Raving Rabbids: Travel in Time Review

With five franchise entries in a span of four years, Ubisoft’s Rabbids are nearly as fertile as their cotton-tailed, real world counterparts. While last year’s Rabbids Go Home offered players a capable platformer,  recent release Travel in Time brings the mischievous mammals back to their mini-game roots. This means that the bunnies are competing in one of the Wii’s most saturated genres- where competition comes from both a multitude of budget-priced rivals as well as the Rabbid’s own back catalog. While Travel in Time‘s slapstick humor and responsive controls are irrefutably charming, the game’s inability to outshine its predecessors may disappoint franchise fans.

As the title indicates, Travel in Time sends the rabbids hurtling through history, via a front-loading washing machine. Repeatedly, the protagonists stumble upon mankind’s pivotal moments, and as the rabbids do best- muck things up. Here, two teams vie for victory in a mini-game that decides the fate of  the universe: the orange team corrects any gaffes in the space-time continuum, while a win by the purple team offers a new, alternate reality. Overwhelming, the introductory scenarios will yield a chuckle or two- such as when a flatulent rabbid errantly diverts the attention of the Titanic’s captain, or a jammed door on the Apollo 11 prohibits even the smallest leap for mankind. Regrettably, both the history shifting and preserving cinematics seem woefully abbreviated; the developers missed a  opportunity  to punctuate each activity with a fulfilling laugh.

An intricate museum serves as the title’s hub, presenting players with five main areas, each with a different type of activity. The Shootarium offers different variants from building pyramids to destroying space-borne disco balls; unfortunately, it’s not immediately clear what players should be doing from the title’s truncated instructions. The Bouncearium offers a bit of platforming, as players collect items or avoid rabbid crushing dangers within a scrolling environment. Two rabbids are linked by a roll of toilet paper in the Runarium, which challenges players to navigate a twisting course or gather collectables. The best of the bunch is clearly the Flyarium, where players use Wiimote and nunchuck to adjust the angle of on their Di Vinci-esque flying machine. Unlike similar motion-based control schemes, soaring around environments is consistently graceful, with no drops in responsiveness or other Wiimote wonkiness. A Wiimotion Plus is needed to navigate the Hookarium, which tasks players with casting the bunnies out like fishing lines.

Artificial intelligence controlled bunnies will fill in any gaps left by a shortage of local players, presenting a single, intermediate level of challenge. For solitary players, Travel boasts the ability to play against online competitors, without the need for friend codes or similar obstacles. As with previous titles in the series, the games are at their best when enjoyed by a group of participants.

Cleverly, Travel in Time‘s museum is overflying with diminutive diversions to be discovered. From vases that defy players to shatter them, throwing rabbids through impromptu basketball hoops, or locating collectable clock tokens hidden ubiquitously, the developers at Ubisoft Paris didn’t miss an opportunity to occupy gamers with a barrage of brief reprieves. Additionally, players are rewarded with both an in-game accomplishment system and a robust wardrobe of unlockable period costumes to deck your bunny out.

Although each mini-game is proceeded by a sluggish data load, players are able to pass the time by making their rabbids scream, run around, and generally be obnoxious- which is infinitely better than staring at the familiar “now loading” notice. Considering the game’s animation and well-drawn environments, the waits are worth it- Travel in Time upholds the series’ keen, cartoonish visuals.

Ironically, Raving Rabbids: Travel in Time‘s greatest adversary may be time itself. Over the last four years, the boisterous bunnies have been especially prolific, with each new title completing against an ever-increasing market of mini-game collections. While the franchise has usually outperformed it’s competition- both in the quality and quantity of their diversions, Travel in Time fails to deliver as much content as 2007’s Rayman: Raving Rabbits 2 or 2008’s Rayman Raving Rabbits: TV Party. Budget-minded players may want to for a ‘future’ price-drop before embarking on this spirited trek through time.

About Robert Allen

Since being a toddler, Robert Allen has been immersed in video games, anime, and tokusatsu. Currently, his days are spent teaching at two southern California colleges. But his evenings and weekends are filled with STGs, RPGs, and action titles and well at writing for Tech-Gaming since 2007.

38 comments

  1. How much is this selling for? I’ve always bought the Rabbids games at $20 and been more than happy with them. I’d even pay $30.

  2. I have to agree. I’m a bit tired of the series. Having online MP is cool, though.

  3. How many games are in there altogether?

  4. I noticed Ubi hasn’t been hyping this like other Rabbid games. I usually see a commercial or two every year.

  5. Rabbids reaction after seeing score, “BBRRRAAAAAWWWWWW” 🙂

  6. Gawd, these games are annoying. I can’t stand all that screaming all the time.

  7. Ive been waiting for a new review. Thanks, guys.

  8. There’s about 25. Like the review said, they’re variation on 5 main groups plus there’s a lot of little tiny ones.

  9. Are you guys ever going to review the Harry Potter game?

  10. I cant wait to play this. I’m thankful for the online part of this one.

    But I still think that TV Party maybe the best one.

  11. I haven’t really seen this in the stores as I’ve been doing my Xmas game shopping.

  12. I’m glad games are getting rid of the need for friend codes.

  13. Dear Ubisoft, please may another 2D platformer like Rayman 2. No more minigames.

    That is all.

  14. Umm, A B- is still better than average.

  15. Big floating cow balloons? Haha, too funny.

  16. I like the minigames, but I loved the old Rayman platforming games as well.

  17. I really like Rabbids Go Home. It’s kind of shame they didn’t offer a direct sequel. I guess it didn’t sell as well as they hoped.

  18. Any deals on this right now?

  19. 5 games in 4 years? They must be trying to beat FIFA’s record.

  20. I’ll pick it up for $20 or so.

  21. I heard there’s racing sections too, but these aren’t good. Why didn’t they get a mention?

  22. Yeah, I really wish they’d make another one of those. With Rayman of course.

  23. I honestly haven’t played any of the Rabbids games. Am I really missing much?

  24. I’m a fan of the second one. Those shooting sequence in real places haven’t been topped.

  25. Seems like they should make these of games for the Kinect. Flying with your arms out, flapping away could be really fun.

  26. Right now $43 shipped is about the lowest price on this it seems. I’m sure Amazon will have a sale soon.

  27. This series must be doing well do that many sequels. I bought the first game when I bought my launch Wii. Pretty good game. I like the way you can just jump in and play for a while, for us people who don’t have tile for epic RPGs.

  28. I rather have 20 completely different mini-games that 5 themed one. Developers keep biting off the Warioware style, throwing all the games in groups. Thats cool, but know they just feel like different levels of the game game.

  29. Great review. Seems pretty fair.

  30. Yep. Thats my breaking point for these types of games.

  31. They’re cool if you’re into simple games that you can play with the family.

  32. I like the idea of the messed up and right future- that could be really cool for a more serious game.

  33. That is very nice game & i love it game very much . good time pass.

  34. Like everyone’s saying I’ll wait for a sale. $50 is just too much for a Wii game for me.

  35. Here how to get the game for free:

    http://slickdeals.net/forums/showthread.php?t=2317205

    You just have to buy Langer’s juice.

  36. Nice, thanks. I’m going to start to have drinking Grey Goose and cranberry.

  37. Enjoying this so far. Got it for Christmas.