Adam Wolf

Credit: IGN.com

Rayman Raving Rabbids Interview

Fear the rabbits. Rayman creator Michel Ancel tells us all about the Wii rebirth of the Rayman series in this exclusive chat.
by Matt Casamassina

Publishing giant Ubisoft revealed at the Electronics Entertainment Expo 2006 that it was underway with a new entry into its famed Rayman franchise. The project, Rayman Raving Rabbids, was officially unveiled for Nintendo's Wii console complete with first screenshots and even a couple of teaser trailers. But just as big was the revelation that respected designer Michel Ancel, who gave birth to the Rayman franchise and has since headed such acclaimed titles as Beyond Good & Evil, was directly involved with Raving Rabbids for Wii.

Ancel recently chatted with us about the game, the Wii controller, and why we should all be very afraid of killer rabbits. Keep reading to find out why you should be excited about this unique new take on the Rayman universe.

IGN Wii: You haven't directly worked on a Rayman game in several years. Why return to the franchise now?

Michel Ancel: The last Rayman I worked on was Rayman 2 for Nintendo 64. Even if technically we were beginners at 3D, it was a fantastic project, simply because it was fresh and funny. After Beyond Good & Evil and Peter Jackson's King Kong: The Official Game of the Movie, I wanted to go back to a simpler type of game and focus on gameplay and crazy humorous situations.

IGN Wii: What systems is Raving Rabbids coming to?

Michel Ancel: Rayman Raving Rabbids has been announced as a launch title for Wii, plus the landscape of current and next gen consoles. We will have more official word on those soon!

IGN Wii: Let's talk about the Wii version of Raving Rabbids then. What is the storyline for the game?

Michel Ancel: I wanted the story to be as simple as possible. The rabbits, for centuries, have prepared an invasion. Now, it's time for them to rule the world. It's very cliché and ludicrous -- far from complex storytelling. It's very simple, but at the same time, it's an opportunity to develop the characters and the situations. The story is not about legends, lost civilizations or things like that. It's a comedy, like Mars Attacks or some Monty Python movies, and I'd like it to sound absurd and funny.

Rayman can hypnotize and take control of the rabbits by disco dancing

IGN Wii: What is Rayman's main objective in Raving Rabbids?

Michel Ancel: Love and power! Rayman will have to save the world, his girlfriend and the girlfriend of his old enemy and his old enemy too! It starts like a caricature of a videogame scenario, but the more you play and the more it's going to be surprising and totally out of control. The fans of the series will find most of the characters they loved, but in new situations… just because the rabbits are going to use them for, um, strange purposes. I can't tell you anything else just yet.

IGN Wii: How are the Wii controller and nunchuck attachment being used to control Rayman?

Michel Ancel: A lot of our innovative new control features were shown in our trailer at E3. I will talk a bit about those, but we don't want to divulge too much just yet!

Ray's movements. With the nunchuck stick you can move Rayman, making him jump, roll and run.

The fighting part is very different from what you are used to. Here, the Wii controller (remote part) allows us to create deep interaction between Rayman and the player. If you give a real punch move, Rayman makes the same punch on screen, or in other words, if you make a punch from right to left, Rayman does the same move from right to left.

If you shake the controller, Rayman will do some special kung-fu style moves.

Grappling: If you make a quick move with the nunchuck, Rayman will grapple the nearest enemies and objects. You can then make them spin around Rayman and throw them (as projectiles) just by swinging the nunchuck around your head.

Dive attack (one of the super attacks): while Rayman is in the air, he can perform an earthquake ground shaking move. Just gesture both pads downward to do it. These controls are very easy to learn because both of your hands directly control Rayman's hands.

Rayman will also be able to use creatures in the game. To ride them, you have to twist the Wii main controller in order to direct the creatures in certain ways. You can imagine that it feels very natural to control an eagle in the air or a shark underwater just by moving your hands in the direction you want to go.

Last but not least, you will be able to dance with the bunnies! I will let your imagination fly on that one!

IGN Wii: Sounds great. You've released some screenshots of Rayman Raving Rabbids. Are these from the Wii version?

Michel Ancel: Yes, so far they all come from the Wii version of the game.
IGN Wii: Raving Rabbids is a Wii launch title, which makes us happy. How long has the title been in development and how big is the team working on it?

Michel Ancel: While we were developing Peter Jackson's King Kong: The Official Game of the Movie in 2005, a small team was in pre-production working on prototypes for the new Rayman. As soon as King Kong went gold, the whole Montpellier team (about 70 people) switched to work intensively on Rayman Raving Rabbids.

IGN Wii: The game seems focused on super-crazed rabbits. In some cases, there appear to be hundreds of them on-screen. Is this possible on Wii? Also, how do these scenarios unfold in the game world? In other words, does Rayman often have to beat up on these rabbits?

Michel Ancel: The Rabbits are hundreds and they are vicious, but at the same time they are totally stupid.

The game is story-driven, but the player will experience a lot of combinations of gameplay before succeeding to stop the rabbits' invasion. For example, you can fight the rabbits but if you need to control them for some tasks, you can also hypnotize them with disco music! To achieve this goal, you'll be able to select music and if you manage to dance following the good rhythm, the rabbits will start dancing with you and you'll be able to take control of them. Taking control of the rabbits will allow you to access new areas of the game. It's interesting to manipulate your enemies. Depending on their powers and abilities, you'll have different reactions and surprises.

On top of that, you'll be able to invoke dark creatures of the Rayman's world in order to fight against giant rabbit's colossus.

The game is going to be completely open, so you'll be able to navigate freely and move from situation to situation with different companions, items, or dark creatures.

Using the Wii controller for dancing, riding and fighting is natural just because it's possible to make those moves by manipulating the orientation or controlling the acceleration. You will need such a powerful tool to stop the rabbit invasion!

Above: Rayman creator Michel Ancel is attacked by the evil rabbits in Rayman's latest adventure

IGN Wii: Will the Wii version of the game run in progressive-scan and 16:9 widescreen modes?

Michel Ancel: I can't confirm it yet.

IGN Wii: What target framerate are you aiming for?

We're targeting a framerate between 30 and 60 frames per second. Ideally we would like to be as close as possible to 60 as Rayman is an action-packed game that will definitely benefit from and be more enjoyable with a smooth framerate.

IGN Wii: Are there any plans to take advantage of Nintendo's Wii24Connect Wi-Fi service for either an online multiplayer mode or downloadable updates?

Michel Ancel: No plans yet.

IGN Wii: Does the game feature a multiplayer mode of any kind?

Michel Ancel: This new Rayman will be a single-player action-adventure game. At the moment, we have no plans of having any multiplayer mode and we want to focus on offering a great single-player experience. One thing I would like to add though is that you will see load of fresh, crazy and unexpected content in this game.

IGN Wii: Fantastic. So what do you think of the Wii hardware and the innovative controller?

Michel Ancel: The hardware is perfect to develop games. It's easy to program so you can concentrate on developing new ideas and pushing your gameplay. The controller is definitely innovative. This controller opens new ways to play games. As gamers, we will rediscover how to enjoy videogames. As developers, we must rethink our controls and gameplay to push the interactivity and immersion even further.

IGN Wii: Finally, do you have any final words for Wii fans who are anticipating the game?

Michel Ancel: Rayman on Wii is going to be the craziest Rayman of all. It will be easy to pick up and play, packed with a lot of humor and immersive action. Stop those bunnies!