Good Game Design - Rayman Origins: When Art Meets Gameplay

Rayman Origins' (and Legends') art style is not only unique but plays an integral part in the gameplay itself. Let's talk about how the two worlds collide. What's another game you can think of that uses the art style for more than just pretty looks? Tell me in the comments below!

Huge thanks to SteveoHobo and DjaliGoat for assistance on this one.

Intro animated by Pop Punk Game Time!

[mikeb]

This game is a perfect example on how to make water levels that do not suck.

[MrSpookersMcGeeThest]

I love when this game gets the praise it deserves. It and its sequel are phenomenal games.

[obviusthemaxim]

Miss this series, Rayman Origins and Legends truly imo is one of the best games Ubi has put out there, maybe even the best platformers I've ever played, and I've played a lot of them

[elFulberto]

That's weird that the newer Rayman, for all its awesomeness, seems to have been almost completely forgotten by the general public. It is beautiful, it's goofy, it's got a very distinct over-the-top aesthetic, it has wonderful gameplay and bizarre sense of humour. It's quick but manageable, challenging but not frustrating, it has an oitstanding soundtrack, and generally it looks, feels and plays great. So great, in fact, that it tricked me into believing I actually liked platformer games. (I later found out I didn't. I just liked Rayman).
Why has it been forgotten then? Mario is a cultural phenomenon and the icon of platformers. So is Sonic, if only for having been so consistently bad for so many years. There have been indie darlings, like Shovel Knight, that were lauded as breakthroughs in the genre. But Rayman? It seemed to have flown completely under the radar. I mean, Origins created some buzz but Legends was forgotten by the end of the year it was released in. What went wrong with it?

[DrShaym]

The character designs in _Team Fortress 2_. Each class is designed to be visually distinct from the rest so that you can quickly determine what your team mates are doing, which is important in a team-based game. It's the same thing in the _Doom_ reboot. Each enemy has a different shape, color scheme, and way of moving that makes them easy to identify at a glance so you know what weapons and strategies to use, which is important in a fast-paced shooter where you can be engaging several dozen enemies at one time. This is also done well in _Left 4 Dead_.

[jarerarebear]

Rayman Origins, Rayman Legends, DKC Returns and DKC Tropical Freeze have got to be the best side scrollers of the last decade. Mario is still the Godfather of the genre, but there's no denying the impact the new DKC games and the new Rayman games have had on me.

[ChikoWhat]

uses art as an inherant part of the gameplay?
Okami, you LITERALLY DRAW WHAT YOU WANT.
Need a bomb? Draw a Q!
Need to cut something? Slash it with a line!
Need wind? Draw a loop de loop!
Need to sprout trees? Draw seed dots on the ground.

[reidysmeidy]

"I just wanted to let you know you're beautiful"

[Sagaan]

Rayman origins is a better Sonic than Sonic.

[trumpeterjen]

If I were a game developer and you made a video like this about a game I made, I'd probably cry.
I'm not a game developer, of course, but it's heartwarming to see a video this well-put-together so successfully articulating what makes a game great, especially when it's a factor you can tell the developers put so much love and effort into. They'd probably feel really validated to see this.

[simonag.]

I didn't see anyone talking about it but, Kirby Epic Yarn ?

[BushBumperBaker]

I can think of two games that blend art and gameplay amazingly. Castle Crashers and Shovel Knight. :'D

[Skinkemann]

You express really well the reasons I love these games so much! Both Origins and Legends are pretty much perfect platformers. Gorgeous & beautifully exuberant games with a real sense of joie de vivre! I get really psyched just thinking about 'em :D

[BlaketheBlock]

Rayman is literally my childhood. This game has an extremely special place in my heart.

[sinceritynature]

I feel like the game Limbo kind of this art melding into gameplay effect, though that's probably helped a lot by the fact that there's no detail to it, it's all in shadow. I can't think of a game that does this sort of thing as impressively as Rayman Origins.

(Though the games Baten Kaitos and Baten Kaitos Origins do sort of come to mind. It's not quite in the same way, but a lot of the backgrounds and maps in those games look like paintings, with interactable and aesthetic set pieces blending together, making it feel a bit more like a cohesive world.)

[sayumeyeam]

This is really helpful! Trying to catch up on all the youtube video's I've missed in the past few months. Always a pleasure seeing snowmaN on my sub list.

[oddnstrangegames]

Love the series, always happy to see more!

Also you gave me terrifying flashbacks when you showed that final level... Sooo many hours lost to that level...

[WolfieboyMachi]

I'm a game designer and currently making a game with my friend, and one of our main inspirations are the two latest Rayman games. Particularly Legends. I absolutely ADORE these games. They are SO good.
Hoping for a new one soon...

[wub]

Hmm... Fancy Pants Adventures comes to my mind.

[ninjajack]

This is my favorite 2d platformer of all time, just hearing the music makes me so happy.