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Saturday 26 January, 2008
GAMEPLAY
I decided to try some Rayman Raving Rabbids games with just two players this time, which opened up the option of the first-person co-op rail shooter. The shooter has the players moving together through varied environments with a toilet plunger launcher, firing at attacking rabbids. The players attempt to hit the rabbids with plungers before they get close enough to inflict damage and frequently enough to rack up a high score. This created gameplay that varied between conservative shot placement and wild firing which was very engaging. Playing it cooperatively with another player created a level of communication based on who was supposed to shoot which rabbid, and we would essentially take turns to chain together 'kills.'
I also ran into some of the worse minigames of Raving Rabbids. Primarily marred by interface and control issues, these games tended to be frustrating and kill the mood the game was previously perpetuating. Difficult-to-control game characters and oddly timed pattern games were significantly less interesting and fun. The social aspect of the game, however, tended to salvage them somewhat, as other players would do as poorly as you had done, and it became a challenge not against the intended game mechanics but against the game itself.
Narrative was not an aspect I deliberately chose to pursue with this game, as the single player portion served simply as a means to unlock the minigames for multiplayer accessibility. The games themselves, however, created some sense of narrative, with the different minigames connected in themes and locations. For example, in one game you attempt to launch a rabbid dressed as Superman out of a mine shaft and through the air as far as possible, at which point he becomes stuck face-down in the desert ground outside. Another game has you hovering above the desert landscape in a flying saucer, trying to rescue rabbids dressed as Superman who fly into the game area and become stuck face-first in the ground. These sort of narrative connections are present throughout many minigames, and suggest at a form of progression through the different levels.
The social experience of the game is a major draw. Even with only two people the game creates a fiercely competitive or cooperative atmosphere. Bystanders also tend to get into the game, cheering for players or simply commenting on the demented nature of many of the various minigames. I get the feeling that Raving Rabbids would be not nearly as fun alone, as a major source of enjoyment comes from the other players themselves and the interactions you have with them. With that removed, the game would be much less attractive.
DESIGN
This game makes heavy use of the unique nature of the Wii controller. Very few (if not none) of the minigames use a traditional control system, preferring to use the motion sensing and pointing capabilities of the Wiimote and Nunchuck instead. This requires that the player get physically involved with the game and gameplay, drawing them into the game to a higher degree. The game also uses the physical nature of the game to create a frenetic pace, with the player becoming physically exhausted by some of the challenges. The game successfully combines the hectic art style, fast gameplay, and unique control system to create a largely hysterical and frenetic game.
The rail shooter games are an odd experience in themselves. The player is punished for allowing the rabbids to get close enough to inflict damage, but rewarded for chaining five consecutive hits together, creating gameplay that swings between wild and deliberate. In my experience, the players would take turns with shots when possible, communicating what they needed to rack up higher scores. Once a major offensive wave is launched by the rabbids, however, that tends to go out the window in favor of wild firing and fast-paced targeting. This creates a series of highs and lows in gameplay that are satisfying and contribute to an enjoyable pace.
Not all of the minigames are as good as others, however. Some of the different dancing minigames (in which players essentially drum with the Wiimote and Nunchuck) could become very frustrating, as the drum patterns weren't necessarily in time to the beat of the song in any way. That combined with the manner in which the drum beats are presented to the player (rabbids slide in from opposite sides of the screen, making it difficult to track one side without losing track of the other) make for a jarring break in the mostly satisfying gameplay. Additionally, controls for other minigames (such as one where you are flying a pterodactyl) are oddly counterintuitive and clunky, requiring you to spend your time fighting them instead of the intended game mechanics. These minigames are massively outnumbered by well-implemented games, however, and can easily just be neglected.
The game also suffers from a period of down-time between the end of one minigame and the start of another. Making the players agree on one minigame and getting into it causes a hitch in the flow, and an option where you simply play a random string of games was strangely absent. I am also unconvinced that the game has a great deal of replayability, as I found myself avoiding many of the minigames that I had already played. The game does make an attempt at adding longevity by including different levels of difficulty for some of the games, but by and large each one offers a very limited scope of play that once fully tapped does not offer a lot of draw.
Rayman Raving Rabbids is best described as a very fun game. Every aspect of it has been engineered to make players laugh and throw themselves completely into the gameplay. The show-stealing rabbids are a welcome addition to the previously mediocre Rayman universe, and offer a whole new direction for the franchise. The game makes very worthy use of the unique control scheme of the Wii, and all of the elements of the game come together to create a frenetic and exciting style of play. The artistic direction of the game is wildly varied, well executed, and very memorable, and the minigames themselves make good use of the Wiimote control scheme to create a variety of unique experiences. All in all, Rayman Raving Rabbids is a very good game.
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