As a follow-up to the surprisingly popular Rayman 2: The Great Escape this isn’t what you’d expect. The gloomy, dire plot and unique mix of "cute characters, serious situation" are replaced with a story straight from family-friendly cartoons.

Globox, Rayman’s best friend and worst burden, accidentally ingests Andre, Lord of the Dark Lums. So it’s up to Rayman to find a way to extract this evil bugger from his pal before Andre decides to take permanent residence. There’s not much to it other than that, and simplicity plays key in the story and aesthetic alike. "Raymanese" - the pseudo-language of Great Escape is replaced by English voice-overs. As far as Rayman’s world is concerned, there’s no impending doom and inhabitants have a very simple, humorous, happy nature. If you expect the heavier overtones of the second episode to be in the third, you’ll be disappointed. If you ever played the first Rayman, or love the idea of happy, oddball vibes, then step right up.

Even the visuals reflect this new take, with bright colors, lush environments, and curvilinear architecture bleeding into every stage. A very art nouveau softness and detail are all around, whether it’s plant life or the halls of the Fairy Council. There's plenty of gorgeous eye candy, with lots of little touches here and there like realistic lighting, reflective sources, and blurring effects that complement the appealing locales - but aren’t overbearing to the point of bludgeoning the eyes with visual flair. Fireflies buzz about forest landscapes, each casting its own light. Rayman himself is a sight for sore eyes, getting the full mascot treatment with fluid animations, new looks, and an expressive nature. Just check out the wide range of facial expressions: you’ve got surprise, happiness, and even a cocky sense of victory. Maybe all the fanfare of the last game is going to the guy’s head.

If there’s one thing that hasn’t drastically changed, it’s the gameplay. Anyone who’s played Rayman 2 knows the score - 3D platforming takes center stage, while Rayman tames the beast with his wide array of moves. Helicopter gliding, lock-on targeting, and even a new roll are just a few moves that help out. The biggest addition to his repertoire is a bunch of new power-ups - complete with costumes - that allow our hero to swing high in the air, fly higher than before, and add damage to his punches. All of these new tricks will be necessary in Rayman 3, as every level is crafted to test all of these skills (and then some). Add to this a combo meter - as you get points, the meter starts. All other points gained while the meter is on results in an increased bonus. If anything, the combo meter is the biggest change to gameplay and speeds up the pace, adding an arcade-like feel to the usual platform antics.

Not all is well in the land of Rayman, though. Camera control is a very finicky creature that tries to stay in one preset angle, even though you’re free to move it with the C-stick. This leads to moments of fighting to get the camera where you want, only to have it snap back to its original place. Also, moving from level to level is strictly linear and only after beating the game can you revisit stages for higher scores. There are plenty of extra mini games, movies, and the like to earn for improving, but each level is so long and broken into so many parts, some may find little motivation to go back. Then there are the aforementioned English voices . . .

On the bright side, the music is wonderful. You'll find a nice assortment of symphonic melodies, with ambient touches playing bit by bit as stages progress. Think Rayman 2, but with better sound hardware and a larger budget. Some were scared that Ubi Soft would try to make "Rayman Extreme" and toss in pop-rock tunes. You’ll be happy to know that the closest thing to hip and cool are the funk and groove that play in between levels. Even then, it’s not that cool, but fun to listen to.

Overall, Rayman 3 isn’t a far jump from Rayman 2. The visual direction and style may be different and the gameplay is faster and more straight-on, but at the core it doesn’t revolutionize Ubi Soft’s main mascot. Which is a good thing. Only if you’re so hardcore you can’t stand English in videogames or if the linear aspect rubs you wrong, would you want to steer clear. Everyone else should definitely check Hoodlum Havoc out.

· · · Hero