Jaguar Rayman is best Rayman, actually

Rayman on PSX/Saturn makes a wonderful first impression and a rewarding 100th impression, but impressions two-through-99 are a nightmare of punishing difficulty that forces the player to rogue memorize everything. Such is Rayman's reputation. What's curious is that a mellow version of Rayman does exist; it's just been ignored by the gaming community and the developers alike. Such is life on the Atari Jaguar.
So uhhhh, hi? I promise I never mean to upload one video per year; this video just took a lot out of me. I feel like I could never say the word "CD" again in my life and feel no sense of loss. I started recording gameplay in October, drafted the script in November, and began editing the video in March. Real-life also spared no expense in trying to keep me from making this, but it's finally done.
I've watched drafts of this video so many times in the past four months that I'm not even sure if I like what I made anymore. You know that phenomenon where you say a word enough times that it doesn't even sound like a real word anymore? This is that but in KZbin video form for me. I'm just glad there's finally a video out there vindicating the Atari Jaguar version of this game.
Music used:
0:01 | Party at Joe's - Rayman
0:27 | World Map - Rayman
2:06 | Moskito's Rage - Rayman
2:51 | The Red Drummers - Rayman
4:00 | Title Screen - Defender 2000
4:27 | Intro - Pinball Fantasies
4:35 | Spin Out - Club Drive
4:51 | Crystal Palace - Rayman (Atari Jaguar)
5:04 | Suspense - Rayman
5:15 | Pencil Pentathlon - Rayman (Atari Jaguar)
5:36 | Gong Heights - Rayman (Atari Jaguar)
7:27 | Duet with Mr. Sax - Rayman
8:31 | Deep Forest - Rayman
9:06 | Stage Fright - Rayman
10:00 | Creepy Clowns - Rayman
10:59 | Cakewalk - Rayman
11:59 | Dizzying Heights - Rayman
13:02 | The Magician's Challenge - Rayman
14:15 | Flight of the Mosquito - Rayman
15:20 | Hold on tight! - Rayman
15:50 | Night on Blue Mountain - Rayman
16:19 | Space Mama's Finale
17:29 | Space Mama's Overture - Rayman
18:37 | Lurking in the Darkness - Rayman
19:43 | Mr. Dark's Dare - Rayman
22:07 | Stage 4-1 - Jumping Flash
23:15 | Championship Results - Super Burnout
23:24 | Kurage - Zero Divide
25:27 | Entering the Cavern - Rayman
26:26 | Game Over - Defender 2000
As always, this video is public domain. Use it however you please. I'm sure I'll need the publicity given I'm a bitter, old, hardened KZbin reviewer who refuses to let trivial things like "demonetization" and "sponsorships" keep me from swearing every other minute.

[@Ryemanni]

What a good time to be alive; an actual comprehensive look into the version differences that doesn't just blindly dunk on the jaguar version due to it's "bad" music. I find the version differences and development history of Rayman 1 really fascinating. Thanks to developer interviews, reverse-engineering the games and other prototypes, we have somewhat of an understanding of what happened behind the scenes. Rayman indeed started development as a jag exclusive, but when ubisoft saw the low sales of the console, they wanted it to be ported to other platforms as well. In 1994, developer Yann Le Tensorer ported the jaguar engine to PC, writing it in C instead of assembly. This port of the engine would be known as the "multi-platform engine". Even though this engine was originally developed for the PC, every other console version of Rayman branched out from it. So yes initially the jaguar, pc, ps1 and saturn versions of the game were developed *at the same time*, jaguar being the only version which used a completely different engine, which explains some of the jarring version differences. If you ever get the chance (or haven't already) you should also play the PC and Japanese PS1 versions of Rayman 1. As you might've guessed, they are also very different from the other versions. PC has completely different cage locations and entirely new level layouts. The Japanese PS1 version on the other hand is much closer to the jag version of the game. It feels like the developer team was never quite happy with the game, always tweaking or changing something with each version, this is very noticable with the different versions of the PC release: The early versions were much harder, having more enemies here and there which would be removed from later releases. The files also contain a lot of graphics that went completely unused in all of the versions. It feels like history repeats itself, as the whole situation kinda reminds me of what happened to Rayman Legends. Legends was supposed to be a Wii U exclusive, but after Ubisoft saw the console's low sales, they wanted legends to be ported to other platfomrs as well. Gah, that ended up being long, sorry about rambling, but I just absolutely love the development history of Rayman 1. I also really like the Jag version and always found it to be underappreciated. So thank you for making this video, it is great!

[@Pimpeaux]

Holy shit; thanks for reaching out! I wasn't aware the Japanese version of PS1 Rayman had differences compared to the American version, although that does make a lot of sense. I'll definitely need to try that out once I get a PS1 ODE. It makes me wish I'd reached out before making this because that's a huge detail to omit. You should also know that I've already got multiple people asking for my opinion on Rayman Redemption. Thank you for your service to the Rayman community!

[@reddeaddumbass7649]

Tiedän mitä sinä olet

[@carlosemilio5180]

Based comment from Mr. Rayman himself (Of course, jokes like these only work if you strip down people to one personality trait, which is bad even if they are just internet people) (sorry) (Btw good luck with your new game)

[@A31Chris]

@@Ryemanni they were not developed at the same time. The Jaguar version was first with nearly a year head start on the others. That's why it's so different.

