A while ago I talked about some of the early Rayman mobile games, based mostly on Rayman 1. So now let’s cover the later ones. But first, a word on ports.
According to the excellent resource the Rayman Fanpage, there were a fair number of ports to Palm/Pocket PC systems. The original game was ported as Rayman Ultimate, with a shrunken screen similar to the GBA port. The GBC Rayman 1 game also was ported, but with a larger screen in some cases, and even monochrome versions. Information is still a little scarce but it would have been interesting to play that GBC port!
Mobile phones also apparently got a port of the GBC game with a much wider screen, according to information on this page from the same site. It’s also a good page for screenshots and information of the other games I’m talking about today. Finally, Rayman 2 was available on iOS (that’s how I originally played it… first Rayman game I completed too) but it seems to be have been taken down. Now on to the unique games. I found the best versions for download here; you’ll need a java phone emulator like MicroEmulator to run them, and possibly a configurable controller for convenience.
Rayman 3 (mobile)
Being based heavily on Rayman 3 GBA, this game does nothing new. It’s got basic graphics and simplistic level designs; not to say that they’re bad. There’s 9 levels including the extra one you get for collecting all Lums and cages, but only 2 environments: forest and fire cave. The controls are pretty weird, but I guess make sense for the platform. There’s 3 separate jump buttons: straight up and both diagonals; you have air control, so it’s just for convenience on unresponsive phone keypads. Honestly it’s not very interesting but if like me you see it as a source of new 2D Rayman levels, it’s passable.
Rayman Raving Rabbids (mobile)
Adding to the 3 existing unique game experiences with this name, RRR for mobile presents something different. On first glance you would say “Sonic clone”: Rayman runs fast, rolls into a ball, goes through loops. It’s odd that Gameloft would choose that fast-paced gameplay style for a Rayman game, especially on phones, but it’s actually pretty forgiving: plenty of health, automatic bouncing sections, and deaths and even game overs will replace you at frequent checkpoints inside levels. But playing further presents new gameplay: one almost QTE-like segment, a Rayman 1-style Breakout game, Yoshi’s Island-style rotating platforms, Battletoads-style snake platforms, ricocheting plunger-gun shots, even weirdly blowing up a Rabbid and using him as a balloon. In only 7 levels there’s plenty of variety with a jungle, desert, and mechanised Rabbid lair full of fun platforming and combat. Yes, it’s a 2D Rayman game with kung-fu combos! The sprites are super cute, there’s unique enemies not in the other Rabbids games, and despite having similarly awkward controls to R3 mobile it’s easy and enjoyable. Highly recommended!
While I was looking up these games, I checked out Rayman Raving Rabbids TV Party. It’s not part of my series playthrough as I officially stopped after the first Rabbids game, but it exists and it’s a reasonable attempt at a one-button minigame collection. Rayman shows up in an antagonistic role, since it’s from the Rabbids’ perspective, and there’s plenty of references to other Ubisoft franchises. It’s just odd that they skipped RRR2.
That will do for now: I was going to include Rayman Kart too but that game is pretty substantial, so I’ll save it for its own post. It’s really something!