Rayman 2: The Great Escape
- 2 Games: Rayman / Rayman 2: The Great Escape (2002)
-
Rayman Collection
(2013) -
Rayman: 10th Anniversary Collection
(2005) -
Rayman: Special Edition
(2005)
Description official descriptions
Admiral Razorbeard and his gang of robot pirates have enslaved all the creatures in Rayman's world, including the peaceful Teensies and the Lums, which give life to the earth. Rayman has been captured by the pirates as well and is lamenting his troubles in his prison cell when he meets his good friend, Globox. Globox has smuggled in a silver Lum, given to him by the great fairy, Ly. With the power of the silver Lum, Rayman is able to once more shoot his fists. With his power restored, the pair escape the flying prison ship and embark on another adventure to save the entire world!
Rayman 2: The Great Escape is the sequel to Rayman, a 2D side-scrolling platform game. Unlike the previous game, Rayman 2 is entirely in free-roaming 3D environments, similar to Super Mario 64. Rayman has many unique abilities that can help him get around the world. In addition to being able to shoot his fists, he can use his hair to hover like a helicopter, and even glide on air currents in certain places. He can climb certain walls and ceilings and can even use his fists to swing from special purple Lums which are shaped like rings. Rayman also has many unique items at his disposal, such as powder kegs which can be carried or fly like jets, strange warheads with legs that he can ride and steer like bucking mules, and gigantic plums that can be thrown into the water to create new paths.
Rayman's goal is to find the four masks of the world, which allow the owner to reawaken Polokus, the spirit of the world. These masks are scattered far and wide, and are well hidden and guarded, so it is not an easy task. By gathering the yellow Lums, Rayman will gain access to new worlds, which will take him to the locations of new masks. Collecting yellow Lums also rewards him with new powers and life meter extensions.
The Nintendo 64 and Windows platforms are the original versions of the game. The Nintendo DS version sticks closest to this version.
The Dreamcast version adds a new area to the original version called Globox Village which contains exclusive mini-games. The mini-games are unlocked by collecting six hidden Globox crystals. Also, other changes include The Hall of Doors being changed into a new place called The Isle of Doors and more Robo-Pirates to contend with, including a new type not seen in the original version. The iOS and Nintendo 3DS versions are based on this version but don't include the Globox Village section. However, the 3DS version features a dynamic difficulty curve, with the game getting easier if too many lums are missed.
The PlayStation version features a heavy alteration of the levels with some being merged and some being removed altogether, although there are also some new areas as well. This includes a new unlockable bonus area that was from the originally planned 2D version of the game that was scrapped. The amount of collectible Lums was reduced from 1,000 to 800. In this version characters are also voiced with actual real languages instead of the whisper speak of the other versions.
The PlayStation 2 version adds minigames, exclusive items like the Lumz Radar, and offers more abilities for Rayman to purchase and use. Along with some expanded level revisions with lums being placed in different locations, there are three new bosses to contend with. The Hall of Doors has become hub locations, The Minisaurus Plain, Globox's House, and The Rainbow Creek. Bonus challenges can also be played by freeing caged Familiar Spirits. These prisoners are exclusive to this version of the game. The game also gives the option to use either the real language voice-overs or the older version's style and lets players save mid-level.
Spellings
- Rayman 2: הבריחה הגדולה - Hebrew spelling
- 雷曼2：胜利大逃亡 - Chinese spelling (Simplified)
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Credits (Windows version)
160 People (152 developers, 8 thanks) · View all
| Original Concept | |
| Project Manager | |
| Engine Programming | |
| Programming | |
| Special Thanks To N64 Programming Team | |
| [ full credits ] | |
Reviews
Critics
Average score: 81% (based on 107 ratings)
Players
Average score: 3.9 out of 5 (based on 182 ratings with 5 reviews)
A brilliant leap from 2d to 3d!
The Good
The graphics are good for its time, the gameplay is nice and smooth and the different levels are varied and exciting to play through! Another thing I like is the animation of Rayman when you make him stand still in one spot. And last but not least, I still get the same feeling I get when I play Rayman 1 while I'm playing Rayman 2.
The Bad
The only bad part about this game is that they don't have any kind of voice acting. The only time when they finally speak our language was when they were in rayman revolution, the remake.
The Bottom Line
Rayman has starred in a beautiful classic that will last for decades. With swift controls and a perfect 3d engine, we are treated to an awesome game for all ages!
Windows · by Arejarn (7352) · 2008
By far the best 3d platform on the PC.
