Ready for Action! note
The Crossroads of Dreams was a place of heavenly bliss where calm, happiness and the joys of life seemed to reign forever. Some of the inhabitants even began to feel that the hours and days passed a little too slowly.
Then, one day, a red Lum transformed himself into a cantankerous little ball of fluff. His name was André and he wanted to conquer the world. To this end, André turned the other red Lums into black Lums, then they all swarmed off to steal the animals’ hair and weave costumes for themselves.
Thus was born the army of Hoodlums – raring to spread their mischief and idiocy throughout the the Crossroads. No-one could put a stop to them! So guess who had to interrupt his siesta to go and sort things out?
— Manual Synopsis
Rayman 3: Hoodlum Havoc is the third Platform Game in the Rayman series, the last one to have 3D graphics to this day, and the only one not to have been headed by the series' creator, Michel Ancel. It is available for the PlayStation 2, GameCube, Xbox, Xbox 360, PC, Mac OS X, Mobile, Game Boy Advance, and N-Gage.
The gameplay is largely the same 3-D platforming that Rayman 2: The Great Escape had, but with more emphasis on power-ups, combat and mini-games. The game's tone is also considerably Lighter and Softer than the previous game, with the characters being much more wacky, wisecracking and self-referential than before, going into outright fourth wall busting and shout outs to not only the previous game, but also other media as well. This is the first (and so far, only) Rayman game that features American voice actors to play the characters.
A Game Boy Advance and N-Gage side-scrolling version of Rayman 3 was also produced, but it has very little in common with the console version save the appearance of André and the occasional hoodlum, instead being more of a Interquel bridging the gap between Rayman 2: The Great Escape and this game (even if the three don't exactly line up very well). A sequel to the handheld version, also on the GBA, called Rayman: Hoodlum's Revenge, was later produced. That game more accurately represented the console Rayman 3 through an isometric viewpoint which provided gameplay in 3 dimensions. The Java mobile and Symbian versions are short, original 2D platformers, not unlike the GBA version.
The game's plot concerns the uprising of the titular Hoodlums - red lums that have become corrupted into Black Lums. The Hoodlums have created an army to take over the world led by their leader, the superintelligent André. It's up to Rayman to stop them - only for Globox to accidentally eat André, leading to Rayman's quest becoming taking Globox to the doctors so that he can release André from Globox's stomach and destroy him for good, preferably before André eats his way out of Globox.
An HD Updated Re-release was made for PlayStation Network and Xbox Live Arcade, featuring some graphical enhancements and achievements support. It's missing the song "Madder" from the previous console versions, though.
Rayman's next appearance was in the party game Rayman: Raving Rabbids. The next Rayman platform game, 2011's Rayman Origins, marked the return of 2D in the series.
Rayman 3: Hoodlum Havoc provides examples of:
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A - F
- Abhorrent Admirer: Bégoniax the witch breaks into Razoff's mansion to confess her love to him. Predictably, he doesn't reciprocate.
- Aborted Arc: André's quest to reach the Heart of the World and steal its power is quickly dropped after he's accidentally swallowed by Globox. Even after finally escaping, he demonstrates no further interest in the Heart and instead allies with Reflux to steal Gumsi's scepter and use it to Take Over the World instead, likely due to witnessing the immense power of the Knaaren god Leptys while he's inside Globox.
- Aerith and Bob: In a cast of Globox, Bégoniax, and Reflux... the main villain is named André.
- All There in the Manual: Referenced in-game near the beginning, where Murfy actually takes out a manual to the game and reads from it in order to tell Rayman what to do next.
Yet the real manual for the game doesn't actually say anything that Murfy reads. Not only that, the manual sarcastically answers to Murfy. - Ambiguous Situation: It’s never confirmed in the GBA version of Hoodlum Havoc if the Black Lum that Globox swallows at the beginning of that game is André.
- And I Must Scream: Bégoniax turns her lovers into frogs and breeds with them, producing all those frogs you find in the Bog of Murk... This is downplayed somewhat, as it's unknown if her lover's transformations are permanent or temporary like in her boss battle.
- Antidisestablishmentarianism: Murfy uses the word at one point early on to describe the beauty of the Fairy Council.Murfy: Extraordinary. There's no other word. Extraordinary! Antidisestablishmentarianally extraordinary!
- Anuscape Plan: At one point, André says from inside Globox's belly that he sees a light and wonders if it's the exit... and then realizes what it is and concludes that maybe he'll better stay inside.
- Aren't You Going to Ravish Me?: After defeating Bégoniax, she says this:"Now that you have me where you want me, I suppose you'll want to take advantage of me, won’t you?! …Won’t you?"
- Aroused by Their Voice: Played for Laughs. Globox falls for the voice of the female Hoodlum announcer inside the Hoodlum HQ, which the Hoodlums take advantage of by baiting him into a trap using a cardboard cut-out of a female Glute in a bikini.
- Arson, Murder, and Jaywalking: Some of the death threats the Knaaren dish against Rayman are... odd."Tear off his flesh! Skin him! Brains, fresh brains! Crush his bones! Stick bamboo under his nails! ...Make him write bad checks!"
- Bad People Abuse Animals: Played for Laughs in both instances.
- The bread and butter of the "Wanna Kick Rayman" bonus videos. Every video involves a Hoodmonger demonstrating various ways of dispatching Rayman by using an animal dressed in Rayman's trademark hoodie as a substitute for the limbless hero.
- The in-game description for the rats found throughout several levels mentions that they're routinely tortured by the Knaaren and have grown used to it as a result. Rayman can even hit these rats himself for some "interesting" dialogue.
