“It has risen again, Sir Daniel Fortesque see.” The hero who made his debut on the original MediEvil game back in 1998 for the original PSOne games console. Since the original game's release it has become one of the finest classic action adventure games for the PSOne and the sequel MediEvil 2 was pretty good as well and then there was also MediEvil for the PSP which earned only mixed reviews. Last year we got an announcement that there was going to be a full remake of the original PSOne which left PlayStation fans excited to return to raise from the grave as Sir Daniel Fortesque and the recent PlayStation State of Play video gives players a first look into what this 2019 updated remake is going to be like. Seeing as it is close to Halloween and I really need something to talk about I thought I'd check out the MediEvil Short-Lived demo and give my first thoughts of it. Just note that although I remember playing the demo and also the full PSOne game I never grew up with it and don't have complete memories of it. It will be mostly be a first time look into MediEvil for me after small childhood memories of playing the original PSOne game.
So MediEvil takes place in Gallomere where the evil Necromancer Zarok summons an army of the undead and causes all matter of evil and chaos across the kingdom. Sir Daniel Fortesque who fell at the first charge awakens and is given a chance of redemption to defeat Zarok and claim his place as the True Hero. Sir Daniel Fortesque's lines have been redone but however the other voices like the Gargoyle heads have been recycled from the original but they do sound more better and does remain faithful to the original game.
The demo allows you to explore Dan's Crypt and also the Graveyard which will give you at least almost 15 minutes of gameplay before the demo concludes.
At first glance the graphics in the game have received a complete make over from the 1998 original and it looks outstanding. The quality of the environments are been completely updated, the details and various special effects are incredible and the character models have been given much more animations and extra quality and detail to them then how they looked back in 1998. The graveyard level where the game really starts is more creepier as I remembered it from when playing the original game.
Now let's talk about the gameplay it is an action game where you control Sir Daniel Foresque as you explore each level fighting enemies, some jumping across higher areas, a shop where you can spend money on stuff and also some puzzle solving. The game has options for the updated modern controls or for those who grew up with the original version can select the classic version controls which is a nice touch to the original. Daniel comes equipped with different weapons like the sword, throwing daggers and of course his removable arm where Dan can take off his arm and use it as a weapon which is pretty cool. Every weapon has both a primary and secondary attack which can be effective in many different situations like using daggers from far distance, or using swords at close range, or charging up the sword to deal massive damage to a group of enemies that come close to you.
In each stage you do have a puzzle that you have to solve or use a key item which are needed to unlock gates and advance onwards. One of the puzzles shown in the demo involved a statue where you attack it to make it turn around to open a gate either the one that is North or the one that is to the west of you. Plenty of these are actually pretty good thanks to the pretty good level design in terms of the layout and only require some good thought and sense. I'm sure that most people who played the original game will remember where most of the secrets in the game are.
There are some new stuff that has been added to the remaster like the Dan Cam which puts the camera to the over the shoulder perspective by holding the L2 button and it's okay for exploration but not really useful for other parts of gameplay as it slows your movement. Another new feature is the optional Lost Souls objectives where you can take on different objectives from the ghosts wondering around in each level. Making a return is the Chalice where defeating enemies that have souls in them will fill the meter and reaching it to 100% in a level will allow you to collect the Chalice that is hidden in the level. Collecting the Chalice will allow you to enter the Hall of Heroes which is where you are rewarded with a new weapon to use in the next level.
Plenty of stuff that I have experienced in the demo so far is great but however I have noticed that the frame rate jumps tends to stutter in places, the camera has been updated but some will find the camera to still be at times little bit cumbersome. Seeing that MediEvil is an old game the camera has a charms in the eyes of true gamers.
While I didn't really see anything else new in the demo of the remake but for what I have experienced so far is pretty outstanding stuff. The controls are great, the gameplay is really enjoyable, the updated graphics are fantastic and do make use of the PS4 hardware. The full game is out on the 25th October which is today and those who got to play the Short-Lived Demo before 6th October would get to get their hands on Dan's Helmet for Daniel to equip. You do get to see it in action in the Demo but what that does is curse you and makes enemies deal more damage to you. Still at least it was a half decent little extra to have in the game. Sure I may have written this first impression quite late but I needed something to talk about and ensure that those who enjoy checking out my content on this channel will know I am still around just doing what I can for now and continuing on with my current project which is continuing on with Crystar on the PS4 and hopefully I finish it before the end of the month. So are you going to pick up the MediEvil remake for the PS4 and experience the orginal adventures of Sir Daniel Fortesque. Let me know in the comments and tell everyone what you think of it so far.
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