| Rayman Brain Games | |
|---|---|
| Developer(s) | Ubi Soft |
| Publisher(s) | Ubi Soft |
| Producer(s) | Gérard Guillemot |
| Programmer(s) | Olivier Couvreur |
| Composer(s) | Daniel Masson |
| Series | Rayman |
| Platform(s) | MS-DOS, Windows, PlayStation |
| Release |
|
| Genre(s) | Education |
| Mode(s) | Single-player |
Rayman Brain Games, also known as Rayman Junior, is an educational video game developed and published by Ubi Soft. It's a spin-off entry in the Rayman series. Players control Rayman, who must retrieve the Magic Book of Knowledge from Mr. Dark. The game features levels in mathematics and phonics involving spelling, word recognition, number recognition and arithmetic.
Since its release in 1996 for MS-DOS and Windows, Rayman Brain Games has been received mixed reception. Reviewers praised its experience, gameplay and visuals, though with common criticism being that it had sound and educational issues resulting in no educational impact on players.
Rayman Brain Games is an educational game with platformer elements which the player control as Rayman. The game features twelve levels in mathematics and phonics, [1] and three difficulty modes for each. The levels will include spelling, word recognition, number recognition and arithmetic. The player could replay a level with the questions reset, but the player can't replay it once it's completed. In order to complete the game, all levels must be completed. [2] The player can lose lives and halt progress for each wrong answer. The game's premise involves Rayman retrieving the Magic Book of Knowledge, which has been stolen by Mr. Dark. Besides Rayman and Mr. Dark, other characters featured in the game include Betilla the Fairy and the Magician who both of them guide the player. The player could practice their actions at Betilla's Garden. [3]
Rayman Brain Games was originally published as Amazing Learning Games with Rayman for the MS-DOS and Windows in 1996, [4] and Rayman Learning Center with three volumes in 1999. [5] The game would be released for the PlayStation on August 9, 2001. [3]
Rayman Brain Games has received mixed reception since its release. Writer Bonnie James felt that the game mixed educational elements with gameplay well and that kids who enjoy playing games will enjoy this, though they noted that kids who aren't skilled at games might not maximize enjoyment. They went on to praise the game's aesthetic and conceptual variety and the quality of the game's visuals. They felt that the game should have more choice to what players can do from the beginning, comparing the idea to how one can do questions out of order on a test. [2] Active Learning Associates praised it for its addictive, action-oriented gameplay. [6] Writer Jennifer Beam felt that the experience may captivate players, but noted that its educational elements developed too slowly and criticised sound issues, which may hamper a child's ability to hear instructions or questions clearly. [3] Author George Kalmpourtzis noted that the educational approach of "modifying and extending their game mechanisms" that Rayman Brain Games takes is a risky one, arguing that such games can result in no educational impact on players. He went on to argue that such a game does not lend itself to being used in classrooms due to being unhelpful as educational games. [7] Writer Andrzej Sitek felt that it was an interesting approach to platform games, commenting on their issues with children's educational video games being unrefined. [8]