- Bait-and-Switch: You'd think a level with the name "Land of the Livid Dead" would be some kind of horror-based level, but it's actually probably the calmest and most beautiful area in the entire game. In a second Bait-and-Switch, the next level, the Desert of the Knaaren, a level that sounds like a Shifting Sand Land is actually the horror based one.
- Battle Theme Music: Most of the enemies in the game, aside from a few exceptions such as the Ninja Crabs and Podocrocks, and the bosses have their own unique music themes. Bosses usually have a few variants that get used during different parts of the fight.
- Big Bad: Depends on the version:
- The console versions have André, the original Black Lum and their leader. It evolves into a Big Bad Duumvirate with the Knaaren Reflux halfway through the game, as he and André join forces to both get revenge on Rayman and Take Over the World.
- The GBA version has Admiral Razorbeard returning from Rayman 2: The Great Escape to use the Black Lum Globox swallowed as part of another evil plan.
- Big Labyrinthine Building: The Longest Shortcut, complete with false floors and mirror rooms.
- Black Comedy Animal Cruelty: The unlockable "Wanna Kick Rayman
" lesson videos are based around these, featuring a Hoodlum torturing various animals dressed as Rayman in hilariously brutal ways. - Black Comedy Rape: Bégoniax's in-game character description mentions that she turns herself and those who don't reciprocate her feelings into toads and then forces herself on them, leaving her with more tadpoles than she knows what to do with. The last cut scene of the Bog of Murk has her molesting Razoff off-screen while the hunter begs her to stop.
- Bleak Level: The Desert of the Knaaren is a dramatic tone shift from the rest of the game, having an intense and really scary atmosphere, which only gets worse when you reach the underground area and have to deal with avoiding the invincible Knaaren and fending off Zombie Chickens.
- Bookends:
- The game begins with Rayman and Globox taking a nap as Black Lums swarm over the land. The game ends with Rayman and Globox settling down for a nap when a flashback shows how Rayman's hands wandered off to scare a Red Lum into becoming André.
- Both the first and last enemies defeated in the game are André. The first time, it's his Hoodlum disguise, the second time, it's André himself.
- Bottomless Pit: Only one at the end. Besides that, the game averts this no matter what, sometimes having characters get out of pits as explained below. Environmental hazards like piranha-infested water and lava, which instantly killed Rayman in Rayman 2, simply drain his health slowly here, allowing him to get out.
- Bottomless Pit Rescue Service: The Teensie Highways, in which a Teensie in a helicopter is shown to be carrying Globox, who catches Rayman and drops him off at a checkpoint if he falls off. Also, in the boss fight against Razoff, falling off of one of the narrow pathways results in a Mawpaw trapped in the dungeon down below lifting Rayman up and placing him back onto the path. The same creature returns to help for a later level. This is averted for the final boss, where falling off the edge of the arena results in having to start the fight all over again.
- Bonus Feature Failure: After beating the game, you unlock Lums Race. You would assume that it's a secret mini game but in actuality, it's a code that was used for a now-defunct website where you could submit your personal score. A reward that leaves much to be desired and could've been replaced with something more substantial such as a Boss Rush mode, a Sound Test or even a Brutal Bonus Level.
- Boss-Arena Idiocy:
- Master Kaag is fought in a large area with several buttons on the ground, that will generate a Shock Rocket power-up in the center of the arena and allow you to damage him once three of the buttons have been activated within a certain timeframe. Kaag himself will deactivate the buttons if he stomps over them and will prioritize destroying the power-up once it appears.
- Bégoniax cannot be damaged directly, but her arena has a large cauldron in the center that both she and Rayman can use to throw toad transfiguration potion at each other to render them vunerable for a few seconds.
- During Razoff's second phase, a Mawpaw will occassionally appear from one of the pits to hand Rayman a Heavy Metal Fist power-up, which Rayman can use to not only deal additional damage to Razoff from the power-up's strength buff, but also knock Razoff off his wrecking ball and into a pit for even more damage.
- Bouncy Bubbles: In some instances after Globox drinks plum juice, he burps out some bubbles that Rayman can bounce on and use to progress.
- Bowdlerization:
- The grouchy Ludiv who appears near the beginning of the game (the one who panics about André reaching the heart of the world) had two utterances of "Oh my god" that were censored for the HD remake; ironically, the HD remake is the one with the higher rating (E10+ as oppposed to E).
- In the French version, after Roméo tells Globox that Black Lums multiply like a crazy weed, he jokes that "there's nothing worse than bad weed, right?". In the English version, he instead states that Black Lums are "pretty wacky".
- Lessons #069 and #169 of the "Wanna Kick Rayman" bonus videos are not avaliable in the American versions of Rayman 3, likely due to them involving the Hoodmonger instructor lifting his robes and flashing the Rayman subsitute.
- Breaking the Fourth Wall:
- Most of the characters stick to the script, but Murfy completely avoids it, and Globox is guilty of it on the occasion too. Examples: "It's only a video game, it's only a video game..." "You were nicer in Rayman 2." "We're gonna be rated PG-13!" "Quit it, the manual says you're my best friend!" "Just 'cause you're on TV doesn't mean you have to show off!"
- The game's manual breaks the fourth wall too, both by being there in the first place and by what it says. This includes both the in-game "manual" and the actual manual that comes with the physical CD, and increasing anger towards Murphy for not respecting his script, criticizing it and his obnoxious behavior.
