MediEvil

Release Date - October 9, 1998 (EU)

Developer - SCE Cambridge Studio

Publisher - Sony Computer Entertainment

Platform - PlayStation

Take a dash of Ghosts n’ Goblins, a good helping of The Nightmare Before Christmas, and mix it with the 3D platforming and action format of games like Tomb Raider or The Legend of Zelda and you might wind up with something similar to MediEvil. 

In a time when video games were generally at the extremes of gritty, grounded settings, or very colourful child-friendly worlds, MediEvil found a charming balance. A very irreverent and silly setting that still manages to have elements of dark fantasy and horror. Heavily influenced by the 1993 stop-motion animated film The Nightmare Before Christmas, the game attempted to recapture that same charming yet dark atmosphere that many of Tim Burton’s films presented. Originally the gameplay was intended to be closer to the style of the infamously difficult Capcom side-scroller Ghosts n’ Goblins but eventually was evolved into a more modern 3D action adventure titles.

Sir Dan Fortesque… not the most imposing figure, but he’s a determined fella.

A century ago, the world of Gallowmere was threatened by the evil Zarok, a powerful sorcerer that harnessed the power of necromancy to raise an army of undead zombies. Were it not for the brave Sir Daniel Fortesque, Gallowmere surely would have fallen to Zarok’s evil conquest. But now, a century after his defeat, Zarok has returned! But! As Sir Dan returns from the dead, seemingly as the one last hope to stop Zarok again, we learn that he wasn’t quite the hero that we thought. He was in fact, rather disappointing as a fighter and was killed in the very first volley of arrows fired during the battle! 

Fraudulent history notwithstanding, this is Dan’s chance to finally live up to his lofty reputation and become the hero that Gallowmere needs. As you may have gathered, Dan isn’t the typical adventure hero. Even beyond his sketchy history of heroics, being a returned undead soldier his skull-head is missing an eye (presumably from one of those arrows that did him in) and seemingly most of his lower jaw. At least our bumbling protagonist comes complete with a dry sense of humour in his actions and dialogue. Often the butt-end of jokes, he’s determined to prove that he can save the day.

Even with your starting equipment, zombies can be dispatched without too much hassle. Just be careful not to get swarmed!

Players will control Dan through over 20 levels, taking the undead hero-to-be across cool locales like the expected graveyards and castles, and also to more exotic areas like ghost ships and the tunnels of a giant ant’s nest. Each location you visit has a distinct look to it, and player’s will revel in each new environment, whether it be rolling green hills of the pumpkin fields or the warped architecture of the main town. 

Sir Dan will spend his time fighting off baddies, solving puzzles of varying complexity and finding keys to unlock new areas. Puzzles are never too jarring, as helpful gargoyles and hint books will steer you in the right direction (and often throw in a dry insult towards Sir Dan). The variety of obstacles is excellent, and goes beyond basic tasks like finding keys to open doors (although that does feature heavily too). A great example is in the town where a crucifix must be restored to the church. While the original was destroyed by Zarok and his goons, Dan can find the original cast. Find a suitable piece of metal and Dan can operate the blacksmith’s bellows to melt it down and make a new cross for the Church, voila!

The bloody imps have made off with Dan’s sword! Yes, that does mean that Dan will attack them with his own severed arm instead. That’s determination!

Your enemies come in a number of forms, and pose different threats. The standard zombies can be done in with some rudimentary sword swipes, but look out for enemies like trolls who’ll attempt to steal your weapons like the thieving buggers they are! Luckily Sir Dan is armed to his remaining row of teeth; his trusty short sword accompanied by daggers, axes, hammers and even some magical weapons. Most of them even have a secondary attack, giving you a wide range of options to dispatch your enemies. This is also part of the Ghosts n’ Goblins inspiration, a wide variety of unique weapons. The best weapons are controlled by the Hall of Heroes, a secret realm that can only be visited by Sir Dan after filling a sacred chalice. He will be transported to the Hall where fallen heroes can provide him with their legendary weapons (and provide some charming and funny dialogue).

Canny Tim is one of many fallen heroes that will give Dan some assistance in the Hall of Heroes. All are fully voice acted and provide some genuinely funny moments.

You’ll be thankful for those powerful weapons too, with some impressive boss fights to take on. Enemies like the stained-glass demon, or the giant pumpkin look amazing and will require a bit more thinking to take down than the usual enemy. There’s often a preferred technique by trying different weapons, so you’d better get used to Dan’s arsenal.

The soundtrack was intentionally created to be reminiscent of Danny Elfman’s scores for films such as The Nightmare Before Christmas, Beetlejuice and Batman Returns. It’s clear from the first track that composer team ‘Bob & Barn’ (Paul Arnold and Andrew Barnabas) have knocked it out of the park. A beautiful, orchestral score (albeit by way of synthesised instruments), evokes a haunting yet jaunty mood that fits the game perfectly. The music makes up a large part of the game’s overall appeal and player’s will be eager to hear new music as they travel to new areas, helping the game ensure it is always dripping with atmosphere.

Dan explores the twisted township.

Matching the soundtrack are some quality graphical effects. Previewers of the game were wowed by some impressive special effects like coloured lighting and transparencies, with some strong use of colour to make it stand out from darker, primarily grey and brown adventure games of the time. The stained glass window boss in particular does a good show of demonstrating the brilliant use of effects and colour with a stunning 3D model made up of vibrantly coloured glass. Even 25 years later, it’s hard not to be impressed by the effects of fire giving hallways an orange glow, or the fantastic animation of Dan and his many enemies as they shuffle about the levels.

The stained-glass demon is an incredible sight to behold. Check out those transparencies!

MediEvil would receive favourable reviews on launch from most outlets, and became something of a cult classic. It spawned a sequel with MediEvil 2 in 2000 and a reimagining on PlayStation Portable with MediEvil: Resurrection in 2005. The game’s lasting impact was evident when in 2019 the title received a full remake for the PlayStation 4 console, more than 20 years since it first released. Players of the remake are even able to unlock the entire original game hidden away in the remake! Dan Fortesque may have been a braggart who failed to live up to his claims during his initial battle with Zorak, but he’s gone on to become a bonafide gaming legend.

Dan is an eminently likeable character despite his… homely looks.