[@Ryemanni]

@@A31Chris You're right, the jag version had a head start in development since it was the first version. The decision to port the game to other platforms happened mid-development, and after that point the versions were worked on simultaneously. This is what I meant in my original comment as well, but worded it poorly. Thanks for pointing it out!

[@ThroughLidlessEye]

I think tiny Rayman should exist because he is funny and small.

[@philipneedstowrite1799]

Adding this to my "list of reasons I want to get a Jaguar"

[@Draggobuttboi]

How many reasons do you have so far?

[@user-yy5zc6ts3l]

Dude, just emulate. There a new good emulator available

[@cyrollan]

It's not as bad as people say, in hindsight. But do not pay $300+ for it unless you're a psycho like me.

[@TheSeventhForce]

Whoa, how is this the first time I'm hearing about the differences in jump physics?

[@RemoWilliams1227]

Same here and I've had ps1 Rayman for decades lol

[@roberthanthonymartinezrive7383]

Nice to see another comprehensive video about the Atari Jaguar version of Rayman. I remember that week when my mom and dad brought me the Jaguar version of Rayman and a McDonalds meal during my high school days. I almost finished it that very night but i was already getting tired. Love this game to death despite its difficulty. My dad was a game collector and that's how i played the Jaguar version. Thank you and rest in peace dad. Me, my brother, and mom miss having you around with us :(

[@RemoWilliams1227]

Lovely, thank you for sharing this with us friendo.

[@dastanovich2476]

this is why I respect Rayman Redemption so much, with how it takes design ques and pays respect to all versions of R1 (EVEN GBA) to make it 1 definitive package

[@MegaMet98]

I've remember playing some of Rayman Redemption. And I must say Ryemanni did an excellent job of Rayman Redemption, the most definitive way to play the original. Not just for the familiar content, but also the new content thrown in to keep it fresh.

[@ChickenMcKicken]

could you explain what rayman redemption takes from all versions? im really curious

[@dastanovich2476]

@@ChickenMcKicken Balances out the whole game's difficulty by using level design chunks from all versions, even JP. So the latter parts of the game mosly use the PSX level design. Earlier either Atari or brand new Adds tons of brand new tracks that are specifically remixes of version exclusive tracks from Atari and GBA Think the game's only flaws are the lack of proper music looping and some... inconsistent fan-gamey effects (lack of a proper text box, mini Rayman is just normal Rayman sprite but small, making the pixel scaling odd, and brand new VFX like secret true final boss' either do or don't capture the same console limitations as originals)

[@MyPS2ateMyHomework]

I remember having Rayman for the Jaguar, and my cousin coming over for a family BBQ….this wild animal RAN through this game in between eating BBQ ribs and chicken. Oh America

[@cyrollan]

Get your cool cousin to comment in here!

[@hyperness3112]

Amazing video! I'm glad to see the Jaguar version is getting more love.

[@Specter227]

Wow, this video turned out to be quite a rabbit hole. I knew that the CD versions of Rayman were meaner with their level designs (especially the PlayStation version) but I didn't expect them to turn the difficulty up THAT much. Some of the changes almost feel like those Maio Maker levels that take World 1-1 and put a whole bunch of Bowsers and Hammer Brothers in it lol

[@thegardner80]

Ha, I had no idea the other versions were hard. I had a Jag back in the day, and beat Rayman without extreme difficulty. I was confused when you said you couldn't. Thanks for the explanation

[@gryzimil]

Now I gotta play Rayman 1 only on Jaguar and have a posting gimmick of insisting the game isn't that hard actually.

[@PandaMoniumReviews]

Zero Divide OST stans, rise!! Also, thanks for always being a dear friend. Congrats on finally finishing this!!!

[@Pimpeaux]

Zero Divide's ost is the only thing that kept me sane while making this.

[@PandaMoniumReviews]

@@Pimpeaux Yes yes. Likewise, that OST got me through much of the Sega Rally grind. It just plain rails.

[@UberNoodle]

I convinced my mum to get me a Jaguar for Christmas, which required her to buy it through mail order from a video game importer (a line of business which in my country back in those days was synonymous with pretty dodgy practises lol). She bought it at quite a markup price too: one of five Jaguar stock. And finding that store was product of many days of searching on the library internet and calling (Yes, by landline) shops all around the country, following the metaphorical bread crumbs, until I found one store, on the literal other side of the country. Lol. Anyway, I got my Jaguar for Christmas, much to the bafflement of all of my cousins who had no idea Atari still existed. We played Cybermorph and AVP ... in black and white, because we had forgotten the NTSC to PAL converter. Anyway long story short: Rayman on the Jaguar was incredible.

[@Pimpeaux]

That's an amazing story lol. My boyfriend found an Atari Jaguar at a game store when he studied abroad in Costa Rica once upon a time. I've been thinking about how it would've gotten down there ever since.

[@eezack1]

0:25 *sees artwork of Rami from Keio Flying Squadron* *instantly hits the sub button*

[@robertlauncher]

Mario 3: So for slippery stages, the player should be able to jump to reposition themselves since the ground physics are so punishing. Rayman’s Band Land: Nope! You inexplicably lose midair control on slippery objects! Have fun! Edit: That’s not a thing in the Jaguar version? Man I feel cheated lol

[@AutoYeah]

I love the usage of Rami reactions during the video, nice content!