- Murfy also says "See you in Rayman 4!" which may also classify as a
What Could Have Been, unless Rayman Origins or Hoodlum's Revenge counts as Rayman 4, as they both feature Murfy. Before that he also finds and read the manual, while taking many digs at it much to the manual's mounting anger and frustration, does a lot of Lampshade Hanging in a sarcastic way, makes references to Star Wars or Once Upon a Time in the West, advices Rayman to quit and audition for Spider-Man 2, and even complains about having to restrain André and threaten to quit if the player takes too long to beat André.
- Bubblegloop Swamp: The Bog of Murk is a large marshland area covered in a somewhat dense fog, covered in bioluminescent trees, and swarming with toads, deadly pirahnas, and strange hand-faced Stock Ness Monsters flying through the air.
- Bunny-Ears Lawyer: The Teensie doctors are exceptionally good at their jobs, but are an eccentric group consisting of a straight-laced German accented doctor, a G-Rated Stoner, and an East Asian stereotype, who cure their patients by playing parts of their patient's bodies as an instrument.
- Cap: Only 100,000 points can be collected in a single world; the point counter won't increase any more once that number is reached.
- Casting Gag:
- After playing Admiral Razorbeard in Rayman 2: The Great Escape (specifically, the PS2 Revolution version), Ken Starcevic plays André, the Big Bad of this game, making it the second time in a row he plays the small, short-tempered Big Bad of a Rayman game.
- This isn't Billy West's first time playing a Rayman character. He previously voiced Rayman himself in the short-lived Rayman: The Animated Series, making his stint as Murfy here the second time he plays a role in the series.
- Canon Discontinuity: The handheld versions of Rayman 3 has never been referenced in any other Rayman game, as a result of it being a Dolled-Up Installment of Rayman 2.
- Chasing Your Tail: The fight with Bégoniax around the cauldron in the Bog of Murk, after spilling potion on the witch Rayman has to chase her around the cauldron to hit her. Likewise, if Rayman gets hit he has to flee while Bégoniax chases after him.
- Colossus Climb: During the second phase of the final boss fight, Reflux will summon several flying hooks and a Heavy Metal Fist can, and afterwards punch downwards, getting his fist stuck in the terrain long enough for Rayman to climb his arm and attack the Leptys crystal lodged in his back.
- Color-Coded for Your Convenience: In trailer cinematics and box art, using the power-ups only changes the appearance of Rayman's fists in a way that would be reasonable for the power-up itself (spikes, missile launcher, lockjaw, etc). In-game, however, picking up any power-up will also give Rayman a differently-colored appearance to more easily show to the player which power-up they're currently using. This is Lampshaded when Globox scolds Rayman for 'dressing up in silly costumes' in several parts throughout the game. The colours and their respective power-ups are as follows:
- Green: Vortex
- Red: Heavy Metal Fist
- Blue: Lockjaw
- Orange: Shock Rocket
- Yellow: Throttle Copter
- Compilation Re-release: The Game Boy Advance version of Rayman 3 would be re-bundled along with Rayman Advance as a little 10th anniversary package.
- Continuity Snarl: Trying to fit the Game Boy Advance version in the continuity of the series would mean having to use some Fan Wank to explain away inconsistencies.note Some assume it takes place between Rayman 2 and the console version of Rayman 3, but that doesn't explain why Hoodlums exist before they were supposedly created by André. It also doesn't explain why the console version has the characters act as if it's the first time Globox ever swallowed a Dark Lum. Plus, Rayman talks as if he knows who Bégoniax is, when they clearly don't recognize each other in the console version. Also, the console version implies there were no Dark Lums before André, which would make no sense if the GBA version takes place before the console version. However, this theory does provide an explanation for why Razorbeard (the main villain of Rayman 2 and the GBA version of Rayman 3) appears as a lifeless statue in the console version, since unlike in 2, he doesn't get away, which could lead to the theory that he was defeated for good here.
- Some have instead subscribed to the theory that the GBA version takes place after the console version, which works a bit better, since this theory explains how Rayman knows who Bégoniax is, and you could make the excuse that they didn't manage to wipe out every Hoodlum in the console version, not to mention the existence of Dark Lums makes a bit more sense. However, even this theory has some issues, since the characters don't directly reference the console version, and the GBA version implies Razorbeard was active the whole time between 2 and the GBA version of 3, which would make no sense if he was a lifeless statue during that gap, unless someone or something brought him Back from the Dead.
- Create Your Own Villain: During a nap, Rayman's hands go and scare an innocent Red Lum into André.
- Crosshair Aware: Some parts of the fight with Razoff have you looking through Razoff's crosshair while he's trying to shoot at Rayman. It's impossible to dodge his shots in this view unless you hide behind a statue.
- Darker and Edgier: Rayman 3 features a lot more "edgy" humor than its predecessor, but is otherwise fairly lighthearted. That being said, the tone constantly swaps in between some points of the game, with some levels having a different tone or events in the plot change the tone. Some of the levels in the game are even grimmer than Rayman 2, with standouts like the Bog of Murk, a desolate, rainy swamp set at night, and the Desert of the Knaaren, where the game undergoes a temporary Genre Shift into Survival Horror, of all things!
- Deadpan Snarker: Murfy plays this role in the first level. Much to the Manual's annoyance.This manual just blows my mind. It explains that switches trigger mechanisms. Duh. Please, who's responsible for this garbage?Manual: This is getting a bit too much! Do you want to get thrown out, or what??
