Rayman: 30th Anniversary Edition was expected from Ubisoft after leaking just days prior, but its contents weren’t. This is a retro collection from Digital Eclipse, most recently known for their well-received Mortal Kombat Legacy Kollection.
The collection won’t cost you an arm and a leg at just £17.99, but it’s a strange selection of games… well, game.
Ubisoft could have packaged together Rayman, Rayman 2, and Rayman 3 to celebrate such an iconic character’s 30th anniversary. Instead you’re faced with five versions of Rayman 1 (Atari Jaguar, MS-DOS, PS1, GBC, and GBA), four of which feel almost identical. Once you’ve played one, you’ll likely not bother with the others apart from the differing Game Boy Colour version.
A long-lost SNES prototype is also available, consisting of a few scenes and an interactive pipe to take proto-Rayman through, though it’s nothing to write home about.
You’ll likely play the MS-DOS version since it not only has the additional 120+ DLC levels, but has the most Trophies too.
The gameplay holds up well after all these years, and there’s no major performance or input issues noticeable with any of the versions.
The difficulty is still hard as nails but is far more accessible due to additional features. You can save and load at any point during play (if it functions as intended), rewind the last few seconds to undo damage or death, save multiple slots for each version, and activate cheats, from infinite lives to fully unlocked levels and abilities.
However, the original soundtrack from Remi Gazel has been replaced with reimagined tunes that just don’t match the vibe or bring any nostalgia like the original. At times the soundtrack just cuts out entirely, leaving large silences which are completely jarring.
When not playing through a version of Rayman, you can explore a detailed history spanning the development cycle of the first title, ending with Ubisoft’s first teaser for Rayman 2.
It lasts no longer than an hour including concept art, design documents, fun facts, and several five-minute interviews with Michel Ancel, Frederic Houde, and various other notable developers. It’s an enlightening and interesting experience that we wish had been expanded from Rayman 2 up until his latest appearance in the Mario + Rabbids: Sparks of Hope DLC.
Rayman: 30th Anniversary Edition is a limbless but not quite soulless retro collection. The core gameplay is enjoyable and holds up well accompanied by additional levels, accessibility features, and an intriguing look into Rayman’s history.
Ultimately, it’s four identical games with no newly developed content, a sprinkling of bugs, and an absence of the nostalgia-inducing original soundtrack. It leaves us wishing Ubisoft had spent more time deciding which games to include in this collection, and also put more effort into refining the 30th Anniversary Edition of one of PlayStation’s most iconic IPs.