[@lunamorley]

Holy shit this video was amazing. I'm one of those weirdos who has an Atari Jaguar but I do not own a copy of this game. I figured 'eh, it's really expensive and I already have it on PS1 and Saturn". I also think the discrepancy in graphics and music make this version easy to write off, but holy hell as you detailed the gameplay changes my jaw was on the floor pretty much the entire time. Your ending hypothesis honestly sounds quite likely as to how it came to be like this. This was amazingly comprehensive and well argued. Well done. This is the kind of video I love to see on this platform.

[@nerdwriterfighter212]

Saw this in my reccomended. And am flabergasted how this only has 960 views and 825 subscribers???subscribed.

[@Gorilla_Jones]

Rayman Atari Jaguar is the best version.

[@iamonthenet]

2 videos in a year? I'm spoiled 😁

[@ketrub]

you have enlightened me i need to play the Jaguar version now

[@flyingsquadron]

I clicked on your channel because I saw a Keio/Rami pfp on a TurboViews episode, was not expecting to see such a fantastic video!! Great stuff!!

[@Xerxes126]

Happy you're still here. I remember watching your collection video. Great content as always!!

[@Mariogirl17]

This was expertly crafted. I'll always be envious of your ability to output content like this. Great video!! You simply cannot get more informative than this. I wish this level of detail and research was commonplace and should be the standard for game reviews. Bias and "because this person said so" takes prominence over actual fact and that has always been a massive pet peeve of mine. Keep up the great work.

[@sapphicana6637]

the amount of slightly different versions of rayman out there is like, ridiculous, idk if you’re familiar with the amount of editions the game had on pc but if you are you would know 😭

[@HamidKarzai]

omg i had no idea this game was meant to have a reasonable difficulty, this video was super interesting

[@cyrollan]

I'm a Jaguar fan, and just received this cart today. This is a great video, pertaining to my interests! So far (halfway though) it's been incredibly insightful. Thanks for your hard work.

[@mmpsp693]

Also a reminder for me to play Kaio Flying Squadron

[@RetroDark2008]

Atari Jaguar my beloved, I really want to get one. The video editing in this video is top notch, as someone who makes youtube videos I am amazed at the amount of effort on show here.

[@Pimpeaux]

I watched some of your content, and I've gotta say you're well on your way. Idk if your Saturn reviews are your first rodeo in terms of content creation, but even if they aren't, I find it amazing how quickly you're improving. I've been making videos since 2010, and I got my bachelor's in convergent media, so it's important to remember that any qualities my work might have are the culmination of throwing shit at the wall for literally more than half of my life. At the rate you're going, I can't imagine how impressive your videos could be in five years.

[@pepticmars9365]

This vid was amazing. Great job. Hope you got more attention soon!

[@alexandermckay9521]

Bussin’ video!

[@arcanedarkling]

A very well made video! I would've never known there were so many differences...

[@beth7609]

This was an amazing video that I'm glad was reccomended to me! Despite not really being a Rayman fan (barely started Rayman 2 last year before I found out about version differences and got demotivated, not to mention tried the PS1 version of Rayman 1 on emulator and got... frustrated) it was still a really interesting video! I'm glad these past couple of years have been getting a few people to challenge certain common sense gaming opinions, it actually makes things interesting and gives lesser talked about games a chance instead of hearing literally the same takes for the trillionth time. Awesome content! Good luck out there! :)

[@puertoricanguy999]

Here's hoping that someday, the MiSTer FPGA community attempts making an Atari Jaguar console core and makes Rayman playable.

[@bombjack1984]

Great video. I thought the extra difficulty of the CD versions might have been due to that rental thing at the time where games were made tougher to encourage a sale rather than rental (not sure how that works really though!), but no, it seems the devs just loved the Jag version more.

[@g-starthefirst]

My theory as to why the CD versions of the game are extremely harder is because the developers playtesting the game thought the Jaguar version of the game was too easy, which led to the level designers making the game near impossible, all the while the whole dev team forgot they were making a game that would mostly be played by kids.

[@Plywood]

what doom port are you is a great meme video in the making. nice video!

[@Katie4]

im gonna become a ray man.... (Awesome video!)

[@ShinyRaichu94]

Wow. I didn't know that the Jaguar Version is less brutal than the PS1 and Saturn Versions.

[@limeboat5530]

THIS VIDEO IS FIRE!!!!!! Its crazy how legit almost nobody else has talked about this and its been 30 years. great video and obviously a lot of time and research put in. But if you make any more side-by-side comparisons in the future, id really appreciate you labelling which version is which because i got confused sometimes. I checked your channel so i know you arent super active but if you made more videos in the future, id be down as heck to watch them.

[@ssg-eggunner]

very interesting now this makes me wish rayman rendemption had options that could change gameplay based on jaguar, it'd be sick to have momentum based tether but without grip loss during wall collisions

[@XJ-0641]

No idea when or why I'm subscribed but this is a great video! Glad i'm here.

[@godhimself1128]

WOW when I played the Playstation version originally I wondered why the hell every moment of it felt like a bad decision. Now I know I'm not crazy!

