Verdict
The Rayman 30th Anniversary Edition is a fun trip down memory lane, letting you experience the different platforms the first game launched on from the comfort of your Nintendo Switch. You can even pick up a physical copy that includes nice goodies, which are sure to please collectors. However, there's a missed opportunity in not including Rayman 2 and 3.
Can you believe Rayman came out in 1995? Me neither; that's just a year younger than me. To mark the occasion, Ubisoft released the Rayman 30th Anniversary Edition earlier this year (don't ask me why it's called that when it's 31 years old now), and now the physical release is finally upon us. I'll never turn down the opportunity to play some Rayman, and I much prefer owning my games physically, especially when they come with little goodies.
In the physical copy, not only do you get the game, but inside the case are also a poster, stickers, and pictures - it's a neat little set for collectors, and I very much look forward to having Rayman's face plastered all over my laptop. Beyond knowing that it's a neat thing to own as a fan, you probably want to know if the game, or should I say games, are worth your time as well.
While the only title is Rayman, you get five different versions of it in the 30th Anniversary Edition - PC, PlayStation, Atari Jaguar, Game Boy Color, and Game Boy Advance. As if that isn't enough, you even get access to the demo of an unreleased SNES prototype of the game - oh, what could have been.
I don't know about you, but I think that's a mighty fine selection with plenty of content to enjoy, including a level you definitely never experienced before. Naturally, I first jumped into the PS version, seeing as that was a core game for me as a kid, and is the first version of Rayman, period, despite development for the Atari Jaguar version being underway before it - a fact I now know thanks to the History segment of the collection. More on that in a minute.
In a nutshell, I couldn't stop the smile from immediately spreading across my face from the second I took control of Rayman in the very first level. Admittedly, something about its appearance didn't sit well with me at first - it looked grainy, but I was quick to discover that's because the CRT mode was on. I promptly turned it off and was genuinely blown away by the beauty this game still displays decades later.
Rayman has always been known for the vibrant colors in its levels, and the same rings true with all of the available versions of the first game in this collection. For the most part, you get a similar experience across each one. However, there are some minor differences between the Jaguar, PC, and PlayStation versions, the latter of which is the superior one in my book. Upon completing a level in the first two, you don't get to hear an enthusiastic 'yeah' and instead get a jingle. There's nothing wrong with that, but the little things help to elevate the PS version that little bit more.
However, my most surprising experience came with the Game Boy Advance port, which is truly the PS version on a handheld device. I thoroughly enjoyed it and might even prefer it to a certain degree, thanks to the display, which offers a close-up look of the game. Yes, this means you see a bit less of the level on the screen, but I feel as though Rayman is even prettier zoomed in - both the character and levels. I do need to point out that it's a bit more challenging, though, as on higher platforms you're less likely to see the ledges below you, which can lead Rayman to take an unexpected dip.
While four versions of the game are essentially the same, you do get a slightly different experience with the Game Boy Color variant, which is actually my least favorite - I gel more with the home console version and the GBA port due to it taking directly from PlayStation's Rayman.
All versions run really well on the Nintendo Switch 2 (though the game itself is for Nintendo Switch), leaving me with no complaints about performance and a deep appreciation for how beautiful the game is, more than 30 years after its 1995 launch.
Beyond the games, as I briefly mentioned, there's an entire section dedicated to the history of Rayman, offering a museum tour of sorts, letting you not only look at important parts of Rayman's history but also watch various clips featuring his creators and even Ubisoft's CEO, Yves Guillemont. They talk about how the game came to be, from the scrapped SNES version, leading to a focus on the Atari Jaguar, to pivoting to a core focus on a PlayStation release. As a Rayman fan, I honestly found it really interesting to watch, and I think other developers and publishers should take notes if they want to release an anniversary collection.
However, while I have a fondness for Rayman's 30th Anniversary Edition, I do have a couple of qualms. Namely, why four near-identical versions of the same game and only one that differs, yet is still for the same game? I actually like experiencing different versions of the same game, but I think there should be more titles in there.
It should be a celebratory collection of Rayman's best adventures over the last 30 years, rather than solely focusing on his first game. As we have Legends Retold arriving later this year, which includes Rayman Origins: Enhanced Edition, the Anniversary Edition could have featured both the second and third games as well, meaning all of his main outings get a new lease of life in 2026.
Despite the missed opportunity to include Rayman 2: The Great Escape and Rayman 3: Hoodlum Havoc, the Rayman 30th Anniversary Edition offers a great kick of nostalgia and showers love on a beloved gaming icon with a walk down history lane. Plus, the small goodies you get with the physical edition are a nice touch for collectors.