Remakes of fondly remembered favourites always have a tough call to make: should they remain faithful to the source material, or make improvements and changes to modernise the old-school design? The answer usually lies somewhere in between. MediEvil is the latest PSone classic to be brought back to life, and it errs on the side of authenticity. The 21-year-old original is a fan favourite, but definitely has its flaws, and these unfortunately persist in the PlayStation 4 interpretation.
Still, the game has its audience for a reason. Though not without its problems, the spooky adventure from 1998 is packed full of personality, and Sir Daniel Fortesque is a lovably gormless protagonist. This is true of the remake as well. Other Ocean Emeryville has recaptured the essence and the atmosphere, delivering a kid-friendly game that balances the horrible with the humorous. While visually rocky on occasion, the overall presentation is naturally a huge leap forward. It still feels like MediEvil, but improved use of colour and some wonderful environmental work means Gallowmere has never looked better.
Sir Dan is looking good for his age, too, although controlling him will transport you back two decades. Platforming can be finicky with his stiff movements, and combat is as slapdash as ever. It might be true to the PSone game, but fighting off zombies and other creepy creatures is a flailing, imprecise procedure that doesn't sit well in 2019. It gets the job done, but beyond using your shield to block, there's no nuance to discover. Exacerbating these issues the camera. While we found it to be improved in some areas of the game, you'll still find yourself regularly wrestling for control, especially in enclosed spaces.
In terms of content, the remake is more or less exactly the same adventure you remember from back in the day. Sir Dan is inadvertently reanimated as the evil sorcerer Zarok returns to wreak havoc in Gallowmere. The story, which sees the undead soldier attempt to retroactively bring honour to his name, is a simple one, but it remains a clever premise and is told with a tongue in its cheekbone. While some characters are sporting their original dialogue, others have re-recorded lines -- including the main man himself. That's not the only change in audio; the quietly excellent musical score has been reproduced by a real orchestra, and the results speak for themselves.
Each of the 20 levels are here, Chalices and all, and remain very faithful despite the cosmetic upgrade. However, one new addition can be found in the form of the Lost Souls -- an optional quest line you'll discover along the main path. Once activated, most levels will have a hidden ghost with unfinished business, tasking Sir Dan with simple missions somewhere in Gallowmere. Collecting all the Lost Souls and fulfilling their requests essentially gives you another reason to play through each stage, prolonging the life of the undead adventure and giving veterans something new to enjoy.
While the gameplay can be a bit cumbersome, we found ourselves enjoying our time with Sir Dan in his journey to redemption. Puzzles are hit and miss, and some weapons are far more useful than others, but the retro sensibilities of this game are quite refreshing. Huge, open world epics dominate this generation, but there's absolutely something to be said for a straightforward adventure, traveling from level to level, with no big diversions.
As enjoyable as the overall experience can be, there are still some sticking points in the levels themselves. Tricky jumps combined with the loss of a full health bar if you fall wasn't fun in the late 90s, and certainly isn't nowadays. Stingy checkpoints mean dying will send you back to the very start of a level. Boss fights lack impact, and standard enemies are fond of dogpiling you, which can be frustrating to deal with given the messy combat. For every positive step forward, Sir Dan stumbles back -- but it's hard to stay mad at his jawless grin for long.
Conclusion
MediEvil's PS4 makeover sees the classic brought back to life, and it's an extremely faithful remake that fans will love. However, many of the old issues return as well, such as a dodgy camera and stiff gameplay. Sir Dan die-hards will be able to forgive these leftover problems, as this is otherwise a solid remake overflowing with character. If you've any nostalgia for this retro Sony title, or are looking for something spooky to play this Halloween, MediEvil has never been better -- just be wary of the skeletons in its closet.
Comments 44
Any questions, let me know!
Sounds exactly as expected. Looking forward to it.
@Quintumply Hey I was wondering was there specific options for PS4 Pro support , like a performance mode ?
Pretty much on par, 6s and 7s was what I expected. All I wanted was a straight up remake of Medievil with more modern controls which this seems exactly it.
Also I love the ADs on the site for this where you can turn into the old 98 game.
