Have You Played... Rayman Origins?

Rayman is now a bit part player. Like Ubi stablemate Sam Fisher, his days of being the main attraction are over. Despite the quality of 2013’s Rayman Legends, the limbless wonder seems confined to making sporadic appearances in games that just aren’t as good as his own.

Although, it’s not like Ray’s a stranger to a comeback. After many years on the shelf, his act was modernised in 2011 and we were gifted the exceptional Rayman Origins.

Origins owes a lot to the Italian plumber, obvs, but it’s much more than a Mario knockoff. Checkpointing, unlockable abilities, and palette-cleansing shoot ‘em up stages involving a rideable mosquito all help in making this its own thing: one of the best 2D platformers of the last decade. Like all good left-to-righters, Rayman Origins’ challenge never becomes anything insurmountable, and if you make a balls of it, then chances are it was your fault.

Legends was terrific, yes, but let’s not forget that Origins started the Raymanaissance of the early 2010s. Plus, the music in it was far better than anything Madge produced that decade.