- Death World: The Desert of the Knaaren is a desolate world where the titular Knaaren have to live in a maze of underground tunnels to survive, the sun is hot enough to burn the surface, and the Knaaren themselves have no qualms about torturing and killing intruders.
- Demoted to Extra: In Rayman 2, Murfy appeared all throughout the game to offer Rayman advice for a variety of situations. In this game, he only appears during the first world and completely vanishes afterwards.
- Denser and Wackier: The plot is a lot more crazy than the last two games.
- Disney Acid Sequence: The interactive transitions between worlds: you skate on colorful beams of light, surrounded by '70s LSD imagery with disco music.
- Does This Remind You of Anything?: Lessons #069 and #169 of the "Wanna Kick Rayman" bonus videos have the Hoodmonger instructor lifting up his robe with his back turned to the camera and flashing the unsuspecting Rayman subsitute, causing it to faint. When the Hoodmonger turns back to the camera, its revealed he has a Bonton's head under his robe in #069, or a Black Lum in #169. This probably the reason why both lessons was cut from the American release.
- The Dog Was the Mastermind: Who started the whole mess to begin with? None other than Rayman's hands, who got free from their owner and scared a red Lum into becoming André.
- Dolled-Up Installment: The GBA version started out as a simply portable version of the second game. But by the time it hit store shelves, 3 was already out and it was instead turned into something of an hybrid of the two.
- Early-Installment Weirdness: The Land of the Livid Dead makes its first appearance in this game, and it's completely unrelated to the version found in Rayman Origins and Rayman Legends. Instead of a cartoon version of hell, this version is located in a mild Celtic plain, full of grass and stone structures.
- Easter Egg:
- A small paper boat with the Hoodlum insignia scrawled on it can be seen floating around the river in Clearleaf Forest's waterfall area.
- If you look into the mirror in one of Razoff's rooms, Rayman will make a funny face in it.
- By hitting a round decoration in the 3rd challenge of The Longest Shortcut, Rayman can access a hidden room filled with jewels and a statue of Ly the Fairy from the previous game.
- You can find the Robopirates in the game in a secret room in Hoodlum Headquarters, where they're all holding still and resemble the famous "Last Supper" painting. There's also a room in the Tower of the Leptys that contains models of enemies scrapped from the final game.
- Elaborate Underground Base: The Hoodlum factory area as well as the majority of the Desert of the Knaaren level, the latter partially justified by the fact it's a natural cave system. The rest of the Temple of Doom structure inside it was likely carved out by the Knaaren themselves, as they are shown to have the physical strength needed to accomplish such a thing.
- Eldritch Abomination: Leptys, the god of the Knaaren, is depicted as a giant bird inside their holy chamber. You get to see him at the end of the game and their depiction is... slightly off, to say the least.
- Eldritch Location: The final phase of the Final Boss seemingly takes place on top of the Knaaren god Leptys. From below it appears to be some sort of colossal reptile that takes up the entire sky, but when Globox and Rayman travel there to confront Reflux and André they enter an arena made out of purple energy that's surrounded by giant flowers with eyeballs in them.
- Enemy Scan: You can press select when a villain is highlighted or 'targeted' and then follow with circle to see a bit of information on the villain (Razoff is Zaroff's son, the Grim Keepers are, apparently, disgruntled nannies) This also works on the PC version, but you have to go into screenshot mode (F1), freezing the game, then press the roll button to view this information.
- Every 10,000 Points: Reaching a certain amount of cumulative points will unlock bonus Mini Games. The amount of points needed for the next one to unlock can be seen on the end screen when completing a section of a level.
- Evil Is Hammy:
- André enjoys making jokes at Globox's expense while trapped inside him, and loudly boasts about using the power of Leptys to reproduce infinitely and taunts Rayman while Rayman scales the Tower of Leptys.
- During the fight with Count Razoff, he loudly boasts about wanting to turn the hero into a trophy and how he's hunted more ferocious beasts than him, with his first phase ending with him running into his basement, only to comically bounce off as a result of him holding his rifle sideways and not fitting through the door frame, only to pick himself up and rush back down while holding his rifle forwards and loudly yelling that no one can stop him.
- Evil Tower of Ominousness: The Tower of Leptys, the final stage in the game. A smaller example is the magical, ghostly tower where the Griskins are imprisoned in the Land of the Livid Dead.
- Evil vs. Evil:
- The Hoodlums not only come into conflict with Count Razoff, but also the Knaaren, as seen in the " Commando" and "Sentinel" Bonus Games. Razoff even uses targets adorned with the images of Hoodlums in his Shooting Gallery during the "Razoff Circus" Bonus Game. During regular gameplay, Rayman comes across the Hoodlums attempting to besiege Razoff's mansion's entrance.
- The "Crush" Bonus Game has Razoff using his wrecking ball to crush an infestation of toads in his mansion's basement, after the scorned witch placed a curse on it. Bégoniax herself appears in her toad form after getting a high enough combo and can be squashed like the regular toads.
- Fate Worse than Death: What happens to those that reject Bégoniax's love. Namely, she turns them into toads and then proceed to breed with them until she has a ludicrous amount of tadpoles. That makes you feel sorry for Razoff.
- Fin Gore: The Knaaren suggest torturing Rayman by sticking bamboo under his fingernails.
- Flanderization: Globox was introduced in Rayman 2 as a little dumb and clumsy character but stayed rational and helpful and had a few magical abilities. This game, by comparison, emphasizes him more as Rayman's comic relief bumbling sidekick and as such exaggerates his naivete to a greater degree. Amusingly, after a part of the penultimate level involves him being carried upside-down, the blood gets to his head and he becomes somewhat smarter, being able to skillfully pilot a flying vehicle.
