"Original" Rayman Game Playing Basics

At the start of the game, Rayman can carry out simple actions: walking (ARROW keys), jumping (CTRL key), holding onto vines, and crawling (CTRL+DOWN ARROW). As you progress through the game,  Rayman gains new powers. There are two types of powers: permanent powers (those that you keep for the remainder of the game) and temporary powers which can only be used in certain levels.

Betilla the Fairy grants Rayman his permanent powers. Once Rayman has acquired a new permanent power, you should return to thoroughly explore the levels you have already gone through, because you probably haven't seen it all yet. Some surprises are waiting for you, things that you were unable to reach the first time you went through.

Telescopic fist (Jungle Level 3)

Press ALT to send off the fist. The longer you keep the button pressed, the further the fist will go.

Hanging onto platforms (Jungle Level 8)

When Rayman jumps or falls, he automatically hangs onto nearby platforms.

Grappling (Jungle Level 17)

Thanks to this power, Rayman is able to hang onto and swing on flying rings. The grabbing fist also allows him to pull the bonus items towards himself. Same button as the telescopic fist (ALT key).

Helicopter (Music Level 11)

Press CTRL to jump, then press it again to slow your descent with your helicopter blades.

Running (Mountain Level 11)

This power not only allows you to move faster (obviously), but also to build up speed to jump further. To activate it, press X while you're walking.

Rayman's other friends give him temporary powers. The flying blue elves give Rayman the ability to shrink down in size, so he can more easily pass through some of the game's narrow passages. Walk up to one to become small, and walk back up to him or to another one to become normal-sized again.

Tarayzan, in the Dream Forest, gives Rayman a magic seed, which grows quickly into a plant. To plant the seed, press the X key.

The super helicopter power is yours when the Musician gives you the magic flask which activates it. It allows you to fly while retaining control of your direction. To activate it, press CTRL. To go higher, press CTRL several times. Hint: the super helicopter power may come in hand in the Blue Mountain world too - those sharp spinning blades could help you do more than just fly!

Joe the Extra-Terrestrial gives Rayman the firefly power to help him light up the dark regions of The Caves of Skops. The firefly follows Rayman's punching fist, so throw his fist out in front of him to light the route ahead.

The photographer is another welcome friend. He is there to immortalize your feats! When you lose a life, you start again in the last place where he took a picture of you. Make sure he snaps your picture to validate each save point.

The magician is hidden away in the scenery. With his help, Rayman can enter into secret levels. In these bonus levels, your skill and rapidity will allow you to earn tings or a bonus life. But please note that this magic stunt will cost you 10 tings to take advantage of it.  You will gain a bonus life if you manage to get a perfect score in the bonus map. This means you will have to get all the tings within a time limit.

Collect as many blue tings as you can.  If Rayman picks up one hundred of these glowing blue orbs, he gains an extra life. But careful - when Rayman dies, he loses all of the tings he collected. Tings not only give you free lives, but also lead the way to hidden cages and power-ups. From time to time, you may see a single ting enticing you to jump into the unknown. Go for it! You never know what you may find.
Rayman can also collect extra lives , fists , and power-ups. The fists increase the speed and power of Rayman's punching blows. The power-ups symbolize Rayman's energy reserves. He starts off with 3 power points, but can win more on his journey... or lose some during his battles! When you have run out of power, you lose a life.

If you lose your last life, a Continue allows you to restart the game from the last level played. The Continue screen appears after Rayman dies for the last time. If you want to use a Continue, you must ring the alarm clock (by pressing the space bar) to awaken Rayman from his stupor before he staggers to the "Game Over" sign.

The "normal" exit to a level is indicated by an exit sign - logical, hmm? You can also exit the first stage of a level by going back out through the entrance door; however, if you do this, you will lose all of the items (tings, special powers, etc.) that you picked up in the level.

At the beginning of each game, a map of Rayman's world will be displayed. Each time you have completed a level, the next paths available to you will be highlighted on the screen. Most of the time, you will be able to choose between two directions.

You can save your game when you are on the map. To save, move Rayman to one of the save spots on the map, which are indicated by the Magician's top hat, and press the space bar.