console's effect last year, there once again is never a shortage of people gathering around me to revel in how incredible Rayman looks on the PlayStation Vita; mastering stages in all their glory delivers a fluid, magnificent spectacle. Single player gets the job done and will absolutely satiate any cravings you have for an awesome and unique side-scrolling gaming experience, especially in the absence of a traditional 2D Mario title this year.