ModRetro made a huge pledge to the retro community by bringing out the Chromatic in 2024. They promised to revive old titles for modern generations, and they've kept true to their word, adding more and more titles to their 'Classics Collection' to bring back games some of us might have missed the first time around, or releasing iconic titles for new audiences with new quality of life features. Rayman now joins the likes of Baby T-Rex, Project S-11, and, more recently, Croc.
Rayman should be a name you're all very familiar with, the limbless hero with the neckerchief and quiff whose iconic look and colour scheme can be spotted from a mile away. It's been 30 years since Michel Ancel's hero first appeared on consoles and 25 years since the first Rayman game arrived on the Game Boy Colour, and ModRetro have paid homage to both of those key dates in gaming history.
But this isn't the only Ubisoft game that Palmer Luckey and the team have hinted could be coming to the handheld. ModRetro are holding true to their word when it comes to game preservation, and I've got my thinking cap on as to what games we could be seeing in the future.
Rayman is back in a 30th Anniversary release thanks to ModRetro, making his debut on the Chromatic. The original adventure on the GBC has been revived for a new generation of gamers as well as old-school fans like me, with quality-of-life features like a new soundtrack and an auto-password function. It's a little more expensive than buying a cartridge second hand, but the fact that you get the whole unpackaging experience with a colour cartridge makes the price more than worth it!
- Price: $44.99/£44.99/€49.99
- Available From: ModRetro
- Compatible With: Chromatic, Game Boy Color, Analogue Pocket
Rayman On The ModRetro Chromatic
If you've read my reviews of ModRetro Chromatic titles before for games like Dragonyhm or Hermano, then you'll know how much I love this device. The display is phenomenal, and as you might expect, Rayman looks incredible on the Chromatic. The colours pop no matter which direction I look at the screen, everything is definable, and the gameplay is superb. It's definitely one of the most advanced Game Boy Color games, and the Chromatic finally does it justice.
The first time I played Rayman on the Game Boy Color, I understandably couldn't see as clearly as I can on the Chromatic. For starters, it wasn't backlit, meaning I had to use that annoying worm light to be able to see when it was even remotely dark.
The experience I'm getting while playing on the Chromatic, however, is much different. I can see everything, I can immerse myself in the textures of the levels, and I feel like I can fully understand all of the intricate elements of Michel Ancel's world. And that opening cutscene is like falling into a graphic novel - perfection!
When it comes to the controls, Rayman moves smoothly through the different levels. I know we're limited with controls when it comes to the Game Boy format, but, for mechanics like jumping and attacking, everything is as smooth as silk. It's the same game I've known and loved for 30 years but with upgrades, and I couldn't be happier about it. Over 30 levels of Toon chaos - what's not to love?
What's In The Box
ModRetro pride themselves in creating that same ultimate unboxing experience that we loved back in the 90s and 2000s. It's not just a game, it's the whole package of peeling off the cellophane, pulling out the manual, and smelling that 'new game freshness' that you just can't get anymore.
Inside the box, you'll find a purple game cartridge that looks awesome in my Yellow chromatic, a full colour manual, and the customary ModRetro charm, this time of Rayman himself. I thought there wasn't going to be a charm that could beat the little one of Hermano, but this one wins hands down. It's a perfect 8-bit recreation of our titular hero, and as I've said before, these charms wouldn't look out of place on a bracelet either as well as your Chromatic.
The manual is one of the reasons I love this set so much because it has all of the information I craved when I was a kid, the facts and story elements I would read on the bus journey home from town or while my mum searched the house for more AA batteries.
You're introduced to Rayman and his quest in the booklet, as well as being given your first glimpses of what Michel Ancel's characters look like and how they operate. All of the moves, collectibles, worlds, and settings are in here too - it takes you back to a time where the information was at your fingertips without having to trawl through the internet to figure out what to do, and I'll always prefer that.
The Ubi Key makes a return in this version of Rayman too, an original collectible which allows you to hook up with a friend via infrared and both get a secret level in your game. It's little touches like this that I love and are way more exciting than paid DLC - bonus levels for the win!
