Oh no! Mr. Dark is holding the Toons in captivity! Only Rayman can free them, and he is inviting you to join the adventure on a handheld near you!

ModRetro recently re-released a Rayman cartridge to celebrate the series’ 30th anniversary. Compatible with the Chromatic and Game Boy Color, it makes the portable adventure more accessible than ever.

You’ll have to climb vines, jump and glide over obstacles, and, of course, make use of Rayman’s iconic punch across more than 30 colourful levels. It’s a classic platformer through and through, and it quickly got me hooked on this nostalgic premise. The bite-sized levels are well-suited for gaming on a handheld, but they do offer a fair level of challenge. Luckily, you can resume your progress with the password system. It's a joy to play on the Chromatic and made me appreciate the simple, yet memorable adventures of yesteryear.

This re-release comes with a few quality-of-life updates. These include a new soundtrack and an enhanced save state that remembers passwords for seamless play. They are welcome updates that enhance the experience without compromising on the gameplay itself.

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ModRetro’s Rayman re-release is available via the official ModRetro store. It is priced at $45 and comes with a brand-new custom cartridge, a game manual and, of course, a Chromatic Charm. While not exactly cheap, it is a welcome addition to the Chromatic library and helps preserve a classic game while making it accessible to a new audience.

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[Skelletonike]

I would love the modretro if only it could play gba games as well...

 

[HylianLZ]

I don't understand the legality of what ModRetro does. Are they partnered with Nintendo or something? Is the GameBoy just so old that all the patents expired and no one at Nintendo cares? What about the games? Aren't those IPs still owned?

 

[Skelletonike]

I don't understand the legality of what ModRetro does. Are they partnered with Nintendo or something? Is the GameBoy just so old that all the patents expired and no one at Nintendo cares? What about the games? Aren't those IPs still owned?

It's legal because they are not calling it a game boy and it does not use patented stuff. Most of the games being released are released by the original copyright holders (like Rayman being the case, it has ubisoft's logo).

 

[BlusterBong]

What about the games? Aren't those IPs still owned?

They directly partnered with Ubisoft (amongst some other companies who own the rights to said gameboy games) to rerelease the game

Are they partnered with Nintendo or something? Is the GameBoy just so old that all the patents expired and no one at Nintendo cares?

They are using Field-programmable gate arrays and presumably cleam-room reverse engeneering to recreate the Game Boy's hardware directly, which is different from emulation since you're basically making the whole thing from scratch instead of just software, which makes the results far more accurate than emulation.

 

[impeeza]

I don't understand the legality of what ModRetro does. Are they partnered with Nintendo or something? Is the GameBoy just so old that all the patents expired and no one at Nintendo cares? What about the games? Aren't those IPs still owned?

ModRetro's licensing activities primarily involve acquiring licenses for classic games from intellectual property (IP) holders like Atari and Ubisoft, and working with indie developers to release new physical game cartridges for their Chromatic handheld console.
Key aspects of ModRetro's licensing model:

• In-licensing for Game Releases: ModRetro has secured official licenses to remaster and re-release classic titles as physical cartridges for the Chromatic.
• Atari: A "90s Rewind Collection" featuring games like Asteroids and Centipede has been released.
• Ubisoft/Argonaut Games: ModRetro plans to release classic Game Boy games from Ubisoft, including Rayman, which has already been released.
• Original Developers/Publishers: They have also re-released games like Project S-11, originally developed by Paragon 5 and published by Sunsoft, on new cartridges.
• Tetris: A previously unreleased, proprietary licensed version of Tetris is bundled with the Chromatic console.
• Platform for Indie Developers: ModRetro is actively calling on indie developers to create and submit new games for the Chromatic platform, facilitating their release on physical, modern cartridges. This creates a new marketplace for physical media for independent creators.
• Open Source Hardware/Software for Modding: The company encourages a "modding community" by making the console's physical CAD files and the FPGA design files and firmware open-source licensed, allowing users to customize and build upon the technology.
• Partnership with Retailers: ModRetro has partnered with retailers like GameStop for the sale and distribution of the Chromatic console and its physical games.

In summary, ModRetro does not primarily license its core technology to other companies; rather, it acquires licenses from major IP holders and works with content creators to build a library of legally distributed physical games for its proprietary, yet open-source-friendly, hardware platform

(From a old ModRetro page)

 

[Osha]

Closest we're probably getting to Rayman being acknowledged in a way that doesn't insult him past the Mario + Rabbids DLC.
I just want a new 3D platformer (preferably one where he doesn't do rails of coke, fuck Captain Laserhawk I hate how they depicted him there). :c

 

[SDA]

Notably, the Game Boy Color version of the game is often considered a port of the console (PlayStation and Saturn) versions, but it is not. The levels are all new while the gameplay is very similar.

