A franchise spanning almost three decades, with over 45 games under its belt,Raymanhasn’t faded into obscurity just yet, but it could be on the way there. Debuting in 1995 with a shockingly great 2D platformer for the original PlayStation,theRaymanfranchisehas gone through a few major changes in its lifetime, and with each pivot the series finds itself losing more fans than it gains. ButRaymanis far from finished, and a fourthRaymangame could really be what this franchise needs to keep going.
WhileRaymanhas stayed fairly relevant for the last 28 years, it hasn’t been solely due to his own efforts. The last mainlineRaymanentry released all the way back in 2013, and since then, the playful purple mascot has mainly existed in a series of spin-offs that range from party games to Mario-led turn-based tactics titles. It’s about time thatRaymangot another game of his own.
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It’s About Time for Rayman 4
The firstRaymangame debuted asa launch title for the original PlayStation, and it was meant with an immediate wealth of praise from critics and audiences alike. While the game’s difficulty spike may be a bit unfair, its responsive controls, beautiful backgrounds, varied enemy types, and whimsical worlds made it an instant standout on the console. But the age of 2D platformers was long past, and the PS1 was all about 3D player spaces.Rayman 2released in 1999 and transported the mascot and his platforming antics to the realm of 3D. While the game’s swathe of modern-day ports have been pretty underwhelming, the game in its original form remains an all-time classic, and one of the best 3D platformers of its generation.
This leap into the 3D realm was a bold one, and showed that the series' developer wasn’t afraid of taking risks and adapting to a changing, growing market. AfterRayman 3, another great 3D platformer, theRaymanfranchise took a bit of a turn for the worse. Seeing the rise of the Wii in the mid-2000s, theRaymanfranchise focused its efforts on producing a series of party games under theRayman Raving Rabbidsbanner, which is wherethe original concepts for aRayman 4came to an end. While these titles are actually pretty fun, they don’t put the mascot front and center, and they don’t offer type of gameplay that fans longed for.
2011’sRayman Origins, followed by2013’sRayman Legendswere a bit of a return to form for the beloved mascot franchise, hearkening back to the very first game in the series. These games tookRaymanback to his 2D platformer roots, but rather than focusing on slow and methodical platforming gameplay, these entries emphasized speed and action. This change in direction proved to be the right move for the franchise, with fans old and new falling in love with the titular hero again.
There hasn’t been aRaymangame for 10 years now. ThoughRayman’s set to appear inMario + Rabbids: Sparks of Hope, and Ubisoft has re-releasedRayman Legendscountless times, Rayman hasn’t starred in his own video game since 2013, and it’s about time that changed. While Ubisoft could simply revisit its original concepts for aRayman 4, release another 2DRaymangame in a similar vein toOriginsandLegends, or make a 3D successor toRayman 2and3, it would be more in keeping with the franchise to reinvent the series once more to coincide with the changing market. To really grab fans' attention, Ubisoft should make aRaymanopen-world game, taking inspiration fromSuper Mario Odysseyand the recently releasedSonic Frontiers.Rayman 2and3featured fairly large hub worlds that players could explore, so the transition to a fully open-world actually makes a lot of sense. Pair that with Rayman’s traversal abilities and attacks and an open-worldRayman 4could actually be pretty great, managing to stand out in an oversaturated crowd.