The Good
The first thing you notice is the graphics. They are detailed and were never seen in a platform game at that time. They are colorful and give the game it's dreamy atmosphere that makes you stick to this game for a while. The story is pretty good to: Robotic space pirates have invaded the world of Rayman, a character without arms legs or a neck, but with hands and feet and a cute big-nosed head. To save his world he has to set his friends free, collect the fragments of the destroyed Heart of the World called yellow lums, regain his powers and collect the four ancient masks that represent each of the four elements: Earth,water, fire and air. After he has collected them he can awaken the creator of his world, the god Polokus. After that he must infiltrate the pirate prison ship and defeat Razorbeard, the pirate admiral. This journey introduces the player to new friends such as Ly the fairy, Globox the frog, Murfy the flying encyclopedia to all kinds of gameplay elements and Polokus, the spirit of the world. These all look great and are fun and original characters. His rivals include, Razorbeard the pirate and his henchmen, titans and a one-eyed cave guard. The levels are challenging and have a lot of variation. You will travel from old forests to pirate hideouts and from ancient sanctuaries to caverns. You will find some weird and original gameplay sensations such as riding a walking rocket and racing over water with a snake. The levels are spread over 20 quite big worlds that grow steadily in difficulty. As I said before these levels look amazingly beautiful for a game of that age and have a dreamy atmosphere in them that makes you experience this game almost as if you were there. What also amazed me was the gameplay. It's surprisingly smooth and easy to pick up. Rayman has a lot of powers including a power fist and helicopter hair to hover. The further you get in the game the more you'll find. As I said before, the levels are challenging and you'll need all of your powers to finish them. Playing through this game will take you a sufficient amount of hours. Sound is dreamily beautiful and magically captures you to fulfill the experience.
The Bad
There really aren't many things not to like about this game. Usually I can find shortcomings about a game but I couldn't find any notable ones in this game, really.
The Bottom Line
This game stands out at almost every area, and is so well composed you'll instantly fall in love with it. Many people love this as one of their favorite platform games. It's rumored that Steven Spielberg himself ordered his own copy. If you didn't, what are you waiting for. HIGHLY recommended!
Windows · by Rensch (203) · 2005
An overall good play..........
The Good
Rayman 2's graphics really shine out, as the lighting effects and textures are great. Also good is the sound effects, which were realistic. Another impressive aspect of Rayman 2 is the levels. All of them are different than the one before/after, and each have their own specials and tasks.
The Bad
Some levels, become hard, and although they will soon be figured out, it takes a while to understand them.
The Bottom Line
The graphics, sound and level design make Rayman 2 an excellent game, but the difficulty brings it down. I give Rayman 2 a < 3.5 / 5 >
Windows · by ThE oNe (5) · 2002
Discussion
| Subject | By | Date |
|---|---|---|
| Frontpage Cover | St. Martyne (3648) | Aug 29, 2007 |
Trivia
Character name changes
The names of a few characters changed during design of the game.
The original name of Globox was **Globber**.
The original name of Razorbeard was **Razorface**.
The original name of the Teensies was **Smalbeings**.
The original name of Polokus was **Polochus**.
And the robo-pirates were originally named **the Mysterious Guild**.
Development history
Originally, during the early development of Rayman 2: The Great Escape, it was going to be a 2D side-scroller. However, because of the new and constant usage of 3D graphics in games of that era, the original 2D design was scrapped and Ubisoft decided to make their franchise 3D as well. Details and screenshots of the original prototype can be seen here.
Extras
The PSX release of Rayman 2 originally came with a digital watch.
Japanese version
In Japan, purple is the colour of death. Because of that, some characters with purple in them were changed. Rayman's body was made blue, Sssssam the snake turned into a kind of green, and Jano's hat was turned red. But the most bizarre change was made to Ly, who's body was changed from orange/purple to white/pink.
References
The purple general who sells Razorbeard the Grolgoth is also featured in Tonic Trouble's opening cinematic.
Awards
- PC Player
- Issue 01/2000 - named as "Best Platformer in 1999"Information also contributed by Arejarn, Kalrac, and Patrick Bregger
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Rayman 2
The official UBI Soft site for Rayman 2
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Contributors to this Entry
Game added by Bilal Ibrar.
PSP, PlayStation 3 added by Lance Boyle. PS Vita added by GTramp. Nintendo 3DS added by Kabushi. Nintendo DS added by Alexander Michel. iPhone added by Ben K. Nintendo 64, Dreamcast, PlayStation 2, PlayStation added by Grant McLellan.
Additional contributors: Andrew Hartnett, Kartanym, Qlberts, chirinea, Alaka, Kabushi, Alexander Michel, formercontrib, Crawly, CaesarZX.
Game added August 22, 2000. Last modified August 2, 2024.