Rayman 30th Anniversary Edition (PS5) Review: PS1 Classic Is Still Charming

Ubisoft is celebrating the 30th anniversary of Rayman in style. The Rayman 30th Anniversary Edition is a lovingly crafted collection of the classic PlayStation 1 platforming game and its various releases, packaged with incredible behind-the-scenes documents and interviews, plus quality-of-life enhancements. It’s the definitive way to play the game that helped put the French publisher on the map.

It had been a while since I had played the original Rayman (I actually spent more time with the Game Boy Color release than the PlayStation version), and what immediately impressed me was just how charming the platformer is. While it’s on the basic side in terms of mechanics, the animations are wonderful, and the levels are vivid and colorful. Getting to unlock Rayman’s iconic arsenal of skills over the course of the game winds up being really fun, and it’s a worthwhile challenge searching for the captured Electoons in each level. With some solid boss fights and a nice variety to the action, this side-scrolling platformer has aged really well.

Like a lot of retro rereleases, the Rayman 30th Anniversary Edition features some great quality-of-life upgrades. Beyond gameplay tweaks like being able to rewind the game (very helpful for some of the more difficult platforming sections), you also have multiple save slots to use. The PlayStation and MS-DOS releases also feature several enhancements, such as giving yourself infinite lives and max health or unlocking all levels and abilities early.

What’s really remarkable about this collection is how comprehensive it is. There are five separate versions of the game, ranging from the MS-DOS and PlayStation versions to handheld releases. There’s even a Super Nintendo prototype of Rayman, where you can’t really do much in it, but it’s certainly cool to see. What’s much more fulfilling are the three level packs for the MS-DOS version that are included, as they total up to 124 additional levels to play.

Similar to developer Digital Eclipse’s Gold Master Series of games, the Rayman 30th Anniversary Edition features an interactive documentary with over 50 minutes of new interviews. Called No Arms, No Legs, No Problem: The Rayman Story, it is a fascinating look at the creation of Rayman, as Michel Ancel, Yves Guillemot, and other figures discuss the game’s development and legacy. It’s also charmingly presented as Rayman platforms his way through the videos, artwork, and other rarities that give full context to why Rayman was so impactful when it released in 1995.

Rayman 30th Anniversary Edition (PS5) Review: Final Verdict

Clearly a passion project for Digital Eclipse and Ubisoft, Rayman: 30th Anniversary Edition is a proper celebration of the limbless platforming icon. His first adventure set the stage for what future titles would be and is still as charming today as when it was originally released 30 years ago. Any fan of Rayman will certainly want to check out this premium rerelease.