[@cakekatjam6]

The one thing i personally kinda despised the most was how they made the metallic sheet music stages 90x more slippery in the CD versions. I guess the lack of enemies would've balanced them out but god I would be lying if those weren't sooo less bullshit in the Jaguar version since its more paced like a regular level

[@cakekatjam6]

Only the first of those stages worked with new physics from the PS1 versions. The way the rest still have a bunch of beginner traps to bump into and enemies that knock you off thin platforms made me wonder if those physics were even fully intended for those stages

[@Pompadour_Pug]

I hate to do this but considering your in-depth understanding of Rayman 1 I'd be interested to hear your extended perspective on Rayman Redemption, a fan remake of Rayman 1's PC version.

[@raymanfreak7739]

That's very interesting. I've beaten Rayman 1 on my PS3 (Via PSOne Classics) awhile ago and still remember how insanely difficult it was, and yet the Jaguar version somehow had a lot of improvements on the difficulty. I'll say that I don't think I'd be comfortable with the controller from what I've seen of it, but it is fascinating nonetheless. I really appreciate this review on all the versions, and especially the fair comparisons you gave out. So, thank you for giving these games a fair shot, and for going out of your way to go so in depth on all the ports. :)

[@1lichfield]

Pandemonium recommended this video..glad he did! Fantastic work and your passion shines through.

[@Mike14264]

Yeah, apparently so! Someone told me that this version was the most play tested, and with the most care put into meshing well the moveset and the level design! Probably because it was being developed first, right?

[@ethereal_worlds]

love to be in the era of youtube where folks are deconstructing the earlier internet's canonical opinions and misinformation. excellent viddy!

[@Andrew_TS]

Never knew these differences! Loved the Saturn's 2D classics like JPN Astal, Keio 2 (Rami so kawaii! ^_^), Legend of Oasis but just couldn't stomach that version of Rayman, but loved its sequels. Odd to see how much more frustrating they made the CD versions.

[@omarithegamer2008]

Damn, my tween years is a lie. I always thought that the Jaguar version is slightly easier than the PS1, Saturn and DOS versions, due to the lack of ice physics, but I didn't know that the other versions had alot more changes that makes them that much harder. Makes me interested in checking out the Jaguar version sometime. (Also, I never thought someone would bring up Astal in 2024, but it's awesome people still talk about this underrated game)

[@onlywithbuts1781]

It is worth mentioning that in the "Eat at Joe's" Cave section where you jump on the balls, you can actually hit the attacking fish with your fist, which makes the whole section whole lot easier and i bet many people are asking the same "How come i didn't try that?" Perhaps because we were so mentally tired from all the ridiculous unfair difficulty at that point that we assumed it wasn't possible so we didn't even try😂

[@Pimpeaux]

Not gonna lie, I had no idea you could punch the fish lmao

[@eternal5953]

I love the game boy color Rayman game & I'm really surprised I never heard until now that this version of the console game has a more rigid style of player control like the handheld one. definitely going to give it a look. great video!

[@dynastymusou8906]

@Pimpeaux, you are a goddess! Thank you for making this video. It has done a great job of comprehending most of the different versions out there of the original Rayman. A game that I, despite loving it every time I play ug, I unfortunately have never actually finished. This video has inspired me to try one more to see how far I will get. I have subscribed and hope to see more content like this! Perhaps Z sequel to this when you get your hands on the Japanese version of Rayman for the original PlayStation? 😉

[@captainnintendo]

Will definitely admit that I thought the title of the video was mostly clickbait but I was actually quite surprised at just how many subtle changed each version of the game has. Especially the jump arc thing. That is probably not something people would be able to tell unless watching footage back-to-back but it would certainly be something that would mess with certain obstacles like you demonstrated. The only real differences I was aware off personally was how the sliding physics was non-existent in the Jaguar version and how when riing the mosquito you actually shoot rather than throwing your fist Was not even aware that the shrinking stuff was CD exclusive, neither have I ever noticed how superfluous it is xD Great video, mate. Will definitely subscribe and be looking forward to whatever else you decide to upload.

[@N3Selina]

i am personally a strong lover of the DOS/PC version happy how everyone has their own favorite version of this game~

[@CropCirclePictures]

Thank you for putting music used in the description

[@SolnkElCilantro]

I want a jaguar now.

[@dogey8831]

This calls for a patch for both CD versions!

[@erwanlecainec3394]

This video needs to be watched twice and with regular pauses to absorb all the information it delivers. Thank you very much, the Sega Saturnshiro team. You really make wonders. I watched Pandamonium videos and was dazzingly amazed. Pimpeaux, you're in this continuity. Keep up the good work even if it's one video a year. As you say in a flash in the small corners of the video, History has to be preserved. I loved as well the small pieces of interview at the end about Rayman and what this game was representing at the time. And I loved as well the devil in the detail for September 7th instead of 9th for the release of PlayStation in the US given that some shops didn't respect Sony's official launch date. I have been playing my Rayman copy since 1997 on Saturn. I was always happy to play the superior version until I see your video. You forgot to mention in the important differences when Rayman is squeezed in the Saturn version when he's hit by a tambour stick in Allegro Presto, effect which affects the gameplay for a short bit the time for Rayman to recover and get back to his normal size. This was not in the PlayStation version for sure but I don't know for the Jaguar version, if you can confirm. As of today, I have still not finished this heel of a game, and my last save is probably 10 years old soon, one of the miracles I kept on Saturn through the memory cartridges bugs / mandatory formatting or through lithium batteries I had to change for internal memory. The day I finish Rayman would be considered almost as a stone in my life time... if it ever happens ! ^^'

