Rayman: 30th Anniversary Edition

For a surprise, low-cost look into Rayman history, Rayman 30th Anniversary Edition is a neat little treat. But it

With the making of footage in Rayman: 30th Anniversary Edition underwhelming, the major selling point of this release is having access to a lot of different versions of one 30-year-old game. When the game is as fun as Rayman is that still doesn’t make for a bad package, particularly with the inclusion of all the extra level packs released in the years after it came out, but it can’t help but feel disappointing compared to many of Digital Eclipse’s stronger efforts.

If you’re a super fan of the original game and want every possible version of it, the package totally delivers. But considering how many Rayman games there were, including its sequels and spin-offs, it would have been nice to at least have had Rayman 2 included. The elephant in the room, however, is the absence of the original soundtracks. They have been remixed or replaced across the board with a nice composition by Rayman Origins and Legends composer Christophe Héral, likely due to Ubisoft not fully owning the rights to the original audio.

Rayman 30th Anniversary Edition shows that the slick gameplay and exquisite art style of Rayman are still as fun and enjoyable today as they were three decades ago. Nevertheless, this edition acts more as a modern port than as a definitive anniversary collection at some points, namely due to the lack of accessibility options for new players, and features an arranged version of the game's soundtrack with no option to listen to the original. All that aside, the bonus content is very welcome, and this game shows the original Rayman remains strong and one of the platforming classics of its time.

If you care about just the documentary, interviews, and history section of the Rayman 30th Anniversary Edition and want to have easy access to the SNES prototype from 1992 or the Game Design Bible for Rayman, this is worth buying, but I can’t recommend it at full price right now. Once the music is patched in and bugs ironed out, this will be a lot easier to stomach. I hope we see all of that addressed before the physical release is out because this is one release you’d want to own for the shelf.

This compilation is like being patted by a worn-down piece of sandpaper for fans: it might feel gentle in a few spots, but it’s still going to scrape. Without the franchise’s original signature music and with quality-of-life tweaks like rewinding after a mistake, it comes with clear pros and cons. The standout addition is that new rewind feature, which is going to make it possible to actually finish the 120+ extra levels created by fans and the original creators.

Rayman: 30th Anniversary Edition brings together five different versions of the classic Ubisoft platformer. The presentation and design of the package is stellar, acting almost like a living museum to celebrate the game's impeccable legacy. Unfortunately, there isn't a lot of variety here between each game variation, and it feels like there could have been more time spent on polishing up Rayman 2 and 3 for inclusion. As it stands, Rayman: 30th Anniversary Edition is a great celebration of the first game, but leaves out his most entertaining adventures.

It’s not a completely new game, but a collection of older titles. Or rather: the very first Rayman game in five different versions. Versions for the PlayStation, the Atari Jaguar, the Game Boy Color, and more. You do get over 120 bonus levels and extras like a documentary on top of that. Great for nostalgic gamers. Nevertheless, this is a bit of a downer of an anniversary. Due to technical issues, it was practically impossible to play the game smoothly on the Nintendo Switch 2. On multiple occasions, the video and audio completely froze, leaving no choice but to shut it down.