The jump from the Super Nintendo to the Nintendo 64 was like nothing that’s happened in video game hardware before or since. Moving from 2D to 3D enabled entirely new genres to flourish, with games like Super Mario 64 showing that even celebrated series still had a lot of room to grow. This month, Nintendo Switch Online adds two more games from the early days of 3D platforming, one of which is among the best games on the Nintendo 64.
Nintendo Switch Online users with the Expansion Pack upgrade now have access to Rayman 2: The Great Escape and Tonic Trouble. While Tonic Trouble might not be that well known, it’s actually closely related to the far more popular Rayman 2, having been created by the same designer, Michel Ancel. Tonic Trouble is a far stranger game, starring an alien named Ed, who accidentally douses Earth with a concoction of his own making, mutating its unlucky inhabitants in the process. Tonic Trouble was poorly received after having been delayed multiple times, and by the time it launched, it was overshadowed by a much better Ubisoft platformer that was released the very same year.
While Tonic Trouble may have been a flop, Rayman 2 remains a classic. The Rayman series started with a bright, cheery 2D platformer that debuted on the original PlayStation. The original Rayman was a hit, and rather than closely following the same formula for its sequel, Ubisoft instead took the risk of moving into 3D.
The risk paid off. While it’s not the most fondly remembered of the Nintendo 64’s platformers, it was extremely well received. The game’s quirky character designs shine just as much in 3D as they did in 2D, taking advantage of the console’s RAM upgrade to play in higher resolution for players who owned the accessory.
But while its art was eye-catching, it’s Rayman 2’s gameplay that earned it such a positive reception. At the time of release, Rayman 2 was compared favorably to games like Super Mario 64 and Banjo-Kazooie, which enjoy a much better reputation than Ubisoft’s offering today. Like Mario’s own leap to 3D, Rayman 2 translated what made the 2D Rayman game great to a new format while adding a lot of new twists that wouldn’t be possible without the jump to the third dimension. Sequences of sliding down icy mountains, diving underwater, and skiing through a trap-filled swamp are shown off in its Nintendo Switch Online trailer, for a glimpse at just what’s being added by the third dimension. Reviewers at the time also praised its camera in particular, which can be a particular pain point for early 3D games, while designers were still getting a hold of how to follow characters who now had much more freedom of movement.
Since its initial release, Rayman 2 has been ported to PC, Dreamcast, PlayStation, Nintendo DS, and more. While some of its releases add additional content, like the Dreamcast port’s new minigames, others suffered from reduced resolution and performance issues, particularly the DS version. With its addition to Nintendo Switch Online, the first, and arguably best, edition of Rayman 2 is once again easily accessible.
On top of its status as one of the great Nintendo 64 platformers, Rayman 2 is also something of a detour for the series. While its direct sequel also continued in 3D, it wasn’t nearly as well received. From that point on, Rayman has largely remained a 2D series, with Rayman Origins and Rayman Legends sticking closer to the series’ roots and gaining widespread acclaim. With games like Super Mario 64 already on Nintendo Switch Online, Rayman 2 is far from the most celebrated platformer available on the service. But while it’s been somewhat forgotten today, the series’ first foray into 3D remains one of the system’s best platformers, making it a surprisingly solid addition to the Switch Online roster.