- Fun with Homophones: In the French version, Roméo Patti uses the word "mauvaise herbe" to refer to unwanted plant life, as well as to marijuana.
G - Z
- Game-Breaking Bug: A pretty nasty one at that. In the HD rerelease, if you revisit any level in the game before unlocking the Tower of Leptys, it will be permanently inaccessible resulting in the game being unwinnable until you start a new save.
- Genre Shift: Aside from the multiple unique gameplay variations per chapter, the game practically becomes a Survival Horror game when you get to the Desert of the Knaaren seeing as how they're completely invulnerable and kill you in a few hits.
- Giant Foot of Stomping: The Hoodstomper, the first boss of the game, is a large contraption consisting of crude mechanical feet connected by a swing set frame, controlled by an Enfant Terrible Hoodlum. Once the Hoodlum controlling it has been defeated, Rayman proceeds to take control of it to smash an incoming horde of Hoodlums.
- G-Rated Drug: Subverted, surprisingly. Though the term "drunk" and blatant references to alcohol are not uttered, it's directly stated that the plum juice Globox drinks is fermented and he is very, very clearly intoxicated. Of course, most little kids who play the game probably won't know what "fermented" means, so there goes another Parental Bonus for you.
- Halfway Plot Switch: The first half of the game revolves around Rayman trying to get Globox to the doctors around the Glade of Dreams so they can get André out of Globox's belly. When they finally succeed halfway through, André escapes, and the plot switches to Rayman and Globox attempting to properly stop André and Reflux from taking over the world with the power of Gumsi's scepter.
- Hat of Flight: One of the combat fatigues that Rayman can use is the Throttle Copter, a helmet that allows him to fly higher. This can be found in a yellow can of Laser-Washing Powder. Unfortunately, this combat fatigue is the one with the shortest time limit, lasting only three seconds.
- Heart Container: The captured Teensies. Every six Teensies Rayman saves resulted in his health bar being permanently expanded. It starts off only taking up about a third of the screen, but by the time every Teensie is saved, it covers the entire length of the screen instead.
- Heroic Mime: A downplayed example: Rayman makes all sorts of grunts and such, and occasionally says "Yay me!" and "Yes!" after winning more difficult fights, but aside of that, you will only hear him actually talk a grand total of 6 times in the game (2 of which are in the video cutscenes).
- Herr Doktor: The first Teensie doctor, Otto Psi, is a noticeably stoic doctor, far less eccentric than the other two, and speaks with a German accent. He even tells Globox "Auf wiedersehen" when seeing him off in the French version.
- Humongous Mecha:
- The first boss of the game is The Hoodstomper, a large pair of feet being piloted by a baby Hoodlum. After the pilot is defeated, Rayman jumps into the pilot's seat and uses it to squash an army of Hoodlums.
- The Celoche battle in "Land of the Livid Dead". It's a giant 3-legged robot that fires torpedoes and a laser beam at you, and can only be harmed by redirecting its torpedoes right back at its cannon.
- Hunting Is Evil: Count Razoff is an Egomaniac Hunter who delights in hunting down living beings regardless of how sentient they are, and serves as one of the game's bosses.
- Hunting the Most Dangerous Game: Count Razoff traps Rayman inside of his mansion so he can hunt him down and turn him into a trophy, two of his taunts mention wanting to turn the hero into a rug or wanting to stuff and mount him on his wall. The trophies around his mansion show hunting is something Razoff is very proficient in. He even tries to kill Globox, whom he captured earlier, upon being defeated.
- Hover Board: In the Teensie Highways. The same board acts as a snowboard during the final stretch of the Summit Beyond the Hills.
- I Can't Believe It's Not Heroin!: Plum juice and Globox's reactions to it.
- Improvised Weapon: The armoured hoodlums are made from, usually broken, household appliances such as dishwashers, seat-less toilets and the like. This is apparently a speciality of the Hoodlums to turn useless household items into weapons and armour. Crosses over with MacGyvering and Noodle Implements due to really random objects being used.
- Interchangeable Asian Cultures: The third Teensie doctor, Art Rytus, is an East Asian stereotype, as indicated by his eyes being slanted compared to those of a regular Teensie as well as speaking in broken English and being accompanied by stereotypical East Asian music during his consultation. He mixes up his Ls and Rs while speaking and refers to people with honorifics such as "-san", which is a stereotypical Japanese trait, yet he carries around a needle and is implied to use accupuncture to cure his patients, which is a Chinese medical practice.
- Inflating Body Gag: Occasionally after taking a swig of plum juice, Globox will inflate like a balloon and float away, done as an In-Universe way to explain how Globox follows Rayman to otherwise out of reach areas, averting Offscreen Teleportation.
- In Name Only: The Game Boy Advance version of Rayman 3 is basically a side-scroller with elements largely inspired by Rayman 2: The Great Escape, with only the story and superficial elements of Rayman 3 (i.e. the occasional Hoodlum) sandwiched in. The same goes for the mobile/N-gage versions.
- Invincible Minor Minion: The Knaaren, as you can only run from them until you run into Reflux.
- Karma Houdini: Bégoniax seemingly gets away with sexually assaulting Razoff. On top of that, Rayman's hands.
- Killed Off for Real:
- One of the statues found in Razoff's mansion heavily implies that the hunter killed Ssssam, the young watersnake ferryman from the previous game, which is further hinted at as Ssssam has had no appearances in the franchise since Rayman 2, aside from his appearance in the non-canonical handheld version of Rayman 3.
