The bunnys?!?!?
Purists, traditionalists, conventional snobs - none of these people will be happy to read it, but Ubisoft's Rayman Raving Rabbids completely ditches the franchise's trademark platformer background. Let's be clear to avoid any confusion: there is no platforming to be found in this Wii-exclusive title, which arrives from the undeniably talented Beyond Good & Evil team, led by Rayman creator Michel Ancel. In place of those run-and-jump levels are mini-games designed around the Wii remote. There is a central storyline that sews the minis together, but make no mistake: this project is Ubisoft's deeper, prettier WarioWare. It may not follow the classic Rayman template, but Rabbids is nevertheless a welcomed addition to Wii's launch lineup for it is a fun and oftentimes hilarious game and an ideal choice for the old-school and new-school alike.
The limbless mascot is enjoying a picnic with some Globoxes on a bright and sunny afternoon when the festivities are interrupted by underground-dwelling bunnies. In a well-animated cinematic that is indicative of the funny storyline sequences to follow, the bunnies dig through the ground and then stare blankly at Rayman until he is snatched up - kidnapped, actually - by Serguei, a gigantic beast of a rabbit who seems to act as the muscle for the race. As it turns out, although these bunnies appear to be especially stupid, they have been planning to take over the world for years.
The story eventually lands Rayman in prison, where he is forced to compete in a series of games for the entertainment of the bunnies. Only by winning these challenges will he also win over the unanimously not-so-bright beings and gain access to toilet plungers, which he can use to escape his cell. If none of this makes any sense to you, you're not really alone. The game chucks realism in favor of comedy and is a success exactly because of it. Although we could honestly take or leave Rayman himself, Ubisoft has with the bunnies created characters with more personality and charisma than 10 of the most popular videogame mascots combined. The developer seems to have realized this, too, which is why the rabbits - not Rayman - usually take center stage in the various mini-games that follow. The result is a variety of situations that will make you laugh simply because they are so silly or so wicked, which puts Rabbids in a very exclusive class of games that are just as funny as they are fun.
The bunnies infest the mini-games and you are constantly invited to torture them in new and inventive ways. You might have to use the Wii remote to bash them over their heads in a game similar to whack-a-mole. You might have to shake the Wii remote and nunchuk attachment up and down in order to make Rayman sprint so that he can deliver a bomb to an unsuspecting rabbit before it explodes. You might have to use the controllers to smack out of tune rabbit choir singers in the face. Or you might have to use the controllers to aim and fire in on-rails first-person shooter sequences. Incidentally, you don't shoot bullets, but plungers, and the projectiles fly and stick onto the faces of the bunnies as they run through the levels.
The number of minis in Rabbids - 70 - is comparable to a Mario Party title, which is impressive. The difference is that the minis in Ubisoft's title are oftentimes deeper and generally more entertaining than the norm. The developer has really thought about how to use Nintendo's new controllers and it shows. During the on-rails sequences, which in our humble opinion are so good that they could be packaged into their own game and we'd buy it, you shake the nunchuk to reload your plunger gun and aim with pixel-perfect accuracy with the pointer. It flows beautifully. The elitist gamers in us hate the very concept of on-rails play, but it's done so well here that it becomes a moot point. It's just fun. And the best part is that two or more people can gun simultaneously, which makes it a great party option. The developer seems to have caught on to that because there are numerous on-rails sequences in the title.
The game's sick sense of humor is constantly promoted in play situations. For instance, when you have to use the Wii remote to remove worms from the shattered teeth of a bunny's diseased mouth. Or when you have to spin the pointer around like a lasso so that you can hurl a cow into the air for no particular reason. And finally, when you must use the pointer to slam the doors of outhouses shut as they slide open while the bunnies attempt to relieve themselves. This latter sequence comes complete with appropriately disgusting sound effects of the rabbits grunting and pushing.