NINTENDO-64 Platformer Action 1999

Rayman 2: The Great Escape

Reviewed by Marcus Webb & Elena Castillo · Updated June 2025

Ubisoft's 1999 N64 3D platformer and Rayman's leap to three dimensions — Rayman 2: The Great Escape expands the limbless character's projectile-shooting combat across an interconnected open world of the Glade of Dreams, with Lum collection replacing Rayman 1's timed objectives, heli-riding environmental traversal, and a rich cartoon aesthetic that many consider the franchise's creative and technical peak.

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💡 Rayman 2: The Great Escape — Key Facts

→ Rayman 2: The Great Escape was developed by Ubisoft Montpellier and published by Ubisoft
→ Released in 1999 on NINTENDO-64
→ Genre: Platformer, Action
→ We rate it 9.1/10 — an absolute classic
→ Ubisoft's 1999 N64 3D platformer and Rayman's leap to three dimensions — Rayman 2: The Great Escape expands the limbless character's projectile-shooting combat across an interconnected open world of the Glade of Dreams, with Lum collection replacing Rayman 1's timed objectives, heli-riding environmental traversal, and a rich cartoon aesthetic that many consider the franchise's creative and technical peak.

Overview

The limbless hero. Detached hands that shoot golden projectiles. A world called the Glade of Dreams that had been invaded by robots.

Rayman 2 arrived in 1999 on a N64 that already had Super Mario 64 and Banjo-Kazooie, and distinguished itself through something both games didn’t prioritize: world-building.

The Glade

11 worlds. Each different. The Fairy Glade’s tutorials alongside the Cave of Bad Dreams’ nightmare architecture alongside the Sanctuary of Stone and Fire’s volcanic ruins. The Glade of Dreams felt like a world with history — mythology about the Primordial Corpus and the Great Protoon that had held it together before the Robo-Pirates arrived.

The alien gibberish that characters spoke — not English, not any recognizable language, but emotionally readable sound that worked as stand-in dialogue — created a textural identity that most 3D platformers of the era didn’t have. Characters felt like they existed in this specific world rather than any fantasy environment that could accept them.

The Lums

Yellow fairy creatures that served as both health and completion percentage. The Lum collection replaced Rayman 1’s timed rescue objectives with a lighter-touch “gather what you find” system that rewarded thorough exploration without hard-failing players who missed some.

Cages holding Rayman’s captured friends added a secondary collectible category. The combination of Lums and Cages across 11 worlds created the same completionist pull that Banjo-Kazooie’s Jiggies and Notes provided — without the strict percentage requirements that Banjo imposed.

The Fists

Rayman’s detached hands float beside him at all times. The Fist attack — his primary weapon — fires golden projectile shots charged to full power or quick-fired for weaker rapid shots. The ranged combat was unusual in 3D platformers: Mario stomps, Banjo punches and rolls, Rayman shoots from a distance.

The projectile focus gave Rayman 2 its distinctive play feel. Boss encounters designed around dodging while maintaining distance to fire accurately. Environmental hazards navigated with the targeting reticle as much as with jump precision. A 3D platformer that felt like a light gun game’s cousin.

Our Review

9.1

Outstanding / 10

🎮

Gameplay

★★★★★

🎨

Graphics

★★★★★

🎵

Audio

★★★★★

🔄

Replay

★★★★★

Gameplay

Rayman 2 is a 3D action platformer across 11 worlds in the Glade of Dreams — Rayman's homeworld invaded by the Robo-Pirates who have captured the Great Protoon and fragmented the world into scattered levels. Rayman fights by shooting charged golden fist projectiles from his detached hands. Lum collection (yellow fairy creatures) serves as both objective completion and health. Plum riding allows sliding on giant plums for environmental traversal. Heli-hair provides hovering descent. Globox, Rayman's best friend who has accidentally swallowed a Robo-Pirate general, serves as companion character. Boss encounters including the Guardians and Admiral Razorbeard provide combat milestones.

Graphics

Rayman 2's N64 visuals are among the platform's finest — the Glade of Dreams' varied environments (jungle, lava, underwater, ancient ruins) are detailed and atmospheric. The character designs remain highly expressive despite hardware polygon limitations.

Audio

Rayman 2's multilingual alien speech — characters speak gibberish languages rather than English — combined with multilingual subtitle options creates distinctive audio identity. The soundtrack by Rémi Gazel is considered among the N64 library's finest platformer scores.

Replayability

Lum collection percentage completion, optional Cages holding Rayman's friends, multiple environmental routes in several worlds, and completionist challenges provide replay beyond single linear completion.

