Rayman level 16: Trapped in an oven

  In Rayman´s Designer engine, the A to B typical goal of a platformer videogame is also accompanied by a primary task of collecting blue orbs called "tings", normally 100 tings you must collect if you want to reach the goal sign and consider the level finished. As that, you can take advantage of the mechanic by creating obligatory paths that could be left behind if it wasn´t for the obligatory collectibles that the blue tings are.

I am explaining this because all of my levels designed here have this property. As a special trait exclusive from my creations, I also made another optional collectible which are 100 dark blue tings scattered across the map. These dark blue tings have the function of guiding you across the level, they aren´t mandatory to collect and don´t affect the game whatsoever.

   The count of levels until now were levels I started creating when I was a child (circa 2001). In 2010, I joined the group of hacking Rayman Designer tool for level creating. In this time I re-modelled and even heavily re-designed some of my childhood maps (like the Pirate´s Strike map) I succesfully saved from the abandoned Windows 95 PC where they were stored.

However, with the new boundaries reached within this group I was able to create 3 maps that before I would have deemed impossible with the engine limitations the original Rayman Designer had. One of these maps is this one, Trapped in an oven, a screenmoving chasing level.

You start the level as a typical vertical map does: from the bottom, and you have to go upwards. To your left you´ll see an unreachable prize and next to you many small pieces of soil that guarantee you to not fall. The vertical walls of the map are this time visible, to give the feeling you are in some kind of recipient. All while flames surround the map.

This beginning is also filled with several enemies and a small platforming section.

Yet at one point, when the area is at its emptiest, the chase will begin: the screen, along with a few flame effects will start attempting to engulf you. From here the chase and fight for survival will begin, only pausing for the two checkpoint stops that you will encounter on the level.

The level has a trap, trial and error tyle, where you have to choose one path, one is correct, the other leads you to dead end which will give death by having the rising fire catching Rayman.

This map is split in three parts basically. Divided by the checkpoints. First part is the introudction to the mechanic of a screenmoving chase. Second is the hard zone which tests the skills. And a final, shorter one, which is a madness mixture of ascending fire and deadly enemies. At the end, Rayman must get to the exit sign quickly, for the screen continues to move!

And here is the video showcase.