[@VicViper]

I choose to actively not take over the world. Or I grew up with this game on Saturn, idk. My CD is so scratched I have legitimately NEVER seen the end credits, it would always crash to BIOS right at the end of the celebration FMV for beating Mister Dark. Tried on the Mednafen emulator, again PAL version, and it would freeze right after the window breaking animation. I'm cursed. In the art world, there's a series of 3 or 4 slide & bounce jumps with a bunch of pencils pointing up and down, and you gotta pass through the middle. I've lost so many lives to this, it's so traumatic that even +12 years after not touching this game ever and progressively forgetting about the rest, I KNEW that dashing full speed wasn't the answer. Since Jaguar doesn't have ice physics, I wonder how it handles this part, or if it has been thrown out entirely.

[@Pimpeaux]

It just takes a few precise jumps; I regret not showing that part of the game in this video, but you should be able to find it in Evelyn's longplay at this timecode: kzbin.info/www/bejne/gZi2aXuJj5KBpbs (assuming I know which section you're referring to) Also, yeah. My copy of Rayman has a similar problem. The ending FMV stutters a lot, and the intro FMV always crashes midway through. I may have used a real copy for this video, but there is no reason not to get an ODE like the Satiator these days. It's so much more reliable, and the load times are far easier to stomach.

[@VicViper]

@@Pimpeaux It is that section! Yeah, it's night and day compared to this: kzbin.info/www/bejne/iqSkhKuFnNmllas And though the guy in the video just walks, I swear to god on Saturn PAL I had to gather some in-between speed. Either that or I've been playing this section wrong for about 27 years, and it's really that easy. Then I'm... horribly embarrassed.

[@lucamckenn5932]

Funny flying french man was the first Dark Souls.

[@emilyfell159]

Really good video. Well done

[@KonaKonaKaabisteru]

Daang, that was incredibly comprehensive analysis between versions - I'd been curious now and then about the Jag original, but to hear about it's original physics and more accessible difficult curve makes the CD-versions later feel borderline criminal! 😅 Honestly this vid has me wanna campaign for an improvement hack for both CD-versions that'd revert back the physics from Jag + restore the removed checkpoints/pickups among other things. That'd allow us to have the true definitive version of Rayman for OG systems (Redemption is great but you know what I mean). (Also already love you so much for having Rami as your pngsona, KFS still so very close to my heart 😭💓)

[@RemnantCult]

Jagheads, where y'all at? Scratch one for Atari! Tearing up the competition!™

[@Pzkfw5]

This was a pretty good video

[@DubiousD]

this is fuckin enlightening actually

[@thepuzzlemaster64]

Is it strange that I play Rayman 1 to chill-out sometimes...specifically the PS1/DOS version? Really out of all the original releases my favourite has to be the DOS version, despite it being the most butchered simply because I like the level design just a little more. Though, one of the cages in the Eat at Joe's stage that was changed is evil. Pixel perfect jump, misleading Ting placement, and having a high risk of touching the stage clear sign if you miss the jump. One more thing that's really annoying with every version of Eat at Joe's final section (except for the PS1 version) is how the water is opaque. The see-through water in the PS1 version really helps with seeing these fish, but a lot of consoles back in the day couldn't easily do these kinds of transparency effects, and I don't know why they still went with this decision. At least the Jag version made the fish swim above the waves so you can see them. Honestly, apart from those two section in Blue Mountains, and that one jump in Cave of Skops (plus Eat at Joe's in the DOS version) the slightly gimped jump, and the momentum based rings never really bothered me. The harder bosses do however. Skops and Space Mama both have these unfair sections where it's near impossible to not get hit from their "death hugs", and in general the Jag version's bosses feel more complete that the CD versions. There almost needs to be a proper definitive edition of Rayman 1 since every version of this game has at least one thing it excels at. Also, no, Rayman Redemption isn't the definitive version of Rayman 1. At least to me. It just adds way too much and "fixes" problems that made the original game unique, and turns it more into this run of the mill indie platformer with Rayman's face slapped on it. No offence to Ryemanni, he took a lot of effort and passion to make it (I saw it from the beginning in RPC while I was looking for Rayman sprites myself), and I like his Rayman coverage...it's just that Redemption ain't my cuppa tea. I want something more faithful in a Rayman Remake. Maybe a source port if that ever ends-up happening.

[@EmilXOM]

I have been longing to hear anything about the Jaguar version!

[@1ove1ess]

Needless to say, you indeed make a very good case. I’d still say the presentation is very significantly better on the CD versions, but what is presentation when gameplay is impared that much on those versions. I played the PS1 version with a friend when I was a kid. Man, there was 0 chance in hell we would’ve seen even the half point

[@wills2894]

What a great review! Ive always heard about the jaguar port but never knew all about it, hearing about the other ports being more harder by the small changes they did was pretty shocking to me. Great video and would love to see more stuff from you!

[@elderlygoose3667]

Didn't even know there was a Jag version 😅 Had a Saturn so fond memories despite the pain.

