Rayman Advance on GBA, port of the original PSone Rayman. Impeccable graphics and faithful gameplay. One of the best platform games on the console, Rayman at his finest 2D.
Your verdict
Category
Platformer1 player3+
Description
GBA port of the original Rayman platform game developed by Ubisoft, published in Europe in June 2001. Rayman explores six worlds to free his Electoon friends captured by the tyrant Mr. Dark. Colorful and inventive 2D platform levels, memorable music, formidable world-end bosses and accessible gameplay. European GBA launch title and first episode of the Rayman franchise on portable console.
Rayman Advance review
4/5
Art direction
★★★★★
"Striking"
4/5
Music
★★★★★
"Excellent"
1/5
Story
★★★★★
"Anecdotal"
The conversion has to fit tableaux painted for a television screen into a far narrower window: the framing tightens, which brings the platforms closer and noticeably changes how jumps read, while the scenery keeps its gradients and hand-drawn elements. The original's pictorial density survives, at the cost of a reduced field of view.
The original themes are transposed for the handheld's chip, which entails audible trade-offs: the orchestral pads are replaced by drier synthetic timbres, some accompaniment lines vanish, but the main melodies and their characteristic rhythms are preserved note for note. The charm lies in what was kept.
A GBA port of the original 1995 Rayman, Rayman Advance transposes the superb, demanding platforming of the PlayStation game, with its enchanting backdrops, gradual powers and devious level design. The art direction stays a treat and the jump precision rewarding for those who love a challenge. The brutal difficulty and a few quirks of the smaller screen make it an at-times frustrating experience. A choice piece for fans of tough retro platforming and nostalgics of Rayman's beginnings.
