Rayman 4

***Rayman 4*** is an upcoming action-adventure game developed by Rockstar North and published by both Rogue Games and Rockstar Games. It is the sixth main entry in the *Rayman* series, following 2013's *Rayman Legends*. Set within the states of Michigan and Ohio, the plot follows five protagonists—retired actor and current vigilante Rayman, young comic book writer Lincoln Loud, successful Hispanic pop singer Ronnie Anne Santiago, young autistic guy Ethan Vasquez, and middle-aged unemployed alcoholic Trevor Globox—and their attempts to uncover corruption while pursuing an unidentified serial killer known as Nightstalker, while the five being under pressure from a corrupt government agency and powerful criminals. The open world design lets players freely roam the map's open countryside and the fictional cities of Great Lakes City, Royal Woods and the small town of Corduroy Shores.

The game is played from either a third-person or first-person perspective, and its world is navigated on foot and by vehicle. Players control the five lead protagonists throughout single-player and switch among them, both during and outside missions. The story is centred on many missions that involve fights (both melee and/or shooting), and driving gameplay. A "wanted" system governs the aggression of law enforcement response to players who commit crimes. *Great Lakes Online*, the game's online multiplayer mode, lets up to 30 players engage in a variety of different cooperative and competitive game modes.

The game is dedicated to Floyd Parker, who commited suicide after receiving a series of hate comments against his original project/version of *Rayman 4*.

*Rayman 4* was met with generally favourable reviews from critics and newcomers, who praised the setting, visuals, story, main characters, their voice actors, the open-world map, the impact choices had on the narrative, and flowchart feature, however, Rayman fans heavily critized the entire game for its change of the franchise's genre, lack of fantasy elements, the crossovers between the Rayman franchise and other animated TV shows, and depictions of sensitive themes.

Unlike any Rayman game, this is the first Rayman game to be open-world, not to be made by Ubisoft and to receive a Teen rating for Blood and Gore, Violence, Language, Partial Nudity, Suggestive Themes, and Use of Alcohol and Tobacco.

## Gameplay

*Rayman 4* is an action-adventure game played from either a third-person or first-person perspective. Players complete missions—linear scenarios with set objectives—to progress through the story. Outside of the missions, players may freely roam the open world. It may be fully explored after the game's beginning without restriction, although story progress unlocks more gameplay content.

Players use melee attacks, firearms and explosives to fight enemies, and may run, jump, swim or use vehicles to navigate the world. Should players take damage, their health meter will gradually regenerate to its halfway point. Players respawn at hospitals when their health depletes. If players commit crimes, law enforcement agencies may respond as indicated by a "wanted" meter in the head-up display (HUD). Stars displayed on the meter indicate the current wanted level (for example, at the maximum five-star level, police helicopters and SWAT teams swarm to lethally dispatch players). Law enforcement officers will search for players who leave the wanted vicinity. The meter enters a cool-down mode and eventually recedes when players are hidden from the officers' line of sight that displays on the mini-map for a period of time.

## Cast

* Hugh Jackman as Scott Raymond/Ryan Collins/Rayman, a retired actor who used to play the famous character "Rayman" and now protects Great Lakes City as a masked vigilante who also suffers from post-traumatic stress disorder. Rayman is 49 years old.
* Timothée Chalamet as Lincoln Loud, a young comic book writer who soon turns into one of Rayman's four sidekicks. Lincoln Loud is 22 years old.
* Zendaya as Ronnie Anne Santiago, a young Hispanic successful singer and Ethan Vasquez's girlfriend who turns into another one of Rayman's sidekicks. Ronnie Anne is 23 years old.
* Tom Holland as Ethan Vasquez, a young autistic guy who is Ronnie Anne Santiago's boyfriend who also suffers from intermittent explosive disorder who also turns into one of Rayman's sidekicks. Ethan is 24 years old.
* Vin Diesel as Trevor Globox, a self-loathing and alcoholic anthropomorphic blue frog, suffers from borderline personality disorder and often engages in self-destructive behavior. He frequently drinks to excess and has difficulty maintaining positive relationships with those in his life. Globox is 50 years old.

## Reception

*Rayman 4* was met with generally favourable reviews from critics and newcomers, who praised the setting, visuals, story, main characters, their voice actors, the open-world map, the impact choices had on the narrative, and flowchart feature, however, Rayman fans heavily critized the entire game for its change of the franchise's genre, lack of fantasy elements, the crossovers between the Rayman franchise and other animated TV shows, and depictions of sensitive themes.

## Trivia

* Rayman 4 was originally gonna be a project by Floyd Parker, but after his suicide due to hate comments, his best friend Noah decided to revive the project.