Ask a PlayStation fan what their favorite character from the platform is, and they might say Lara Croft, or Crash Bandicoot, or even Nathan Drake. These are characters who have created long-standing legacies over time, and they have the acclaim to back that up. For me, it was always MediEvil’s Sir Daniel Fortesque. There was a certain charm to a short-tempered, jawless skeleton speaking in muffled grunts that I found fascinating as a kid. He had two adventures on the original PlayStation and a mostly disappointing remake on the PSP. And now, he’s revived on PS4.
Using a visual style reminiscent of classic Tim Burton films, MediEvil tells the tale of Sir Dan, a fallen soldier known to the history books as the hero of Gallowmere who slew the evil necromancer Zarok. In truth, he fell in battle before he could even finish the charge. When Zarok returns a century later to conquer the land with an army of undead, the newly reanimated Dan takes it into his own hands to stop the sorcerer and live up to the legend.
Each level takes the form of a linear scenario that has Dan do a mix of puzzle-solving, platforming, and combat as he travels from the undead necropolis on his way to find Zarok. His quest sends him into dark enchanted forests, through haunted villages, and across desolate battlefields, with every stage changing up the theme and formula enough to keep it from feeling too repetitive. Going into a new area, you never quite know what to expect.
There’s also a Chalice of Souls in every level to be collected once you kill enough enemies. Each one allows Dan a visit to the Hall of Heroes, a heavenly place where he can commune with other fallen warriors. Speaking with a hero rewards Dan with an upgrade to his arsenal, where weapons such as battleaxes, warhammers, and longbows can be obtained. They each vary in their potential, allowing for greater versatility when dealing with certain enemies. It also provides a big incentive to collect all the chalices and replay the levels if you missed one, as there might be a weapon unlock that can help you with a tough boss down the line.
These were key elements of the 1998 classic and they remain unchanged in this one. To remake it from the grave up, Sony handed the reins over to California-based developer Other Ocean to handle it. As a reinterpretation of the original, MediEvil is a spectacular upgrade. Every level has received a modern facelift but remains a near-perfect replica of its older counterpart. Much of the same dialogue is reused, including the late Paul Darrow’s brilliant performance as Zarok, while the Danny Elfman-inspired soundtrack receives a further cinematic buffer. It feels exactly how the original team intended but couldn’t achieve with the limitations of the PS1 hardware. Specifically, the world of Gallowmere is expanded, with more detail added to each stage that makes it believable and interesting.
With influences rooted in gothic architecture and classic fantasy archetypes, one of the most creative aspects in the original was the design of the bosses, and the remake fully respects that. The first major encounter is a stained-glass window that has been animated into the form of a demon. The janky appearance of this character was due to the PS1 polygon limits at the time, but the 2019 version capitalizes on that by adding new lighting and particle effects to make it creepier. Some bosses are even improved with new moves or phases to give each one some extra dramatic mass.
The issue with trying to recreate a beloved classic so closely is that it also inadvertently brings back the same flaws. The original game was heavily criticized for its awkward platforming, where you’d often have to make a pixel-perfect movement to land a jump correctly. The remake makes no such effort to improve upon this, as there were many points where I missed a landing that otherwise looked fine, resulting in me being submerged in deep water and losing a life. It’s frustrating when it happens, as there’s no room to learn from your mistakes when the problem is the platform hitboxes being unfair.
That does, however, make MediEvil’s biggest weakness its greatest strength depending on how you approach it: it still plays a lot like a PS1 title. By modern standards, the hack and slash combat is floaty, the camera is awful and the puerile dialogue isn’t any improvement. If you have no investment in the series and aren’t bound to it by nostalgia, you will struggle to have a great time with such outdated mechanics. In the 21 years since its original release, there have been better imitators that have tackled the genre in more accessible ways. However, the simplicity of using 20-year-old design principles also adds a lot of charm to it. As we’ve seen with recent hits like DUSK and A Hat in Time, recapturing the magic of ‘90s game design still has a place in the current gaming atmosphere.
For as long as I recall, MediEvil has been a crucial part of my gaming upbringing. It was the first game I ever played; I remember spending long weekends with my dad trying to beat a level. I remember using our horrible dial-up internet to look up cheat codes. I even remember going around the school playground shouting at the other children and muffling my voice like Sir Dan. This is for the fans and it’s not very accessible to anyone outside of that circle. Regardless, it was a big treat to see Sony has not entirely given up on the franchise, and if there’s enough interest, may consider developing a new game altogether.
MediEvil review code provided by the reviewer.
MediEvil is out now on PS4.