MediEvil was one of those PS1 games I never managed to play, so I will check out this remake somewhere down the line.
@oatmealwarrior92 Not as far as I'm aware. For what it's worth, I played the game on a standard PS4, and the frame rate was uncapped. It generally performs just fine, so I imagine on a Pro it's a little smoother.
The demo was kinda rough, but I still had fun playing it, similar to the original game.
I never played the original, but I did try the demo and I couldn't get through an enemy fight without losing health. I soon realized that if I just ran around/through them while flailing the sword, it was a lot easier. Once I got back into that 90s mind-set, I enjoyed it more. I'll be picking it up.
One of my favorite ps1 games ever.word up son
Was kind of hoping they'd have fixed the controls because that was the biggest issue with the original, but it still sounds fun so I'll give it a go.
Still a Day 1 for me. Can’t wait.
day one for me still remember getting the demo on a magazine disc & playing it over & over until I bought it loved this game.
It certainly must be a little tough reviewing a game like Medievil
Do you judge it solely based on 2019 standards?
Though seeing as it's been told a million times over though it's a 1 for 1 remake and essentially just a remaster (Or what I'm dubbing a Remaster-make) do you judge it more on the 1990's sensibilities?
All in all It's a nice review Quintumply and what I expected more or less.
I can't wait to play it myself!
@David187 haha. Didn't we all?!
looks like a game without a large enough fanbase to warrant it existing. definitely going to bomb and make you wonder what sony was thinking in putting money and resources into this project. there are so many other franchises it could have remade... such as syphon filter. would have sold better too.
Nice. I'm normally fairly forgiving of iffy controls and camera in these kinds of games, so I'd probably have a lot of fun with this one.
@naruball yep 👍 👍
Still Buying This Day One Cause i Not Only Want Medievil 2 Redone I Also Want More Sony Classic Games Remade Like Tomba And The Syphon Filter Games
@Porco That the difference with MS niche games also get a chance.
@Areus Syphon Filter 😭
Tears of Joy. 🤓
Remaking a PSOne era title should include more than a visual upgrade in my opinion. Game tech and craft have changed so much in 20 years. The fact that the camera and controls were not modified makes zero sense to me. It will likely appeal to a core audience of nostalgia seekers and very few other gamers.
"Stingy checkpoints mean dying will send you back to the very start of a level."
This may be period accurate, but it makes the game a non-starter for me. I had the time as a kid in the PSOne era to replay levels endlessly, but it was frustrating even back then. I think many modern gamers will be turned off by this alone.
I'm very happy for fans of the original game, but I wish it had at least offered optional customizable controls/camera/checkpoints for those of us who want a more modern take on what seems like a wonderful world and character.
@Quintumply does this game have a lock-on mechanic.
@porco Medievil is more popular then you think, it won't sell gang busters but I think it'll do ok.
@Quintumply Thanks for the review! The framerate seemed a bit all over the place in the demo, does it seem any more stable in the finished game?
I would assume that MediEvil Resurrection on PSP is on an awkward middleground between the PS1 version and this remaster?
@AdamNovice it never reached "greatest hits" status (1m+ sold) and only achived "platinum" status (400k+) so that tells you all you need to know. it was semi-popular but FAR from being an influential, mainstream success. it has its fans, but not enough to justify a remake in my opinion. i bet most gamers today who didn't grow up on the ps1 have no idea what medievil is — i would go so far to say they might not even know this release is a remake and assume it is a new budget title. simply put, it was a series that came and went and literally nobody brought it up over the years. even when watching top playstation lists over the years, i didn't hear many mentions of medievil. it is an odd, niche title. that isn't to say it was a bad game... but it just wasn't of the calibur that warranted a remake.
@Porco I recall it being a fairly 'big' game here in the UK. I had a Saturn and was still aware of it, it had a good level of marketing here. Of course, this would still depend on peoples age.
@Ristar24 i hear it was more popular in the uk so that would explain it to some extent. here in north america, i don't think it fared nearly as well. in fact, i only know of 1 person in my circle of friends who had played it around the time of release.
