Rayman 3: Hoodlum Havoc
Most games don’t star a hero who has hands and feet but no arms and legs. Even fewer place the bad guy in the stomach of the hero’s friend and leave him there for most of the story.
And we haven’t seen many that include levels in which you “funkyboard” through a kaleidoscope of colors while dance music thumps in the background. That is, unless you’ve played one of the earlier adventures in the Rayman series.
Of Teensies and Lums
Here’s a bit of backstory for those unfamiliar with the off-beat nature of the Rayman series: our eponymous hero lives in a world populated by Teensies, who are short, long-nosed creatures with a penchant for music. Rayman and his pal, a toad-like creature called Globox, have saved the Teensies’ world from evil more than once. However in Feral Interactive’s Rayman 3: Hoodlum Havoc, a Dark Lum Lord has marshaled his forces — known as Hoodlums — and set out to turn the Heart of the World black, thus infesting it with evil forever.
Lucky for you, the ever-clumsy Globox (voiced by actor John Leguizamo) accidentally swallows the Dark Lum Lord, leaving his plans on hold until his Hoodlums can free him. While Globox complains of gastrointestinal difficulties, you must guide Rayman through his world to find a doctor who can extract the Dark Lum Lord, hopefully without allowing him to complete his diabolical machinations.
But first you must find Globox, who ran off with Rayman’s hands in a fit of panic after he swallowed the Dark Lum Lord, known as Andre when he was a simple, life-giving Red Lum. Luckily, Rayman can use his feet to take out Hoodlums and other nasty creatures until he finds his friend. Eventually, his quest will take him from the idyllic Fairy Council and Clear Leaf Forest to the deadly Hoodlum Meddleworks and The Land of the Livid Dead, where Rayman’s ultimate test awaits.
Help From Small People
As Rayman travels through the world, his guide, Murfy, who looks like a frog crossed with a fly and sports a Cheshire Cat-like grin, buzzes around him and offers advice. Murfy can zip into Hoodlum camps undetected and bring warnings of dangers around the next corner, so you should listen to him. And be on the look-out for Red Lums as you travel; they will regenerate the health Rayman loses every time one of the Dark Lum Lord’s minions hits him. Later, he gains the power to turn Dark Lums back into Red Lums.
Rayman also gets assists from Teensies who have been imprisoned in cages by the Hoodlums. Look for the prisons in every level and break them open to free the musical creatures, which grant bonus items such as special suits that give Rayman more powerful punches and other extra powers. He might even get a Throttle Copter, special headgear can take him to greater heights than his own helicopter hair (press jump while in mid-air to twist his hair into a rotor and guide Rayman to a smooth landing).
You can also earn some extracurricular fun for yourself during the game. You score points for defeating bad guys, grabbing the crystals you find scattered throughout each level, and performing other actions, such as finding a shy lizard called Matuvu. String together several actions in a row to earn extra combo points. Accumulate enough points and you’ll unlock special hidden games, such as Racket Jump (tennis with a Hoodlum twist) and 2D Madness (a take-off on the original Rayman, which was a side-scrolling 2D game released before the widespread use of 3D graphics).
Other surprises, some pleasant and some not, lie in wait as well, but we’ll leave those for you to uncover. Let’s just say Andre the Dark Lum Lord has more than Hoodlums at his disposal. Want to learn even more about the Rayman universe? Check out Rayman Zone.com.
If you liked these games, check out:
Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets Otto Matic
Your Very Own Tour Guide. Murfy explains the ins and outs of Rayman’s world.
Cartoon Sound Effects. Punch out the Hoodlums and rack up points.
You Said You Wanted a Vacation. Visit all kinds of strange new places.
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System Requirements:
 | Mac OS X version 10.1.3 (10.2 or higher recommended) |
| 500MHz PowerPC G3 processor (700MHz G4 or higher recommended) |
| 128MB of RAM (256MB or higher recommended) |
| 16MB 3D graphics card (32MB card or higher recommended) |
| 1.2GB of hard disk space (2GB recommended) |
| Game Pad recommended |