Why Should I Buy This Copy?
I hear what you're saying - 'What's stopping me from just buying a cartridge on eBay and sticking it in an Analogue Pocket. Well, aside from the fact that there's the full colour box, coloured cartridge, and in-depth manual to give you that same unboxing feeling as back in the year 2000 (which is worth the cost price alone if you ask me), the ModRetro version of the game has a breand new soundtrack to the original, helping you to get even more into the game and immersing you deeper into Rayman's world. It's all very catchy and makes the gaming experience even more pleasurable.
Then there's the inclusion of enhanced save states that remember your passwords, allowing you to jump back into the action without wasting any time. It feels like Rayman 'evolved', the ultimate version of the game for the ultimate version of the Game Boy, which is really quite fitting!
Teasing More Ubisoft Titles & What I Would Like To See
ModRetro has teamed up with @Ubisoft to rerelease some of their greatest classics, starting with Rayman!
— Palmer Luckey (@PalmerLuckey) September 24, 2025
It has some of the best graphics of any Game Boy Color title, late-cycle developers truly mastered the hardware - it shipped months after the Game Boy Advance was announced! https://t.co/nOolZ3OlA3
Ubisoft made some great games for the Game Boy and Game Boy Color for ModRetro to choose from. If, as Palmer says, they're 'starting' with Rayman and that more of their greatest classics are on the way, then I would like to see the following titles coming to the fold.
- Disney's Donald Duck: Goin' Quackers (2000) - Goin' Quackers gets a lot of love on the home consoles, but people forget that it was on the Game Boy Color too. It's a fantastic side-scrolling adventure in the same vein (though arguably not in the same league) as Rayman with a titular character that everyone knows and loves. It would be great to see Donald Duck on the Chromatic with the likes of Croc.
- Disney's Aladdin (2000) - Another absolutely epic title no matter what console you play it on. Aladdin is one of the ultimate side-scrollers, and the GBC and channels that same spirit as Jordan Mechner's Prince of Persia. Aladdin is a timeless character, and the game would be incredibly appealing to all generations, especially 90s kids who have purchased the new Sabrina game from the ModRetro store and are looking for even more nostalgia.
- F1: Pole Position (1993) - For a handheld racing game from 1993, F1: Pole Position is still amazing. Here's a little fact for you - Ubisoft used the Pole Position name to localize the Japanese game 'Nakajima Satoru F-1 Hero GB '92: The Graded Driver'. So technically, if ModRetro brought back F1: Pole Position with the original name of Nakajima Satoru F-1 Hero GB '92: The Graded Driver, they would be helping to preserve Japanese gaming history in the process!
- Rayman 2 Forever (2000) - If ModRetro have brought Rayman back, then it only makes sense to bring Rayman 2 back to the Chromatic too! Titled as Rayman 2 Forever, this GBC port of Rayman 2. It largely follows the storyline of the PS1 game, and Rayman starts with all of his powers from the get-go, making for exciting gameplay!
- Star Wars (1993) - I'm a huge Star Wars nerd, and that original Game Boy gameplay will stick with me forever. To have that updated by the ModRetro team would be something special indeed, especially with updated graphics and a new soundtrack more fitting to the films. Seeing Luke Skywalker up there on the website alongside Kris from Dragonyhm would be a dream come true.
Final Thoughts
Rayman is a joy to play on the Chromatic and a title that fits into ModRetro's classics collection perfectly. I couldn't think of a better way to celebrate 30 years of Rayman than bringing the original game back to a fantastic handheld, especially with the way it's packaged too.
$44.99 (or £44.99 for us Brits) is a small price to pay for preserving gaming history and giving us a chance to experience that same nostalgia we had as kids, and with the promise of more Ubisoft games on the way, I'm excited to see the start of a fruitful partnership between them and ModRetro.
Which Ubisoft titles would you like to see heading to the Chromatic? Let us know in the comments below!