@Porco Makes sense, the PSP remake even had Tom Baker as the narrator, which was nice. It was very popular here to my knowledge, I dont have figures, just my personal rememberance of the time.
@ellsworth004 Not really. There is a sort of lock on for ranged attacks, but nothing like you'd see in, say, Dark Souls.
@Ristar24 I'd say the frame rate is better in the final game, yeah. As I pointed out in another comment, it's unlocked, so it does fluctuate to a degree, but it never really takes any major hits.
@Porco Medievil was often brought up from the core PlayStation circles when discussions of old PSOne IPs been brought back were made.
While not always a means to measure potential success it's trailers on YouTube have had a high viewership number with it's announcement and gameplay trailers having over a million views (the latter managing it in less then a week) not even Spyro's announcement trailer got that on PlayStation's channel and you'd think he would be more popular. So clearly the game has people interested.
@Quintumply Cheers, as you say, its also not the most precise game ever, so the demo seemed OK generally. Maybe they should have capped it though, or had an option to do so, 30fps is generally preferable to me over somewhere between 30 and 60... thanks for the info.
@Quintumply i didnt think that it did, that probably would have made the combat a little better.
Really looking forward to jumping into this this weekend. Nice review. About what I expected, all things considered.
"solid game"
"6/10"
Did I miss something or does that not quite add up?
Still, I can't see the archaic gameplay being much of a problem for me, so it's nice to see that's the biggest problem with the game.
loved the ps1 game, so getting this day one
I like the demo so I’m gonna try this game this weekend, yeah it’s a early ps1 games so it’s not perfect but I like the games atmosphere, it’s like playable tim burton movie
I was onboard and was awaiting this game, just in time for Halloween, until I got the demo. On my PS4 Pro the game kept crashing to a giant blue screen with an error message and Sony collecting the information and even a little video of what I had been doing in-game. When I researched, I learned all about the blue screen with other titles, but I had never seen it before myself. I resigned myself to quit trying to play the demo. While this might be corrected now, it definitely didn't sit well with this household.
now u know why sony's bigger titles got bigger push,
with this kind of reception from critics and sales on their smaller games
About what I expected. Once it hits redbox I will rent it for a couple nights.
I’m into rough/flawed gems like this, so works for me. Just a matter of it coming out on the same day as Outer Worlds...both will definitely get my attention though.
The saddest thing is that despite being a remake, the game isn't complete on disc without the day one patch.
I noticed many things missing from it(sound effects,the wall behind the elephant is not there and many others) so it's far from being complete.
@Shepherd_Tallon I don't agree about the camera and control; They should've updated it. - I just tried the demo and it's really annoying.
And no, I'm not a spoiled kid, I came from playing Wolfenstein 3d on just a keyboard in a dank attic at like 10 years old. But I'm all for upgrading old games or remakes with smoother and better controls.
The movement of the camera is one thing, but the camera... I almost cursed at this kids-game... And that's just in the "short lived" demo. - And then to see occasional framerate-drops when a few basic enemies spawn?... It really puts me off from actually purchasing the full game, rather going on my "maybe" list to consider later.
Nostalgia is fine and all, but I never knew this game, so they need to capture a new audience for it too, young and old.
Remakes that are too faithful are more like "remasters", because they're about the same with new graphics and audio. So I think they missed the mark with this one, although it's still a charming game.
@JoeBlogs But "RE2" is exactly a re-make... done right.
This MediEvil is more like a "remaster" as it tries to be too faithful with its problems intact, even though technically it's also re-made. So I agree they should've improved upon the flaws it had and just make it smoother and control better. I tried the demo and it's jerky and jumpy as all heck (while familiar from older games) and the camera is absolutely annoying. You need to "learn to deal with it", which is not something you want with any game.
Also I think the control-scheme is horrible. I want to change about every button. They should've put in the option to just re-map everything or at least give you some presets. For example, I keep wanting to use R2 to strike, or perhaps Triangle to shoot daggers or whatever, but attacks are all Square and Circle. And some of the things like camera-modes and turning off the HUD could be kinda moved around on the controls as well. It's just all too wrong to be intuitive. - Oh well...
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