- In the final boss fight, Reflux. Unlike other enemies, he crystallizes and explodes. The GBA game Hoodlum's Revenge even emphasizes that he's dead and gone by having André make Globox into a clone of him.
- Knight of Cerebus: Reflux can give off this vibe, being perhaps the only character to have very few humorous quirks. The entire Knaaren race would fall into this category if it were not for their conversations throughout the level they appear in, which are implied to be comical only through the fourth wall.
- Lava Is Boiling Kool-Aid: They ditched the more realistic lava from Rayman 2 in favor of what looks like red water, or a thin veil of red gas, depending on the console. In addition, it merely damages Rayman bit by bit, while in Rayman 2, Rayman dies instantly if he touches lava.
- Leitmotif: The Hoodoo Sorcerers and Zombie Chickens have their own distinct music that plays to signify their presence. The Hoodoo Sorcerers get a funky disco tune, while the Zombie Chickens get a frantic theme full of Scare Chords.
- Lethal Lava Land: The Hoodlum Headquarters. Implied to be that way even before the Hoodlums mechanized it. In addition, the Tower of the Leptys has lava-rising segments.
- Level-Up Fill-Up: Whenever you fill up a medallion for freeing the Teensies found in six different cages, Rayman's health bar is increased and fully replenished.
- Lighter and Softer: The environments and atmosphere still resemble Rayman 2, but more comedic, and there are still the Zombie Chickens... every level except for the Desert of the Knaaren and the Tower of the Leptys fits.
- LOL, 69: "Wanna Kick Rayman" Lessons #069 and #169 use sexual innuendo, and involve the Hoodmonger instructor flashing the substitute Rayman until it faints.
- Long Song, Short Scene: Bégoniax has an alternate, fast-paced boss theme that only plays in the Gamecube version. It's Dummied Out in every other version of the game.
- The Lost Woods: The first level of the game, The Fairy Council, starts off in a lush forested area. The following level, Clearleaf Forest, is equally lush in vegetation aside from the occassional Hoodlum camp.
- Magic Mirror: The Longest Shortcut makes liberal use of these.
- Mascot Mook: The Hoodmongers, medium-sized hoodlums with large hats and large guns, are prominently featured throughout the game and its promotional materials.
- Mister Seahorse: It doesn't actually happen, but Globox dreams it. "It was great! I craved strawberries!"
- My Dad Can Beat Up Your Dad: One of several rather entertaining arguments Knaaren can be heard having.
- Mythology Gag:
- Remember the opening for the PC version of the first game? That's the one in which Rayman's hands crawl alone along the screen, then jump on him when he walks by. That scene is referenced in the beginning of this game. Murfy's manual also has Rayman's old design on its cover. A screenshot from the original Rayman can be seen in one of the Teensie Highways, but stretched beyond recognition. Several characters from Rayman 2 make cameo appearances in secret rooms, as well.
- The power Rayman acquires from the Leptys is the same as his default action for pressing the run button while standing in the original game (namely; making a funny face).
- Rayman also goes back to winding up and throwing his fists instead of throwing power spheres, just like how he fought in the original game.
- New-Age Retro Hippie: Roméo Patti, the second Teensie Doctor, wears a headband adorned with a daisy, with his trousers sharing a similar motif, is constantly laughing under his breath, speaks in Totally Radical slang and frequently interjects his sentences with "uh" and "like".
- Nice, Mean, and In-Between: During their adventure throughout the first half of the game, Rayman, André, and Globox form this dynamic. Rayman is the Nice, being the usual heroic figure he usually is, André is the Mean, being a short-tempered villain who only wants Rayman and Globox killed, and Globox is the in-between, being generally friendly but with a lot of sassy and obnoxious moments. During the first world, Murfy acts as the Mean instead, being a heavy Deadpan Snarker who frequently argues with the instruction manual.
- Non-Indicative Name: The Land of the Livid Dead is actually quite calm and tranquil when it's not being invaded by Hoodlums. Could be referring to the purplish coloring though, and the "Dead" part is accurate since it's full of Teensie ghosts. Globox even lampshades this.Globox: Ah, the Land of the Livid Dead, at last! In any case, it's nice and calm here. And here I was expecting a scary place filled with terrifying ghouls. Silly Globox.
tAndré: "Silly Globox!" "Silly Globox!" Who is this bonehead?!- There's also the Longest Shortcut, which isn't a shortcut at all.
- Nostalgia Level: The minigames 2D Madness and 2D Nightmare (the latter is GameCube only and due to a glitch inaccessible without hacking the game) are tributes to the original Rayman game. They are based on the Dream Forest and Picture City respectively.
- Offscreen Teleportation: The first two Teensie doctors somehow arrive at Art Rytus's office to assist him with performing the musical piece that drives André out of Globox's body.
- Oh, Crap!: Rayman pulls an epic one upon being cornered by Reflux and two other Knaaren in the Desert of the Knaaren. He gets two more in the final showdown as Reflux grows ever bigger and stronger.
- One-Winged Angel: Reflux during the final boss fight, via the Scepter of Leptys.
- Only Idiots May Pass: Defeating an enemy with a $ symbol over its head causes a reusable power-up to appear somewhere in the general area. Sometimes, however, it is instead a smaller version of one of Rayman's shoes obscured by the power-up's typical glow; unless you'd already gone through the whole thing before, chances are you'd just take it for granted that it's a power-up and run into it. This ends up in a rather interesting, off-to-the-side surprise gameplay sequence, which upon completing will provide you with a real power-up. Thing is, if you are paranoid or clever enough to spot the difference without double-checking, you'll still have to fall for it in order to get the real power-up item, which is typically required in order to move on. People not used to driving controls (and using such controls to target and collide with small, agile targets) will find themselves... frustrated, to say the least.
