Fans of platforming and vibrant color palettes have reason to get excited, and not just for the release of Rayman: Origins on an ever-growing list of platforms. File this under the 'rumor' section for the time being, but an online marketing survey has apparently confirmed that a sequel to last year's Rayman: Origins is at least in the planning stages at Ubisoft. The sequel may not be confirmed, but it seems that Rayman and his accomplices may soon find themselves in a world of mythological locales and monsters.

The reports stem from the appearance of assets and details ascribed to "the upcoming sequel of Rayman Origins" which appeared in a survey by marketing firm Arkenford. One of the surveyed parties reported the findings to Kotaku, along with a selection of screenshots from the accompanying gameplay video. Aside from what looks to be a challenge mode, the images/concept art show that much of the art style of the original Origins will be carried over, albeit with very different setting and enemies.

Where the first game built its world around themes of music, cooking as well as the standard ice levels, the proposed sequel will be exploring classical mythology and monsters. These should all be taken with a grain of salt until Ubisoft makes a formal announcement that they're even considering a sequel, but have a look at the screenshots now:

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'Greek Gods' are certainly in the same fantastic realm as the environments and creatures of Origins, and while vampires and ghosts may seem a bit less whimsical, the art directors at Ubisoft have earned the benefit of the doubt. These images seem to be focused upon challenge modes to one-up online friends, which hopefully means the development team isn't planning on completely reinventing the wheel.

The basic gameplay elements and eye-catching art style snagged Rayman: Origins not one but two of our own awards last year, so this news is certainly what we've been hoping for. Ubisoft has confirmed that the game did manage to earn a profit when all was said and done, with arguably more critical praise than mainstream success. But with much of the time and money spent on developing the behind-the-scenes technology now able to carry over into a sequel, the opportunity for even more success is certainly there.

We're not alone in being somewhat disappointed in the Rayman 3 HD remake that jumped to modern consoles this month, and are all too ready to grant the responsibility of the 'Rayman' brand to the side-scrolling platformer that wowed us more than we had hoped in 2011. Whether or not this game becomes a reality, fans can breathe a bit easier knowing a chance at dragon-hopping (minus arms and legs) could be in their future.

Would you be looking forward to a Rayman: Origins sequel? Either because the first game surprised you as much as it did us, or to see what all the buzz was about for an old-fashioned platformer?

We'll keep you updated on any more reports or official announcements on a potential Rayman: Origins sequel as they appear.

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Source: Kotaku