The PlayStation Classics is here, and we are going to look back at a somewhat spooky, but always funny, blast from the past. There is a lot of talk about the upcoming MediEvil Remaster, so let’s prepare by talking about MediEvil! It is immediately available as a PSOne Classic for the PlayStation 3, PlayStation Portable, and PlayStation Vita. Sir Daniel is waiting.
It’s a Good Knight
You expect the man in charge of leading a kingdom’s army would be a pretty great dude, right? Well, that is not exactly the case with Sir Daniel Fortesque. He is a good guy, but when Zarok the sorcerer began his invasion, Sir Daniel died right away. He took an arrow (not to the knee) and died. Things still went well for the kingdom of Gallowmere, since Zarok retreated for 100 years, but the king covered up Sir Daniel’s failings by claiming the knight killed Zarok and saved the day.
Naturally, Zarok comes back. That’s what evil villains do. Since so much time has passed, he uses necromancy to resurrect an undead army. In so doing, he also revives Sir Daniel. Now, our buddy has lost an eye and a jaw, but he’s still doing pretty well! Since he’s back, he decides to do what he didn’t do before: defeat Zarok, stop an invasion, and gain access to the afterlife’s Hall of Heroes.
Late Knights
MediEvil is like many action-adventure games of its time. Sir Daniel will enter an area to investigate. He will need to defeat Zarok’s minions there. (This fills up the Chalice of Souls, which we will get to later.) Getting to specific points and reaching certain areas will allow him to advance in his quest, fight bosses, and save the day.
How does Sir Daniel defeat his foes? Well, as a knight he does have access to several different sorts of weapons. Like he has a sword, and rather early on you have access to a crossbow. But if you happen to be disarmed, then you can, well, literally disarm yourself. Sir Daniel can use his own arm as a weapon, which is fitting with the game’s whimsical nature.
What’s also fun about MediEvil is that it has multiple endings. Since this is an action-adventure game from the PlayStation-era, that means collectibles. The Chalices of Souls throughout the game act as this. To collect them, you need to kill enemies so their souls fill it up. If you don’t get them all, you get a bad ending for Sir Daniel. Get them all and, well, let’s say he’ll get what he deserves.
Game Knight with MediEvil
MediEvil is about setting a mode and keeping to that theme. It came at a time where we didn’t often see games that were meant to be darkly humorous. It embraced goofiness and made being undead a little more lighthearted. We got a hero to root for, with a noble cause that was simultaneously silly. Not to mention, it has held up well enough to inspire an upcoming revival. If you can’t wait until that MediEvil PlayStation 4 remaster, you can get the PSOne Classic. It is £3.99 on the UK PlayStation Store and $5.99 in the US PlayStation Store.
