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Back in 1998, MediEvil was released for the Playstation. It was known as a fun game with great graphics and music. Now, seven years later, Sony has re-released the game for the PSP. The question is, how does this port stand up to the console original?

Sir Dan, the lead character, is known as a brave knight that heroically defeated the evil Zarok and lost his own life in the process. In reality, Sir Dan was a coward and died in the front lines when an arrow pierced him in the eye. As Dan’s so called genie companion ‘Al-Zalam’ says, “It’s amazing what a little publicity can do.” Now the evil Zarok returns with a new evil scheme to block out the sun and bring back the dead and use the souls of the living to do his bidding. Among the bad guys brought back to serve Zarok, Dan was also brought back to the land of the living and he and his genie companion must stop Zarok and turn Dan into the honorable warrior the legend everyone knows.

The cartoony look alone is a dead giveaway that this game is goofy and has a weird sense of humor. Its whacky characters and dialogue confirm this first impression. It actually reminds me a lot of Ghouls ‘n Ghosts and Maximo. The cast of characters are surprisingly interesting and is a nice departure from the usual characters in games I’ve played lately.

 

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On a technical level, the control scheme is a pain in the ass! Dan has a wide variety of combos, but none of them really look that great as the character comes off looking rather stiff. He seems clumsy (suits the character I guess) but this leads to a lot of unnecessary misses when trying to strike down an opponent. To attack an opponent, players have a choice of using a quick attack or a slower but stronger 

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attack. These attack buttons can be combined to execute combos or held down to charge up a fierce stab attack or a 360 spin that’s similar to Link’s hero spin from the Legend of Zelda games. Weapon combo and charge attacks vary, depending on the type of weapon. Another helpful move is the charging button that allows Dan to ram through enemies using his shield or it can be used to simply move faster. The shield can obviously be used for blocking attacks; however, Dan has some dodging techniques which again are reminiscent of some maneuvers found in Zelda.

Swords are not the only weapons that Dan can use for offense.  As players progress, they will find a variety of weapons scattered all over various stages like clubs, projectiles such as throwing knives and more. During each stage, you will notice a chalice icon, which is ghosted out, at 0% on the top right hand corner of the screen. The chalice starts to fill up every time Dan defeats an enemy. When it eventually reaches 100%, Dan will be permitted to visit the hall of heroes, but not before you uncover the hidden chalice in each stage. In the Hall of Heroes, Dan will meet up with some legendary heroes that offer their help by providing him with new weapons such as a giant hammer or a crossbow.

If Dan’s stiffness or clumsy attacks weren’t frustrating enough, then the camera is what will really piss you off. Players will always have to reset the camera every time they turn, because if they don’t, you are guaranteed to be totally lost as to where they are headed. The worst case scenario is fixing the camera during a fight. You can lock onto your target by holding down the R button but it only helps slightly. The camera is, without a doubt, the breaking point of the game.  If some of these issues had been resolved before the game’s release, then it could have scored higher.

Ok, here’s where I have to admit I’ve never played the original MediEvil on the original Playstation, but I do know there are new mini-games that have been added to this PSP remake. Since I haven’t played the original, I’m not sure which mini games are new, but from what I’ve played, some are quite fun, while others can be a bit of a drag. Each mini-game has levels with three challenges. Each challenge has a time limit and a certain score must be met. Some mini-games are available in the main menu right off the bat while others must be unlocked as you progress through the main game. Some mini-games are Whack-A-Zarok, Pit 'O Death, Arrow 'O Fate and Weapons Master.

Graphically, MediEvil looks good. Character models and environments look great, but unfortunately, character models only really seem to shine during close-ups in the cutscenes. The goofy looking zombies and environments remind me of the first Maximo game for the PS2. It’s really quite nice to look at, but the somewhat occasional frame rate problems aren’t so nice.

Who ever composed the music did a phenomenal job. MediEvil has some of the best music I’ve ever heard in a game, not to mention some great voice acting. Some characters like Al-Zalam can be quite difficult to understand, most of the time due to his heavy accent, but thankfully subtitles can be enabled in the sound options. The goofy visuals and kick-ass audio are really outstanding and is what makes the game enjoyable.

Despite the fact that the gameplay should have been improved upon before it’s release, there is still a lot offered in MediEvil and some gamers on the go may want to pick this one up while others may want to pass.

- J'Tonello

(November 8, 2005)

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