(which increases punch strength), a speed fist (which increases the speed of Rayman's punches), a power to restore Rayman's lost life energy, and flying blue elves whose touch shrinks Rayman down in size so he may access new areas. In early stages of the game, Rayman has the ability to walk, crawl and make silly faces. He obtains additional powers during the game (telescopic punching, holding onto ledges, grappling flying rings, using his hair as helicopter blades to glide, and running) from Betilla the Fairy, while others are given temporarily from his friends that are used for a specific levels only. Plot In the planet in which Rayman lives, people are harmonious thanks to the Great Protoon. However, the evil Mr. Dark steals the Protoon, causing the Electoons, tiny beings that maintain harmony on Rayman's planet, to scatter all over the world. Betilla the Fairy, a guardian of the Great Protoon, battles Mr. Dark to get back the Protoon and Electoons, but fails, so Rayman decides to go and find the Electoons, free the Great Protoon and defeat Mr. Dark. Betilla the Fairy frequently interacts with Rayman as needed to give him additional magical powers along his journey. As he searches the world for the Electoons, Rayman confronts strange enemies and is aided by new friends, and learns that Mr. Dark has kidnapped Betilla and imprisoned her in one of the little spheres attached to his hat. After he rescues all of the Electoons, Rayman faces Mr. Dark, who attacks with various disorienting spells. Rayman arrives in a hall, where Mr. Dark traps him with walls of fire. At the last moment, Electoons retrieve Rayman's ability to punch after Mr. Dark disables it, with this latter continuing the fight by transforming himself into hybrids of the bosses previously fought by Rayman. Upon the defeat of Mr. Dark, Rayman rescues Betilla and recovers the Great Protoon, thus restoring balance to his world. Rayman then takes a vacation with friends and former enemies. Development Rayman was created by French video game designer Michel Ancel, with additional contributions to the character's final design by programmer Frédéric Houde and artist Alexandra Steible. Ancel had produced the first designs of Rayman in the 1980s when he was a teenager, at a time when he was learning to draw, compose music, and code in order to follow his dream of making video games. When work formally