Rayman Arena (2001)

I really liked Rayman Arena. It is certainly not the best game in the series and for a racer/arena battle game it is average at best, but it still managed to keep me playing and despite its lack of content, it was still a lot of fun to me. I think this is mainly because this is another one of those games from my youth, but as a grown ass man, I still enjoyed it just as much.

The principle of Rayman Arena is simple. You have a racing mode and a arena battle mode. You complete the stages by winning them and unlock more stages and playable racers/characters. The game follows the style and characters of Rayman 2: The Great Escape, but also adds some unique new characters like Mrs. Razorbeard and a new variant of the Robot Pirate Henchman.

You race trough different themed environments. In a race, there are multiple paths to follow and shortcuts to discover. Each race also has three modes that you can complete. The normal race itself, collecting all the Lums and a time trial. The more you complete, the more you unlock. These are, like I mentioned, new characters and levels, but eventually, you can also unlock more skins for your existing characters.

The Arena mode in Rayman Arena is my personal favorite. In this mode, you get three different variations again. The first one is collecting an orb before your opponent does, the second one is battle royal, in which you need to score point by eliminating your enemies. You can do this by collecting different power ups that are scattered around the arena and hitting your enemies with it. You can throw green Sonic like rings that explode, throw bouncing fireballs and the best one of all: The Black Lum that you steer as a rocket in first person mode towards your target. The final mode consists of capturing a Lum and keeping it with you for as long as possible, scoring points every ten seconds. The same applies here, the more maps and modes you win, the more you unlock later on in the game.

Rayman Arena is hard, really hard. It is officially a kid’s game, just like the original Rayman but the difficulty can be legendary. The first races and arena battles are not that difficult to master, but the later stages features paths, obstacles and more skilled AI that really makes you struggle. As a kid, I did not come far in this game, but when growing up, I was determined to finish the game and did so with a lot of effort, retries and frustration.

The graphics in Rayman Arena are fair. They are exactly the same as Rayman 2: The Great Escape and use the same artwork, environments and character models. I have to say that the arenas and racing tracks all look a little blend, I think that some more detail or extra life could be added in the background.

Sound wise, the game offers the same solid sound as Rayman 2. The music on the other hand is amazing. Every character has its own track which plays during the race or arena battle, and they are all awesome. Rayman Arena is one of the few games in which I downloaded the tracks so I could listen to them while working or doing chores. It does not have any right to be this great and yet, it does.

The controls work fine (which can be expected from a racing game), although they are just as stiff sometimes as Rayman 2: The Great Escape. The worst parts are the slippery platforms with water when taking a shortcut. Staying on those platforms can be a real pain in the butt. Especially since you slide with a thousand miles per hour on those ledges.

My only complaint about the game is that it is a little repetitive. I get that it has a certain theme, namely racing and arena battles, but I would love some variation like a boss race stage for example, or a little story that gives the battles and races some purpose. Not that it matters that much, I accepted the game for what it is.

In the end, I get the mixed reviews that Rayman Arena got, but for me, it is an important part of my gaming history, and I am glad that I got so much joy and fun out of it as a kid.

So personally, I would recommend giving this old gem a try.