Platformers are a genre where its really hard for one to stick out from the pack. No matter what mechanics you put in there, most basically boil down to moving the stick to move, pressing A to jump and sometimes having a run button. Make no mistake, Rayman Origins is definitely one of those. Its platforming mechanics are pretty standard and the levels are modestly fun. But having just recently played it this month for the first time, I can say the way it goes about it is something that I found to be really refreshing. The game is filled with those little touches that let you know that it's just oozing personality and that was the part of Origins that made me think that it was a fantastic game.

For me personally, the way platformers play has never been extremely satisfying. As long as the controls don't feel sluggish or unresponsive, I've never particularly cared about the way they feel (Super Meat Boy might be my one personal exception to this). I feel like most good platformers out there have controls that work, as they should. There's never any real reason why you should make a game with unintuitive controls, especially in that genre. Rayman Origins platforming feels pretty good for what it is. It has wall jumping and basic attacks for you to defeat enemies and a fairly brisk pace to its gameplay. It also has two hidden areas in each level that contain electoons for you to rescue. Its a nice way to encourage exploration without getting too over the top. Rayman Legends, a game I just finished this week, has 10 things to collect in each level. I felt like that was just too much and I had to play through the levels much more slowly than Origins in order to collect everything. So for me personally, Origins level design and pace were better for me to enjoy the levels at a good speed.

The real reason I'm writing this blog about this game in particular is just how it put a gigantic smile on my face the entire time I was playing it. Origins is filled with so much personality that really add a lot to the game. It has a bunch ridiculous moments peppered throughout it, that just show you how crazy Michel Ancel really is. Since this game is basically his creation, you really get the impression that he is a dude who would be really exciting to be around. Many times in Rayman Origins I would just stare at the screen, wondering what is going on, with a gigantic smile on my face (see the image above). Another highlight is the soundtrack, which does an excellent job of straddling the line between genuinely good and, well... you should just listen to it to know what i mean. I also really enjoyed how at the end of each world they give you a really easy level where you are just collecting loads of lums while zooming through the level. The part of the game where you collect Queen lums (or whatever the hell they are) which give you a brief period where you get double lums for each one you collect. The fact that the lums would dance around combined the cutesy music made me glad that they were in plentiful supply.

Part of Origins that was a little weird was its difficulty. Its not an easy game by any stretch of the imagination and the second half of the game, which has you going back through similar looking areas will really test your skills. It almost feels like a new game plus situation even though its still considered part of the main game. The treasure hunt levels are also a bit of a pain. Making you execute spot-on platforming in a game where the controls feel a little loose is not always ideal. Those levels can also be quite lengthy which sometimes makes them feel more like trial and error more than testing my skill. It was more of a relief than an accomplishment having finished all of those levels. The boss battles are also tricky, but I just chalk up my frustration with those to not liking boss battles in most video games (I'm a little weird, I know).

I'll wrap up this blog by saying that Rayman Origins is a game that makes me happy. Sure there were parts of it that were maybe a little dull but that didn't stop me from having a huge smile on my face for most of the time that I was playing it. Even though platformers are maybe starting to get a little stale these days, this game was one I could still enjoy in 2015. If you like a good time, you should play this game.