- Opt Out: When Rayman and Globox begin their quest to get André out of the latter's stomach, Murfy decides to stay behind at the Fairy Council and doesn't reappear for the rest of the game.
- Photo Mode: And quite an early example at that, since the game came out in 2003.
- Plot-Irrelevant Villain: Bégoniax, Razoff and the feelings she has for him have no connection to the Hoodlums, André or the overall plot. Bégoniax accuses Rayman of being a pervert before giving him a chance to explain and Razoff just wants to kill Rayman and add him to his collection. They also leave right on the part of Razoff getting harrassed and the plot never brings this up again.
- Purification: After defeating Reflux, Rayman gets power to turn the Black Lums dropped by Hoodlums after being defeated into Red Lums, essentially freeing them from André's corruption.
- Rewarding Vandalism: You can break random wooden piggy banks around the levels to find gems or lums. Why someone would leave hundreds of wooden piggy banks filled with their precious belongings lying around in plain sight is another thing entirely... or clay gnomes for that matter.
- The manual explains that the Hoodlums themselves put the gems in "Piggy Banks that go "Oink!" when you punch them", but doesn't explain the lawn Gnomes.
- Running Gag: For the first half of the game, André repeatedly forces Globox to drink plum juice, causing the blue frog to get drunk and do bizarre things like spawn bubbles for Rayman to jump on and inflating into the sky.
- Scenery Porn: A lot of the scenery in this game is downright gorgeous. Special mentions goes to this game's ethereal depiction of the Land of the Livid Dead.
- Screen Crunch:
- Despite being a Reformulated Game, the GBA port of Rayman 3 focused more on sprite detail than playability. As a result, finding lums is an absolute chore thanks to the limited view. Its sequel, Rayman Raving Rabbids wasn't any better about this.
- The N-Gage version was a port of the GBA version, trading in horizontal screen space for vertical. The already hard to find lums have become even harder to locate thanks to the resolution and fighting enemies has become an absolute chore.
- Sequel Snark: Murfy leaves saying that he'll see us in Rayman 4. As of this writing, there has not been a game titled Rayman 4, or, indeed, any direct sequel to Rayman 3 (unless you count Hoodlums Revenge, which chronologially takes place after 3).
- Shoo Out the Clowns: Globox gets captured early on in the Desert of the Knaaren, leaving Rayman to fend for himself against the Nigh-Invulnerable Knaaran in a Survival Horror-esque gameplay switch.
- Shooting Gallery: The "Razoff Circus" Bonus Game has Razoff converting part of his mansion into a shooting range so he can hone his skills.
- Shout-Out:
- While attempting to open the doors, Globox can be heard calling out "Klaatu Barada Nikto!" He also spouts off quite a few others if you stick around and listen for long enough. "Mirror, mirror, on the wall... nah, that won't work." "Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious!" and "Bibbidi bobbidi boo!" are particularly noteworthy.note
- Another of Globox's lines is 'Cthulhu alech fhtagn!', which has some serious mythological implications for Rayman's world...
- And how about the countless references to Spider-Man, Star Wars, and other popular franchises courtesy of Murfy and Globox?
- Razoff, the crazy guy that hunts you in his mansion, is Zaroff with the R and Z switched. Bonus points for his little mini-profile stating his father was actually Zaroff, with Zaroff's parents being Artemis and Nimrod.
- Early in the Fairy Council level, Murfi can be heard saying "Hurry, Rayman ! Or else, André's gonna hang Globox while forcing you to play the harmonica !"
- In The Longest Shortcut, a passage opening is accompanied by an Imperial Klaxon.
- Early in the game, André throws a Ludiv out of his way and says "Buzz off, fairy! Zelda needs you!"
- Said Ludiv also asks if Rayman is Cindy Lou Who immediately before that.
- When Rayman first puts on the Throttle Copter power-up in the Bog of Murk, it briefly takes on the appearance of Mickey Mouse ears before Rayman forces it to work properly.
- Two of the Wanna Kick Rayman? Lessons, Lesson 312 and Lesson 100, feature the Hoodmonger Instructor dressing up as Harry Potter and James Bond respectively.
- While attempting to open the doors, Globox can be heard calling out "Klaatu Barada Nikto!" He also spouts off quite a few others if you stick around and listen for long enough. "Mirror, mirror, on the wall... nah, that won't work." "Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious!" and "Bibbidi bobbidi boo!" are particularly noteworthy.note
- Slippy-Slidey Ice World: The Summit Beyond the Clouds takes place on a snowy mountain with plenty of icy caverns.
- Spin Attack: Reflux's main attack/defence is to surround himself in gold mystical power and spin rapidly around the arena when he fights you.
- Stealth Insult: During the consultation with Roméo Patti, André migrates into Globox's brain during the doctor's attempt to force the Dark Lum out. Roméo tells Globox the bad news and that there's nothing else he can do, and afterwards recommends to Globox someone who specializes in "hollow cavities".
- Stock Ness Monster: The Mawpaws are large plesiosaurs with hands for faces that can be seen in The Bog of Murk. They also put Rayman back on solid ground when he falls into a bottomless pit.
- Stock Sound Effects: The ambient groan heard when in the deadlands of the Desert of the Knaaren is the same one used for the female zombies in Conker's Bad Fur Day.
