RANDOM DISLAIMERRRR

this isnt to say that either series is inherently good or bad. enjoy what you want to enjoy. anyways, let's start this post by explaining the concepts behind both games.

i feel as though the Super Mario Brothers need no introduction- they're basically the founding fathers of 2D platforming. in the mid-to-late 2000s, with the release of New Super Mario Bros. for the Nintendo DS, Nintendo launched a new era for the franchise: the New Super Mario Brothers series. this series lasted for around seven to thirteen years (depending who you ask) before eventually coming to a close, with a total of six-and-a-half games (Luigi U was released as a stand-alone game in 2013, but was ultimately repackaged with the switch port of NSMBU).

on the other hand, you have Rayman Origins- rather than being a collection of games, it's one title in itself. i'm deciding for both your sake and mine not to get into the complicated story behind the production of Rayman Origins, so to keep things short: Rayman Origins was about returning to the titular hero's "origins" of 2D platforming. the game was released in 2011 and was hosted on pretty much every modern console of that era. it also recieved a sequel, Rayman Legends, in 2013, and considering the fact that Origins was the introduction for the UbiArt framework engine, i could sit here and rep both of the Rayman Origins and Rayman Legends. but Legends has a good chunk of the levels from Origins locked behind lottery tickets, so you can assume everything i say about Origins would apply to Legends as well.

well, now that that's out of the way, its time to compare the two to each other. like i said earlier, the NSMB series set the standard for what 2D platforming would be in the late 2000s to early 2010s: a plot that's easy to follow, a fun roster of characters to play as, and most importantly, a very formulaic list of areas (woods/jungle, desert, arctic, tropical, mountain, clouds, and lava). since it was my childhood game (and the only one in the series with actual names to the areas), im gonna use NSMBU for comparision here.

NSMBU switches up the formula of the NSMB series a bit: rather than starting at Peach's castle, the castle is taken hostage, and you're thrown all the way to Acorn Plains and must journey back to the castle. pretty much every strategy youll have to use to get through the game is introduced here- the most of the power ups in this game are introduced here, as well as the mechanics of gameplay. Layer Cake Desert introduces the Nabbit chases, in which the player must chase down the thief and return Red Toad's stolen goods, but doesnt really introduce any notable changes to the gameplay, and Frosted Glacier follows suit. Sparkling Waters offers underwater levels, but its nothing that the secret level of Acorn Plains didnt introduce already. the latter four locations in the game (Soda Jungle, Rock Candy Mines, Meringue Clouds, and Peach's Castle) are in the same boat: there's new level gimmicks, but nothing that changes the core of the mechanics for more than a minute. as much as i do enjoy NSMBU, it's issues lie in sticking to the status quo: almost every aspect of the game is something another NSMB game already did. aside from the Acorn Plains theme and its remixes, the soundtrack is exactly the same. there's really only one new power-up. despite the change of progression, the plot remains the same- Princess Peach is taken hostage by Bowser, and the player has to track her down. the biggest fault of the NSMB series is that it's constantly copying its own homework, and you can only put out the same result so many times before it starts getting old.

on the other end of things, you have Rayman Origins. the game never really explains what the story here is, so i'll summarize it as best i can: the main gang (Rayman, Globox, The Bubble Dreamer, and two teensies) are chilling in the Snoring Tree a bit too loud, and accidentally piss off the Land of the Livid Dead. in response, the nymphs and electoons are captured, along with the main gang, and a bunch of darktoons are set loose around the world. thankfully, the people in the Livid Dead are really bad at making cages, because the player breaks out soon after as the journey starts to kick off. in the first level of each area, the player must free the area's respective nymph, and is then granted a new ability. Betilla grants the ability to attack, Holy Luya grants the ability to glide, Edith Up grants the ability to change size, Anetta Fish grants the ability to swim, and Helena Handbasket grants the ability to run on walls. the cool aspect about these abilities is that each area in the game is fit around the respective abilities they introduce. the Jibberish Jungle (and all areas that follow) offer challenges in which players can test out their attacks on enemies to rescue electoons from cages. the Desert of Dijiridoos has upward gusts of wind for the player to fly in. Gourmand Land has points where the player is made to shrink/grow in order to either complete a segment or get special prizes. the Sea of Serendipity mostly takes place underwater. Mystical Pique has slope after slope into the walls for the player to run on them. you might think that this makes the game somewhat frustrating- if you have a certain ability you like more than others, you have to visit that area to really put it to use. that's when the game hits you with a plot twist: in order to unlock the final area in the game, you have to go back to these bonus areas near the older ones to free the four kings from dark energy, and as you can probably guess you get to put all your new abilities to good use in these stages. the real kicker, however, is that all of these worlds have a unique take on their own "themes" that the NSMB games barely go for at all. the Jibberish Jungle has landmasses shift back, forth, up, and down, and the player has to accommodate their movement and timing around them. while the desert areas in NSMBU have an ancient egyptian vibe to them, the Desert of Dijiridoos is much more themed off of band instruments. Gourmand Land takes things a step further, as it serves as both the game's ice-themed and lava-themed areas: the first half is an icy drink-themed outdoor area, while the second half is the hot internal kitchen. the Sea of Serendipity has a level that starts on the docks of the area, and you dont get to swim around int the water until you unlock the ability to. the Mystical Piques are based around tibetan mountains rather than just "big mountain area." to add on, the soundtrack is already originial in itself, but can vary from level to level and even depending on the level's segment. all in all, this game creates new and memorable takes on the area themes, while NSMB just stuck to the status quo.

to conclude: i feel as though Rayman Origins succeeded in areas where teh NSMB series failed. again, this isnt to say that you cant enjoy the entries within the NSMB series- im a big fan of NSMBU!! i made this to compare the two franchises from my own personal viewpoint. feel free to comment!!