 

[hippy dave]

The cart is a nice shade of purple, I'll give them that.

 

[BETA215]

They directly partnered with Ubisoft (amongst some other companies who own the rights to said gameboy games) to rerelease the game



They are using Field-programmable gate arrays and presumably cleam-room reverse engeneering to recreate the Game Boy's hardware directly, which is different from emulation since you're basically making the whole thing from scratch instead of just software, which makes the results far more accurate than emulation.

It is nothing different than software emulators, reason why it's called hardware emulation, no matter how hard companies want to make you believe otherwise.
Hardware emulation isn't intrinsically better than software emulation.
An FPGA is programmed, and it's programmed by human beings. Those human beings create software, that the chip executes. Using a dedicated chip, an FPGA one at that, with its own custom OS for it, clearly can have benefits for trying to be more accurate.
But it doesn't seems to have been the case in general, neither these companies really care besides using it for marketing.

 

[Sonic Angel Knight]

These include a new soundtrack and an enhanced save state that remembers passwords for seamless play.

New soundtrack you say? Interesting, reminds me of the re-release of that one super famicom Dragonball game for the Nintendo 3DS. Well can't wait until people make those GBS or VGM files of it to listen to.

But how does save states work? a rom cart that has save states like a Flash cart? I wish every re-release had such a feature. Lol

 

[MurraySkull]

Just be aware that the new soundtrack is GARBAGE. Sure, there may be some good tunes (Arcane Forest comes to mind) but it has NOTHING to do with Rayman!

 

[kineticUk]

They are using Field-programmable gate arrays and presumably cleam-room reverse engeneering to recreate the Game Boy's hardware directly, which is different from emulation since you're basically making the whole thing from scratch instead of just software, which makes the results far more accurate than emulation.

That’s what analogue (full of s*** btw) said.

Hardware emulation isn't intrinsically better than software emulation.

 

[impeeza]

It is nothing different than software emulators, reason why it's called hardware emulation, no matter how hard companies want to make you believe otherwise.
Hardware emulation isn't intrinsically better than software emulation.
An FPGA is programmed, and it's programmed by human beings. Those human beings create software, that the chip executes. Using a dedicated chip, an FPGA one at that, with its own custom OS for it, clearly can have benefits for trying to be more accurate.
But it doesn't seems to have been the case in general, neither these companies really care besides using it for marketing.

Hardware Emulation is like the emulator is on the ROM boot, no difference at all of software emulation.

In software emulation you can have a OS and then run a emulator, or the OS is the emulator, the last one is like a hardware emulator. and the difference on performance can be noticeable on the same hardware.

 

[vlababa]

The advantage of fpga vs software emulation is that it is a little easier to get the timings right.

 

[Skelletonike]

New soundtrack you say? Interesting, reminds me of the re-release of that one super famicom Dragonball game for the Nintendo 3DS. Well can't wait until people make those GBS or VGM files of it to listen to.

But how does save states work? a rom cart that has save states like a Flash cart? I wish every re-release had such a feature. Lol

I am guessing that instead of using passwords for each level, like so many games pointlessly used, it will save progress like so many other games already did at the time (basically, they cheaped out on the battery).

 

[NinStar]

We were all expecting something new for Rayman's 30th anniversary, and this fucking overpriced re-release of a GBC game on an useless console for people that don't have anything better to do with their money is all we get.

Yes. I'm beyond frustrated seeing this, and it is for a good reason if you actually care about the Rayman series.

 

[CoolMe]

Rayman Redemption is the best way to play the og game, but this is still cool to see i guess

 

[Robert Newbie]

Rayman Redemption is the best way to play the og game, but this is still cool to see i guess

I did not know about this fangame. I have to remind myself to download it tomorrow and give it a try.

I remember picking up the Rayman bundle on GOG a long time ago. Back then, you only got Rayman Forever, 2, 3, and Origins. (Now, it includes Raving Rabbids.) It's funny because, especially for Rayman 1 and 2, there are several different versions with each one having certain pros and cons. Now, the GBC version can have the same dilemma.

 

[Charli]

Rayman Redemption is the best way to play the og game, but this is still cool to see i guess

I did not know about this fangame. I have to remind myself to download it tomorrow and give it a try.

Rayman Redemption is really cool, every fan of the original Rayman 1 will have a great time with it But it's more intended to be it's own thing and not the best way to play Rayman 1. It changes the original game quite a bit and also adds lots of new content.

For anyone interested in what Rayman Redemption is, here's a neat overview/review:

Just be aware that the new soundtrack is GARBAGE. Sure, there may be some good tunes (Arcane Forest comes to mind) but it has NOTHING to do with Rayman!

yeah, I've heard that rant from others, really too bad Hyperness did short video with his take on the re-release:


Unfortunately my Everdrive GB died on me when I tried to load the original GB Rayman ROM recently