Rayman Origins

Lore & Background

Rayman lives in a valley that, thanks to a magical orb known as the Great Protoon, has the people and nature living in harmony. One day, Mr Dark steals the Great Protoon and defeats its guardian, Betilla the Fairy. As a result, the Electoons that used to orbit the Great Protoon scatter and many are imprisoned by villains that appear in the Great Protoon's absence. Upon Betilla's request, Rayman sets out to recover the Great Protoon and free the captured Electoons. Mr Dark observes as Betilla guides Rayman through his quest and eventually kidnaps her. Rayman, having retrieved all Electoons, confronts Mr Dark in the Candy Château. During the final battle, Mr Dark traps Rayman between walls of fire that close in on him. If Rayman loses his telescopic fist during the fight, Electoons may return it, but Rayman retains his fist throughout the encounter. Rayman defeats Mr Dark and retrieves the Great Protoon. In the epilogue, Rayman takes a vacation with his friends, including Betilla and the Electoons.

In Their Own Story

Rayman lives in a valley that, thanks to a magical orb known as the Great Protoon, has the people and nature living in harmony. One day, Mr Dark steals the Great Protoon and defeats its guardian, Betilla the Fairy. As a result, the Electoons that used to orbit the Great Protoon scatter and many are imprisoned by villains that appear in the Great Protoon's absence. Upon Betilla's request, Rayman sets out to recover the Great Protoon and free the captured Electoons. Mr Dark observes as Betilla guides Rayman though his quest and eventually kidnaps her. Rayman, having retrieved all Electoons, confronts Mr Dark in the Candy Château. However, Mr Dark takes away Rayman's telescopic fist and traps between walls of fire that close in on him. Electoons return Rayman's fist at the last moment, such that he can defeat Mr Dark and retrieve the Great Protoon. In the epilogue, Rayman takes a vacation with his friends and former enemies.

Reader's Guide

Rayman is a side-scrolling platformer. The player controls Rayman, who must navigate six thematic worlds. Each level hides six cages of captured Electoons that Rayman can free. Additionally, he can collect blue crystals, "Tings", and gain an extra life whenever he has obtained 100 of them. If the player loses their five lives, they would need to load their save file or restart the game. Rayman occasionally gains new powers, including the ability to fly, run, and hang from platforms. Modifications to his detached hands include grabbing and punching distant entities, the latter known as the "telescopic fist". A boss must be defeated at the end of each world, requiring the use of the previously gained abilities. Rescuing all Electoons in the first five worlds grants Rayman access to the final world, the Candy Château, the hideout of the final boss, Mr Dark. When Rayman interacts with the Magician, who is hidden in various levels, he can access hidden rooms that grant him Tings or extra lives if beaten in a given time.

Did You Know?

• Michel Ancel originally conceived Rayman as a teenager in the 1980s, when he was learning to draw, compose music, and program.
• The game initially targeted the Atari ST, then the Super NES CD-ROM, but moved to the Atari Jaguar after the peripheral's cancellation.
• A prototype of the cancelled Super NES version was rediscovered by Frédéric Houde in October 2016 and released online in July 2017.
• The MS-DOS version did not have official expansion packs; packs like 'Rayman Designer', 'Rayman by His Fans', and 'Rayman 60 Levels' are fan-made or unofficial.