Review: Rayman 3D

System: Nintendo 3DS

Deverloper: Ubisoft Casablanca

Publisher: Ubisoft

Score: B

The character of Rayman is nearly coming as synonymous with a new Nintendo hardware launch as Mario himself, with the GameCube being the only console that didn’t have a game starring the limbless wonder day and date with release in the last decade. With Mario nowhere to be found at the arrival of Nintendo’s 3DS handheld, Rayman is the only game in town for those looking for a platforming adventure with their new hardware. Despite essentially being a port of a game that at this point is pushing eleven years of age, Rayman 3D is of the best in the initial 3DS line up and a must for fans of the platforming genre.

Rayman 3D is an update of 1999′s Rayman 2: The Great Escape, which at this point has been ported to everything from Sega’s Dreamcast to the original DS under the name Rayman DS. The game has little in the way of plot, and can be summed up in as little as there are pirates doing evil things and it’s up to Rayman to set things right. Very much of its time, the plot is more or less an excuse to set the player on a grand adventure that involves collecting items (in this case, Lums and breakable cages).

In many respects Rayman 3D shows its age, with a few camera hiccups that really obscure the action, especially in one of the boss fights that involves swinging vertically, but it’s remarkable how well the title has held up. The world Rayman inhabits is still beautiful by today’s standards, further demonstrating that when it comes to graphics, it’s often the games that feature clever art direction that hold up over the test of time.

Rayman repertoire is what you would expect in a game of this type: Over the course of the 18 worlds, you’ll run, jump, swing and swim through a number of creative environments. Combat is fairly limited, with one attack button for shooting Rayman’s fists and little modification, but it’s more or less there to break up the platforming. It must be noted that movement with the 3DS control slider is superb for games of this type, and if Rayman is any indication of how good the control slider can be utilized, it may just be the best 3D movement input on a handheld to date.

What’s a 3DS game without 3D? Even though Rayman 3D was not designed from the ground up for the 3DS, it makes great use of the technology. On the more gimmicky side you’ll see bugs coming out of the screen, but on the more impressive side when in one of the several sliding sections or on a vertical descent the 3D is great. When the 3D slider is turned even part ways up the new found level of depth in the world is pretty impressive. If you’ll pardon the pun, it adds a new dimension to a game that many may have already experienced. For the purpose of review, the title was played with the 3D turned on through a large percentage of the 8-10 hour quest with little discomfort.

While not being created with 3D tech specifically in mind, Rayman 3D is nonetheless a great choice for anyone picking up a 3DS at or around launch. It may not be as special to anyone who has experienced the adventure in one of its many incarnations, but it still stands as a solid platformer even by today’s standards. Rayman has taken a backseat as of late to the nefariously cute Rabbid’s, here’s hoping this is an indication that Ubisoft’s unofficial mascot graces the genre in a new journey soon.