Historical Significance

Rayman 2: The Great Escape (1999) is the creative and commercial peak of the Rayman franchise — widely considered among the greatest 3D platformers of its era and the greatest game Ubisoft ever made by many long-time players. The limbless character's transition to 3D preserved the franchise's distinctive visual identity while competing directly with Mario 64 and Banjo-Kazooie on N64. The game appeared on N64, PS1, Dreamcast, and PC, with each version having slightly different content. The N64 version is generally considered the definitive platformer version. Rayman 3 (2003) was well-received but Rayman Origins (2011) is the next widely acclaimed Rayman entry; Rayman 2 occupies a 12-year peak between them.

✅ Pros

+ Among N64's finest 3D platformers — competitive with Mario 64
+ Rich alien world-building — the Glade of Dreams fully realized
+ Varied environmental design across 11 worlds
+ Gibberish multilingual character speech — memorable audio identity
+ Lum collection and cage rescue for completion depth

❌ Cons

- Some underwater sections can feel slow compared to other traversal
- N64 camera system occasional issues in tight spaces
- Robo-Pirate villain aesthetic less distinctive than the Glade of Dreams itself
- Rayman's ranged projectile combat less immediate than melee-focused contemporaries

Also Known As

Rayman 2 N64Rayman The Great Escapeレイマン2

Rayman 2: The Great Escape FAQ

What is the Glade of Dreams in Rayman 2?

The Glade of Dreams is the fictional world in which Rayman 2 takes place — Rayman's home universe. It is described as a magical realm formed from the dreams of a being called the Primordial Corpus, held together by the Great Protoon (an energy orb). When the Robo-Pirates invade and destroy the Great Protoon, the Glade of Dreams begins to fracture and darken. The 11 worlds of Rayman 2 represent different regions of the Glade: the Fairy Glade (tutorial), the Band of Thieves (swamp jungle), the Canopy (rainforest canopy), the Cave of Bad Dreams (nightmare realm), the Marshes of Awakening (watery areas), the Sanctuary of Stone and Fire (volcanic ruins), the Echoing Caves, and others. The world-building gives Rayman 2 an unusual density for a 3D platformer — the Glade of Dreams feels like a place with history and mythology rather than a series of disconnected level themes.

How does Rayman fight in Rayman 2?

Rayman fights primarily using his Fists — detached hand projectiles that can be charged and fired at enemies. Because Rayman is limbless (his hands and feet float detached from his body), his Fists function as both his hands and his projectile weapon. A single tap fires a quick yellow Fist shot; holding the fire button charges the Fist into a more powerful projectile that deals greater damage. Enemy robots require multiple hits from uncharged shots or fewer hits from charged ones. Rayman also has Heli-Hair — his helicopter-like hair rotation that allows hovering descent from heights, slowing falls. Plum riding (surfing on large purple plums) provides environmental traversal in specific sections. The combat is ranged rather than melee, which creates a different platformer feel from Mario or Banjo-Kazooie's direct physical contact with enemies.

How does Rayman 2 compare to its contemporaries Mario 64 and Banjo-Kazooie?

Rayman 2 arrived in 1999 when the N64 3D platformer genre had already been defined by Super Mario 64 (1996) and Banjo-Kazooie (1998). The comparison is meaningful because all three are considered among the genre's finest examples. Mario 64 defined the 3D platformer's movement language — it remains the reference point for platformer feel. Banjo-Kazooie combined Mario 64's structure with Rare's dense environmental design and personality. Rayman 2 distinguished itself through world-building: the Glade of Dreams feels like a coherent world rather than a series of disconnected stages. The alien language spoken by all characters, the Lum collectibles' integration into the world, and the environmental variety create an immersion that Mario 64 and Banjo-Kazooie's more conventional fantasy frameworks didn't quite match. Many players who played all three in 1999-2000 rank Rayman 2 as the most atmospheric and worldly of the three.

Is Rayman 2 available on modern platforms?

Rayman 2: The Great Escape is not currently available through official modern digital storefronts — the N64 version is not on Nintendo Switch Online's N64 library, and no authorized modern digital release exists. The original game appeared on N64, PS1, Dreamcast, and PC; later releases include Rayman 2 Revolution (PS2, expanded version), and Rayman 2 was re-released for Nintendo DS (2008) and iOS (briefly). Physical N64 cartridges are available in retro game markets and represent the primary modern access route. Rayman Legends (2013) and Rayman Origins (2011) are the franchise's modern successors, available on current platforms, but the 3D-era Rayman 2 remains without authorized modern digital availability. The PC version can sometimes be found through legacy digital storefronts.