Rayman Preview

This game was first displayed for the Atari Jaguar at the 1994 CES, and gamers immediately fell in love with Ubi Soft's new hero, Rayman. They fell in love with the critter with no arms and legs so much that it prompted Ubi Soft to port the game to the PC CD-ROM, the Sega Saturn, and the Sony PlayStation. Now the game is set to appear on the Game Boy Color.

In the world where Rayman resides, an evil being named Mr. Dark defeats Betilla the Fairy and steals the Great Protoon, which keeps harmony and balance between nature and people. With it stolen, the Electoons, who hovered about the Great Protoon, are no longer stable and scatter all over the world. Due to the world no longer being in harmony, strange creatures start to appear that steal every Electoon that can be found. Someone has to solve the problem. Betilla the Fairy, with the Great Protoon stolen, has lost all of her powers and is unable to help. So, whom do you call? Rayman. Rayman, guardian of the world, is sent on a quest to retrieve the Great Protoon and all of the Electoons and reassemble them to restore the world's balance.

Rayman travels through eight worlds in the game, totaling 30 levels. He makes his way through jungles, air, mountains, and caves - ultimately ending up in Mr. Dark's hideout. In the beginning, Rayman has little power and must earn powers as he blasts through the game. Some of the powers he picks up include Helico (glide), Hook (grab/swing), and Super-Helico (fly). The game also has many bonuses such as extra lives and gold fists.

Instead of attempting to port the game straight from the Jaguar, Ubi Soft is redesigning each level. The Jaguar version of the title had five unique scrolling backdrops, something that is missing from the Game Boy Color version. That aside, the graphics in the handheld version look exhilarating and prove that the Game Boy Color can still pack a graphical punch.

Rayman GBC is scheduled to come out in Q1 2000 and should be closely watched by anyone who is interested in platform titles. The game is bound to be one of the best titles ever released for the unit.