- Super Not-Drowning Skills: Which is kind of a funny progression if you think about it: Rayman had Super Drowning Skills, Rayman 2 gave him the ability to swim but the Oxygen Meter still made it possible for him to drown, and now in Rayman 3 he doesn't drown at all (in normal water, anyway).
- Suspicious Video-Game Generosity: If André's constant conversations to Reflux at the end of the Tower of Leptys wasn't enough of a giveaway, the oodles of Red Lums broken out of piggy banks on the way up the staircase ought to have been some kind of indication that Rayman was about to encounter something likely to inflict large amounts of pain.
- Tempting Fate: After Rayman reunites with Globox and gets his hands back, Murfy notes that something bad's going to happen to counteract the happy moment. Cue a Hoodlum attack on the Fairy Council.All this happiness at the beginning of the game. Something bad's gonna happen, I know it.
- The Power of Rock: The doctors use this to 'cure' Globox, since André can't stand music.
- Things Man Was Not Meant to Know: Weaponized. André somehow learned something that utterly corrupted him. He captures others and whispers it to them, then lets them whisper it to others, like an intellectual Zombie Apocalypse. It'd be horrific if the entire game weren't Played for Laughs. As it turns out, André was actually a Red Lum that was scared by Rayman's hands. He was just going around scaring all the Red Lums into Hoodlums to create his army.
- Token Heroic Orc: One of the Knaaren has a much less growly voice (explained as a sore throat) and is the only one who seems to see anything wrong with attacking Rayman when he's alone. He is promptly silenced by another Knaaren.
- Too Dumb to Live: Globox falls into a trap in Hoodlum Headquarters because he mistakes a badly-drawn cardboard cutout of a female Glute in a bikini to be the real thing.
- Transformation Sequence: The first time Rayman finds each power-up, a short cutscene plays featuring his fists (or hair, in the case of the Throttle Copter) being upgraded and Rayman's body changing color before he strikes a triumphant pose.
- Tripod Terror: Céloche is a large tripod mech that serves as the boss of the Land of the Livid Dead.
- Tuxedo and Martini: Parodied in one of the "Wanna Kick Rayman" videos.
- Twist Ending: So Rayman's hands actually "created" André in his sleep? Holy shit!
- Underground Level: Most of the Desert of the Knaaren since it's too hot to survive on the surface.
- Underwater Ruins: Where Celoche is fought and a portion of the Land of the Livid Dead.
- Unexpected Gameplay Change:
- The very first section of the game involves playing as Murfy and flying Rayman through the Glade of Dreams, collecting Red Lums and avoiding Hoodlums. This gameplay style is not revisited at any point.
- The snowboarding section in Summit Beyond the Clouds.
- The final couple levels heavily involve piloting a flying vehicle called the Armaguiddon.
- Use Their Own Weapon Against Them:
- The Laser-Washing Powder found throughout the game is a downplayed example. When used by the Hoodlums, it allows them to use the cloth they weave as combat fatigues. When Rayman uses them, it grants him superpowers for a limited time.
- After defeating Master Kaag in Clearleaf Stadium, Rayman hijacks the Hoodstomper he was controlling and uses it against a group of Hoodlums that ambush him after the boss is defeated.
- Video Game Caring Potential: In Razoff's mansion, you can free the Uglies from their imprisonment, which rewards you with some Red Lums.
- Video Game Cruelty Potential:
- You can punch Globox when he's following you around. This results in some rather entertaining otherwise-unheard quotes by both him and André (while he's inside of Globox).
- There are also turtles in the first level of the game that you can kick around, to which they protest loudly. They reappear in the first level in Clearleaf forest and The Land of the Livid Dead, except this time you can pick them up and throw them too.
- In some levels, like inside The Fairy Council, inside Razoff's mansion and in the Knaaren caves, there are little ratlike creatures you can kick - only they seem to enjoy that treatment...
- The Virus: André, the Black Lum. He turns Red Lums into Black Lums and orders them about. It can be reversed however by making a Black Lum laugh, turning it back into a red one.
- Villain Opening Scene: The opening to the game has André assembling an army of Black Lums and having them steal fur from animals to transform themselves into Hoodlums.
- Villain Protagonist: Not Rayman, but his hands.
- Wake-Up Call Boss: Ironically, the final boss. Leptys-imbued Reflux, on the other hand, changes his tactics depending on whichever powerup is currently being used, uses nearly unblockable attacks, and can knock a lot of life out of Rayman at once, all in addition to having 4 separate phases. He will destroy you if you aren't proficient at strafing, dodging, and using all of the different powerups. In addition, his fight is the one time the Bottomless Pit Rescue Service trope is averted. Falling off the arena causes Rayman to restart the entire fight.
- Who Writes This Crap!?: The first level of the game has Murfy reading out the manual of the game to Rayman, and adding his own interjections afterwards about the writing quality.
- Would Hit a Girl: One of the later parts of the game has Rayman taking part in a Hoodlum Shooting Gallery, where hitting the targets representing female Hoodlums will penalize him by deducting points from his score. This is after he's already fought several Lavomatrixes, themselves female Hoodlums, and he'll fight several more before the end of the game.
- Yellow Snow: The USA commercial is all about this. However, it leaves one to wonder exactly how Rayman's bladder was able to store such a large amount of urine inside it...
- You Have Researched Breathing: Near the climax of the game, the king of the Knaaren bestows upon Rayman the power to... make funny faces. It has the function of causing Black Lums to laugh and revert them to Red Lums, which is used to neutralize André, but still.