Ubisoft has put out a launch trailer for Rayman 3D, timed to the arrival of the Nintendo 3DS in European stores today and just ahead of the handheld’s North American debut this Sunday, March 27. The short clip, which GamingBolt has posted for anyone curious about the game, serves as a final sales pitch for one of the most familiar faces in the system’s opening lineup.
Rayman 2 Returns In Glasses Free 3D
Rayman 3D is built on Rayman 2: The Great Escape, the 1999 platformer that took the limbless hero into full 3D for the first time and remains one of the best loved entries in the series. Ubisoft insists the 3DS version is not a straight port, though a trailer on its own does little to settle that argument. The original has already been through plenty of conversions over the years, appearing on the Nintendo 64, PC, Dreamcast and PlayStation, and resurfacing in 2005 as Rayman DS on Nintendo’s previous handheld.
For newcomers, the setup is classic platforming fare. A fleet of robot pirates led by Admiral Razorbeard has invaded Rayman’s world, imprisoned its inhabitants and shattered the Heart of the World. Rayman has to break free, rescue friends like the lovably cowardly Globox, and track down the four masks needed to awaken the ancient spirit Polokus and drive the invaders out.
Ubisoft’s promotional material pitches the game as a substantial adventure, promising 45 areas spread across 13 regions and roughly 15 hours of play. Development was handled by Ubisoft’s studios in Casablanca and Bucharest. The headline addition, of course, is stereoscopic 3D that works without glasses, which is the central selling point of Nintendo’s new hardware and something a game built around deep, winding environments should be well placed to show off.
Ubisoft Spreads Its Bets Across The 3DS Launch
Rayman is not Ubisoft’s only bet on the system’s launch window. The publisher has thrown a lot of support behind the 3DS so far, with Tom Clancy’s Ghost Recon: Shadow Wars and Splinter Cell 3D also among its early releases. That gives the company a spread of genres on day one, from turn based tactics to stealth to the cartoon platforming on show here.
Nintendo is asking $249.99 for the 3DS in the United States, which means early adopters will be weighing every launch purchase carefully. A remake of a game many fans already own a few times over is a harder sell than something brand new, but Rayman 2’s reputation is strong, and handheld players who skipped it the first time around now have an easy way in.
Fans waiting for something completely fresh still have Rayman Origins to look forward to. Michel Ancel, the character’s creator, revealed the new 2D adventure at Ubisoft’s E3 2010 press conference, and it remains in development. In the meantime, check out the trailer and see whether the old magic still holds up in three dimensions.