[@SuperJM9]

A very interesting video, and very well made. I have played pretty much every version of Rayman on original hardware, including the PC port in real-mode DOS with a controller and the Japanese PlayStation version. Last year I got a Jaguar and the game and was finally able to play it, something I had wanted to do for years but waited until I got the real thing. In most places I found it to be harder. 1. Rayman has a bigger hitbox making some sections more difficult. 2. Enemies and object positions are not kept in memory so if you leave the screen and then come back they're always in the same position. This makes some parts easier and others harder. 3. Hanging is much harder, especially when dropping from a height. 4. Far fewer extra life pickups (as you noted). 5. You lose all fist powerups whenever you get hit. 6. You have to hold down the run button at all times to run instead of being able to let it go and continuing to run until you stop pressing the directional button. However, I came from a position of being very experienced and well used to the later versions. In situations such as this I am always aware that it's almost impossible to make a truly objective comparison. This is evident by finishing my first Saturn playthrough a few months before with around 35 lives, but finishing the Jaguar version on my second continue (albeit I used both on the final boss fight). That is clearly not a true reflection of the difference in difficulty between them. This video has definitely made me reconsider from the perspective of someone who played all versions with a similar level of experience. You mentioned some things I did not notice, such as the static camera. While playing through I also noticed the changes you mentioned where they made things harder. Another example that comes to mind is a big P in the mosquito boss fight, similar to the one in Space Mama's fight. I was dreading the final section of Eat At Joe's, but I beat it no problem due to the reasons you noted. I also noticed that you're knocked back higher and farther in the Jaguar version, which I considered to make the game slightly more difficult in general but also gives you more time to recover in sections such as this. The flying rings are indeed so much better in the Jaguar version also. And I'll never understand why they decided to get rid of the cloud eyes animation. From a performance perspective I noticed slowdown in a tiny few sections on both Jaguar and PlayStation. The Saturn is the winner here, with no slowdown whatsoever. Graphically they're very similar, with each having its own strengths. I played all three on a HDTV. I have a CRT but don't current'y have space to set it up. I played the PlayStation and Saturn versions through RGB scart. The Jaguar's official RGB scart cable didn't work on my HDTV for some reason (though thankfully it does on my CRT) so I played that through s-video. This means the colours took a hit on the Jaguar version, but it still looked very good, and leaving that aside, is basically the same as the other versions. For clarity, while I grew up with the PAL PlayStation version, I now play the NTSC version, and got an NTSC Jaguar/Saturn and US copies of Rayman. I'm not completely sure which version is harder. The things I noticed that make the Jaguar version harder are there, but you also made a very compelling case for the Jaguar version being easier. I suppose one way of making the Jaguar, PlayStation and Saturn (but not DOS) versions easier is to play the PAL versions. The entire game runs 1/6th slower, giving you more time to react. The Android version is definitely the hardest. Mandatory touchscreen controls do not suit this game well at all. At least the iOS version supports a controller. If you like Rayman 1, it got three expansions on DOS. Rayman Designer (which contains 24 pre-made levels), Rayman By His Fans and Rayman 60 levels. Desigenr and 60 levels are very good. Rayman By His Fans are fanmade levels that won a Rayman Designer competition. Some are quite good, but some aren't that great.

[@Pimpeaux]

I absolutely love seeing constructive feedback like this. I must admit, I didn't notice how much bigger Jag Rayman's hitbox is until I was 95% through editing this video, so I couldn't find the opportunity to address it. After like 70 hours of playtime between the three versions, I must confess that I also usually beat the CD versions of Rayman with an excess of ~30 lives now. It took a long time to reach that point though, and when I set out to make this, all I knew was that the Jaguar playthrough treated me wayyyyyy better than my initial experience on the Saturn. I played all of these consoles on a consumer-grade CRT through HD Retrovision's YPbPr component cables (with the necessary dongles) and an Impact Acoustics 6x2 Video Matrix. The Capture card also got an upscaled signal through the RetroTINK 2x. They all look beautiful through that setup. I consistently find that the Jaguar has slightly better color depth, the Saturn is more bright/saturated, and the PSX outputs a cleaner signal. They all have their strengths and weaknesses, but Rayman is a pretty game no matter where you play it. I've gotten a few comments telling me the Japanese PlayStation version is easier than the American version, and as you mentioned, playing at 50Hertz would also change the experience. I definitely should've experimented with regional differences when making this video, and it's my bad for not putting forth that diligence, especially because Rayman's primary audience was/is European.

[@SuperJM9]

