It’s a treat for a game world I’ve become fond of (Rayman 2′s, that is) to have a spin-off centred around it. Rayman M/Arena/Rush has a complicated release history; but first, what is it? It’s a multiplayer-focused game (although the single-player modes are fairly robust) that’s split in two. One half of the game is the battle mode where the opponents’ health bars are depleted by your attacks, there’s random weapon pickups, and you’re in a small enclosed arena. The other is the race mode, where you run through an obstacle course, trying to get the optimal path to beat your opponents to the goal. Both modes are based on Rayman 2′s 3D platformer engine and controls.

So about the different releases: Rayman M was released on PS2 in Europe with lots of modes. Rayman Rush followed in Europe and NA on the PS1, with a big downgrade in visuals and physics (it seems based on the PS1 version of Rayman 2 while the lead version is most likely built off the PS2′s Rayman Revolution) and the battle mode completely removed. I didn’t mind that, the race mode is clearly much more fun to me. The content of the race mode is mostly the same but with simplified course layouts and one or two unique courses. The main NA release was titled Rayman Arena, on PC, PS2, Gamecube, and Xbox. From what I’ve read, while the PS2 and PC versions were similar to Rayman M, the GCN and Xbox version was significantly rejiggered with different menus, new characters and costumes (good), and crucially two whole sub-modes removed from Race mode. Unfortunate.

I played the versions that were available to me on useable emulators: GCN and PS1. I feel I got a good overview of the game from this (although not comprehensive) but the loss of Lums and Target mode from Race hurts. It can’t be overstated how superior Arena’s engine is to Rush: analog control, much smoother momentum, more options in race courses; it also just looks and feels so much nicer. It’s probably better to go for the PS2 or PC version though for the extra modes; Dark Globox and Dark Rayman are the only outright additions (and the latter is only a costume).

So what about playing the game? Well, I found the Race mode very addictive. Learning the best way through a level is reminiscent of speedrunning and traversing these obstacle courses on foot with tuned 3D platformer controls is just great fun, and the courses are well designed with multiple routes. Each character has their own personality in their animations even though their abilities are identical, a trait shared by the Origins games (and comparing, say, Globox’s balloon-like inflation as a hover to his corresponding Origins action is, well, it’s interesting to me…).

The Battle mode on the other hand just felt boring and slow. Combat was never the best part of Rayman 2 and it’s still true here, even with the bells and whistles. I didn’t bother much with this mode and as I said, Rush totally eliminates it, no great loss. The most interesting thing about it to me was having a look around the arenas and enjoying how they’re plucked straight from Rayman 2′s world; forests, beaches, pirate ships, graveyards, sanctuaries, etc.

The characters too are drawn from that game: Rayman, Globox, a Teensie duo, the pirate robot Henchman 800, and Razorbeard are here. Strangely Ly (who appears on Rush’s loading screens) is not in the game, seemingly replaced at some point by a smaller fairy, Tily. Other new faces are the Henchman 1000, Razorbeard’s wife, and Dark Globox who in this instance is a bigger, uglier, Glute. Also in the PS1 version a female Glute named Globette replaces the Teensie team. I’m not familiar enough to identify if there were musical references/remixes, but the music is funky and upbeat, a great accompaniment to the action.

This game doesn’t have a story as far as I can tell (no manual scans online either) so let’s make one up. The pirates and Razorbeard are still around after Rayman 2, as shown by Rayman 3 GBA and Rayman Kart, so this is probably just after Rayman 2. Polokus has woken up and decides to deal with the remaining pirates by challenging them to a contest with his Glade of Dreams champions, being the mischievous god he is. All through the land he sets up courses for his people to race and battle the pirates (and each other). The results? Inconclusive. As we’ll see the pirates aren’t finished after this, but Polokus may not have the absolute authority or inclination to outright get rid of them.

So this game is a strong concept in all its incarnations (well, the race half anyway); it’s just too bad that the later release had to remove features while adding others. I enjoyed Race mode very much, and it comes highly recommended if you’re interested in 3D obstacle course foot races (don’t worry, it’s much more fun than Donkey Kong 64′s race segments) or the world of Rayman 2. Those new characters are also nice to flesh it out a bit (it also introduced the enemy Cullcut, who starred in a Flash-based typing tutor). Finally, I’d recommend Haruka Tavares’s gameplay videos to check out the different versions if you can’t play them.