| Fresh from his work on King Kong, acclaimed game designer Michel Ancel returns to revive Rayman. The eponymous icon is still lacking limbs, but has gained some funky new moves thanks to a control scheme built around the Wii’s innovative controls.
Promising to be the zaniest Rayman adventure yet, Raving Rabbids sees our hapless hero imprisoned by a mad horde of bunnies that have been underground for centuries, plotting an invasion to take over the world. To save the land and its inhabitants, Rayman will need to get the Rabbids on his side and put an end to the plans of their crazy emperor.
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Interview with Loïc Gounon - Rayman Raving Rabbids Wii
by Nintendo Europe. Ltd.
Bunnies. They can’t play football, they can’t fly – in fact, there’s not a lot they can do. And yet, they seem to be everywhere! It only takes a few minutes of playing Rayman Raving Rabbids to put a big grin on a grumpy face. Bow to the bunnies.
We recently had a chat with Ubisoft’s Loïc Gounon, Senior Coordinator of what is surely the most insanely fun Rayman title to date. Being a man of many talents – including a complete mastery of the Rabbid language – Gounon appears to be the right man to tell us where these bunnies came from. But something tells us he may already be under their wicked spell…
Nintendo of Europe: All of a sudden, there were bunnies… Around E3 2006 the Raving Rabbids were let loose upon the world. Who came up with the concept of these crazy creatures?
Loïc Gouno: The original idea for the Rabbids was based on a concept of Michel Ancel [The creator of the original Rayman, as well as other acclaimed games like Beyond Good & Evil and King Kong - Ed.] Basically the Rabbids were hiding underground plotting to take over the world. The story was to be as simple as possible. The Rabbids, for centuries, had been preparing an invasion… Now it’s time for them to rule the world!
The idea for the Rabbids - in terms of their design - was to find the most ruthless, evil enemies ever created! At first glance they would be all cute and then the character modeller (Hubert Chevillard) added this insane look when they scream, to play on the different contrasts.
NoE: Could you give our readers unfamiliar with the game a brief description of what it's all about?
LG: This is one of the most hysterical episodes in the Rayman series. Our intention from the beginning, when the first bunnies were developed, was to put the players in crazy situations and allow them to play absolutely ridiculous scenarios that were entertaining and fun.
NoE: Rayman is mostly known for platform adventures, but this time he’s taking on a multitude of different challenges. Why did you come up with the unique concept of these ‘mini-games' for Wii?
LG: Early in the project, we decided to put emphasis on the Wii version as we wanted to experiment with all the gameplay possibilities this new hardware has to offer. This was a real challenge, but a stimulating one as the whole team came up with tons of great ideas to make use of the controllers!
It appeared then that the standard platform gameplay that made the former Rayman games was just not enough to make the most of the possibilities of the Wii Remote. We felt it would be a bit restrictive, too linear, and we wanted to create a game that reflects the versatility of the new controllers.
We therefore thought about something totally new in terms of gameplay and level design. The compilation of different challenges wrapped in a wacky scenario was just what we needed; each game plays differently. The result is that the game now boasts a unique diversity while being fun and easy to play for anyone who can hold a remote control.
NoE: The sheer variety of activities in the game, and the way they make use of the possibilities of the Wii Remote and Nunchuk, is extraordinary. Can you tell us something about the creative process behind designing so many different types of gameplay?
LG: When designing features of the game we always tried to look at the movements as extensions of Rayman’s hands. For example if you want to grab a worm out of a bunny’s mouth [Rabbids have rotten teeth – Ed.] you use the Wii Remote to aim, then press the trigger button and pull the worm out, so it’s very intuitive and natural for the player.
With regards to Ray’s movements, you will get to use the Nunchuk and the Wii Remote to move Rayman in all sorts of ways. Jumping, rolling, even sky diving. You will also be able to use the first-person shooter view to shoot bunnies!
NoE: What would be your top three 'mini-games' in the game, and which ones do you think will have the most lasting appeal?
LG: I would definitely say that my three favourites are: ‘Bunnies Can’t Fly’, in which you have to ‘launch’ Superbunny as far as possible by moving the Wii Remote and Nunchuk down one after another, to make the wagon Superbunny is riding go faster and faster. Once you launch the bunny, you can detonate the dynamite charges that are stuck to him and give him a little extra boost before he hits the floor!
My second favourite is ‘Bunnies Are Addicted to Carrot Juice’, in which you hold the amphibious bunnies back as long as you can, squirting carrot juice in their faces by shaking the Nunchuk up and down to pump out carrot juice. The Wii Remote is used to aim at the diving masks of the attacking bunnies.
A third favourite is ‘Bunnies Rarely Leave Their Burrows’, in which you have to stop the bunnies from leaving their holes for as long as possible by aiming with the Wii Remote and smacking them on the head with the Nunchuk. Don't worry, most of them are wearing protective head gear!
I really think that many games will have a great lasting appeal not only because most of them are playable in multiplayer (up to four players) but also because you’ll want to break your records. How far can you throw a cow? How fast can you milk a pig? How long can you prevent the earth from being invaded by drowning the Rabbids in a flow of carrot juice? And it’s not only about your score! With the internet code that is delivered at the end of each mini-game, you can check your score in the hall of fame at www.raymanzone.com against scores from players all around the world. Can you be the world champion at cow-tossing?
NoE: Can you tell us something about the multiplayer options in the game?
LG: Almost all of the mini-games are playable in multiplayer with up to four players, with a lot of different alternatives like cooperative, versus or turn-based gameplay options.
For example, you can play the first-person shooter sections in cooperative mode with two players. You will then even have access to special weapons which are not available in the single player, such as the grenade. You can also engage in a dancing challenge for up to two players.
Some other games like Peek-a-boo can be played by four people at the same time and I can assure you this will be a lot of fun!
NoE: Looking back on development, what were your experiences in developing for Wii, and has it whetted your appetite to continue working with the console?
LG: Working on Wii is a totally disruptive and very much enjoyable experience as it makes you think about gameplay mechanics in an innovative way. The hardware is perfect to develop games for. It’s easy to program, so you can concentrate on developing new ideas and pushing your gameplay. And the controller is definitely innovative. It opens up new ways to play games.
As gamers, we will rediscover how to enjoy videogames. As developers, we must rethink our controls and gameplay to push the interactivity and immersion even further. I think our story with the Wii is only just beginning.
NoE: In your opinion, what sets this game apart from everything else on the shelves this Christmas?
LG: BWAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAaaaaaaahhh!
NoE: Mr Gounon, thank you for your time! Mr Gounon...? |