@@Pimpeaux That’s fine. It’s very hard to address everything in one video. There will be always be something left out. This has actually made me want to play them again and compare them, to see with a more critical eye what the differences are. One thing I completely forgot to mention is the Ray Breakout game. While this is also in the mobile ports and is playable using a cheat code in the DOS version, I’ll always associate it with the Jaguar version. It’s a fun game that bizarrely missing in the Saturn and PlayStation ports. It also showcases Rayman’s handstand animation that was in the regular game in early builds. That setup is really good. Component into a CRT is the best way to play the games. At least you know that none of what you experienced was due to input lag. Interesting observations on the graphical differences also. And I also really liked the Action! text in the Jaguar version. I wonder why they removed it. I recently beat the Japanese PS version again. I had completely forgotten how different it is. So many sound effects are different. There are many sound effects that are missing entirely. Examples are running, landing if you’re holding left or right, bouncing and using your fist when doing a running jump. Some music is also incorrect. The final boss theme plays in the last stage of Bongo Hills, and the menu theme plays when you defeat a boss. Additionally, the midi tracks are absent. This means that some music in levels doesn’t play, it uses the same “Yeah!” sound as the Saturn version and the loading screen for levels is a static image with ‘Now Loading’ text below it and no music. There is also a mechanical issue. If you fall from any height while running, even if it’s a tiny ledge, you stop running and have to start again. This gets really annoying. Finally, the password option is gone, it’s memory card only. The whole game is in English aside from the opening and ending cutscenes. The one thing that is very important to note is the fact that I played the PS Store version on the PS3, where it is emulated. I have the disc and a Japanese PlayStation, which is where I played it on my first run through. I’ll have to try it in real hardware to see if these issues are still there.

[@BeachSideBunny6969]

primo slop! looking forward to more videos

[@Spongycentrefox]

Quite interesting how big the difference between the Jaguar Version and the well known Ports really is. The PS1 Version is Actually a big Childhood Game of mine which i did have known since a was very young thanks to renting where it had been very memorable for me and since elementary school Age i got a Copy of it myself which i did play all the times. The Dificulty Spikes where all pretty hard for me but i tried them again and again until i finally almost beat the game when i was an older Child, but then i was not able to find the last Cages and coulden´t do the Last Level. Then a few years later in my late Teens, with a bit of help from the internet i finally did manage to beat it after all these years which was an really nice acomplishment. I still love the Game and beat this Version still 2 or 3 further times after it, but the enourmes dificulty that was arteficially increasesd in the better known Versions is truly a shame, since it ruines the playabillity for alot of people, would have been better if they used Difficulty Settings for the Game. Technically atleast for the PS1 Version there is a way to make that Version easier the legit way which i found out by playing with the Password system instead of Memory Cards. The thing is there, the Passwords are Saving the Lives you currently have, but they only restore the Number of the lives and don´t remember the ones you collected in the levels and that means if you load your Password Save then the lives in the levels you previosly collectet will respawn (which they never do in a Memory Card Save) while your Live count stayes the same it was when you got the Password, this way its very easy to farm new lives by going back to the Dream Forest Levels where a ton of live Spots are that you now can use over and over instead of just once. The only Downside from playing with Passwords is that Electoon Cages are only Saved when you have collected all of them in one Level, if some are still missing, they will be reset as soon as when you load your Password Save, it´s not great but still manageable since in most cases where you have missing Cages you still have to do the whole Level anyway, i beleive its a fair exchange. This is now my preferred way to play the PS1 Version, even though its not perfect it gets rid of one of the biggest Problems of having no fast way to farm new Lives in the late Game and it smoothes over the Experince quite alot. But still a shame that they went out of their to make this and the other Version way harder than they needed to be. It really would have been cool if there had been an N64 Port based on the Jaguar Version with the same easier dificulty, then alot more people would have gotten to play the better designed OG Build of Rayman.

[@doomer2021]

Great video! I had no idea there were so many differences between versions.

[@Pendulum-]

Had no idea the jaguar version was so different, I should play it sometime :)

[@Faapu]

I enjoyed this video, I knew the Jaguar version was a bit different but I just wrote that off as it being "unfinished" compared to later versions. I did find that were a few too many clips from other reviews which I thought was a little distracting but other than that it's a great video, subscribed.

[@WaddleDee105]

I've been lied to this whole time??

[@mmpsp693]

Missed you!

[@AndersOHMoberg]

Excellent video, I too had always ignored Jag Ray.. It feels like a game that Digital Eclipse should release in their Gold Series for exactly this type of reason.

[@SolarFarle]

Rayman on the Jag is cool now for me.

[@RichDominos]

The first replied comment, and I’m in his channel!

[@SwizzleMix]

Very cool video, commenting for the algorithm, my only experience with Rayman was getting bodied by Band Land over and over until my PS1 copy broke

[@sheilaghoul7019]

This definitely made me want to retry Rayman 1!

[@spongyoshi]

Just to comment on the beginning, I love Rayman 1 but I would never beat it without the in-game 99 lives cheat. EDIT: OK that was super interesting, I really should try the Jaguar version at some point as someone who loves the PS1 version. I didn't even know there was a Saturn version!!

[@rga1605]

I wonder if this game is the one that we have most different versions, because each release has something different from the other

[@Skypatroller_BenCD]

17:28 the GBA version has double healf and also removed the power up so I can't see your point

[@Josefrino]

This reminds me how Capcom ruined the original Devil May Cry 3 release for the US and Europe, just because the refund window of most stores was too short, forcing them to release Special Edition to fix this horrendous choice

[@erwanlecainec3394]

I didn’t know about that. Can you tell us more about it ?

[@Abon666]

US version only, European version has identical difficulty to the Japanese version.

[@Josefrino]

@@Abon666 Oh damn that makes it even worse

[@RemoWilliams1227]

Very good content man, love learning stuff like this.

[@massivepileup]

I only had the PC version, I don't remember limited continues at all.

[@JarJarBinks4ever]

It's funny how I could immediately tell lol. But anyway the best version of Rayman is GBA, for the sound quality.

[@goild.1624]

cool vid :D

[@mateuszkawczynski2052]

How does it compare to the PC version?

[@UberNoodle]

It's sort of makes me wonder about the reviews at the time for the CD versions. These problems were still there And just as egregious. But I bet the reviews barely ever mentioned them. It's something strange about video game reviews. They can be all glowing effervescent with praise, and maybe there's one or sentence that says something about "some unfair difficulty" Or whatever. So you buy the game, and you find yourself having to deal with this kind of crap! It happens even more nowadays, now that games are often released filled with bugs and half finished features. At least back in those days you could argue that nobody really knew any better. But I find myself today buying a game based on reviews and then thinking, "did we play the same freaking game?"

[@Pimpeaux]

While researching this video, I found exactly one British publication that slammed Rayman in 1995 for being too frustrating. Alas, I forgot to bookmark it, and I couldn't find it when the time came to put something at 25:20 when I say "difficulty be damned; it had entire consoles to sell," so I had to source the next best thing: A review by Electronic Gaming Monthly saying the game is "too easy"

[@AlexHidanBR]

IMO the DSi version is the better version cuz the music LOOPS

[@rayner864]

ayo awesome video, and yeah i mean - jaguar fans have known this for decades lmao - its just that nobody cares about them/takes anything jaguar seriously - despite the geniuenly cool shit on the system - and how most of the "bad" games were just forced out, very unfinished. and yes - theres quite a few bad games on jaguar - but none of them are boring - which id say is far worse its honestly one of my faveourite consoles lmao - it fascinates me, more than any other, how all the jaguars big, ambitious 3d games, have such a distinctive, weird vibe - a sort of minimal-poly, transitional, absolute liminal feel - really theres nothing even close to their atmosphere - and jaguars unfinished messy garbage is pretty dam unique and experimental. and in fairness, the majority of its library is just fairly solid PC ports - its one of these consoles that people only sorta know the bad games, and so thats all they got to base their thoughts on. and yeah, rayman is the crown jewel of the console imo - its the best version to play if you dont know the game, its the version i want to replay the most often - and hell yeah, i love its sound too - it gives the game this peaceful lullaby kinda feeling ik im probably sounding like an smart ass, lmao - but yeah, its just hard for me to enjoy those content creator anymore, who put effort into being negative about something that they could just as easily enjoy - its how this kind of thing gets burried - and why videos like this are always really cool to see so yeas, sick video - please do forgive the impulsive jaguar nerd that i am lmao

[@tessaPMpro]

People are allowed to have opinions, you sound like you just can't handle other people having opinions that differ from yours. Many people have valid reasons for not liking the Jag version, they're not just being negative towards it for the sake of negativity like you're framing it as. I personally agree with them that the Jag version is one of the worst, the lack of sliding physics as well as missing levels (like the rope cutting one) and gameplay mechanics (like the mini fairies) kill it for me when compared to other versions.

[@Pimpeaux]

LITERALLY THIS~~! I love the Jaguar with all my heart and soul. There's absolutely nothing else quite like it. The library is so distinctive, and even the bad games (World Tour Racing, Highlander, etc.) are so soulful in their clumsily earnest attempts to be fun. The Jaguar also has so many stories behind-the-scenes that I want to make videos about. The fact that it's public domain was practically the result of a guerrilla campaign from die-hard fans, the fact that it's literally never gone a full year without a new game, and the fact that its fullest potential still probably on the horizon; it just makes me want to chronicle the system for time immemorial.

[@rayner864]

​@@tessaPMpro​i mean - i was more talking about the console itself, and the fact its general, universally accepted impression is that its shit lmao - even for people who have never really looked at it. i dont care what someones opinions are - but id just prefer hearing their ACTUAL thoughts, not just impressions based on no personal experiences of their own. thats no fun people can like/dislike anything - for any reasons - of course lmao, why would that even need saying - im sorry, but i was more thinking along the lines that you should HAVE a reason - it is intersting to know WHY someone might dislike or like something. negative, passing comments without any elaboration arent interesting, insightful, or useful and frankly, i like saturn rayman best anyway lmao

[@rayner864]

​@@Pimpeaux real. real af - highlander makes my brain short circuit, its awesome. and yeah, jaguar die-hards are wild lmao, theyre kinda inspiring - like, trying to document the jag in its entirety is something ive dreamed about doing

[@Pimpeaux]

@@rayner864 If you don't mind me sharing, I made a fairly comprehensive chronology for the Jaguar in the leadup to the 30th anniversary panel at PRGE 2023. Feel free to browse it if you want docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1IW3M4k-nDqN-HubfNkLdU8PYkKvgd0UpD80fbtTH_QA/edit?gid=0#gid=0

[@Cade_The_Squirrel]

I've advocated for the Jag version over others for a while, it's nicer looking and has better music.

[@theincrediblegeneral5135]

I absolutely love this channel. Subbed immediately. Also, whos that character you use? She looks awesome.

[@Pimpeaux]

Thank you for the kind words! I use Rami from Keio Flying Squadron

[@theincrediblegeneral5135]

@@Pimpeaux thank you!

[@arachnegaming]

my first time playing rayman 1 was the gba version and i loved it so its always funny to see people shit on a version of a game because of its music