Information Gargoyles

Information Gargoyle
Biographical information
AKA	Help Gargoyle Standard Gargoyle
Behind the scenes information
Voiced by	Harry Dickman (MediEvil)
Appears in	MediEvil (1998) MediEvil: Resurrection MediEvil (2019)

"It has risen again - Sir Daniel Fortesque. See?" ― an Information Gargoyle shortly after Sir Dan's resurrection.

Information Gargoyles were gnarled old Spirits from the Spirit world who manifested themselves as Stone Gargoyles and rooted themselves about the land of Gallowmere. They were the wise brethren of the greedy Merchant Gargoyles.

History

In 1386, the year Zarok returned to enslave Gallowmere, Sir Dan met two Information Gargoyles in his crypt right after waking up from his eternal rest. The first gargoyle taunted Dan for his failures at the Battle of Gallowmere a century ago, while the other gargoyle defended him, remarking that Dan was granted another chance to become a real hero this time.

During his journey throughout Gallowmere, Dan met more Information Gargoyles. Some taunted him, while others gave him somewhat helpful advice.

The last Information Gargoyle Dan encountered was at the City of Madness, just outside of Zarok's Lair. The gargoyle was surprised by Dan successfully getting so far and gave Dan advice for the battle ahead.

Characteristics

Appearance

Canonical account

Information Gargoyles were green stone carvings of demonic heads with horns and a goatee. In their mouth they had two protruding fangs.

Apocryphal account

Some sources described the gargoyles as having full bodies complete with small wings, long, gangly arms with three-fingered hands, and small stubby feet with two toes.

Personality

Canonical account

Although quite clever, the Information Gargoyles had a snarky sense of humour, looking down on Sir Dan for being a fraud. However, they did occasionally give out helpful hints.

Whenever a gargoyle spoke, one could observe three traits of speech uncommon to other characters: first, they referred to themselves in the plural; second, they intrinsically pluralised their verbs; and lastly, they referred to Sir Dan as "it" instead of "he", though this decreased in prevalence as Dan gained their respect.

Apocryphal account

Some sources claimed the gargoyles were very expressive, owing to their having full bodies and thus being able to use body language. They allegedly did not have any awkward speaking traits and were largely short-tempered and sarcastic creatures.

Gameplay

MediEvil

An Information Gargoyle in MediEvil.

Locations

There are a total of twenty Information Gargoyles in the game spread across seventeen of its levels.

• Dan's Crypt - Two gargoyles appear in the hallway at the start of the level.
• The Graveyard - A gargoyle appears next to the level exit.
• Cemetery Hill - A gargoyle appears in the hallway leading into the Witches' Coven.
• Return to the Graveyard - A gargoyle appears at the exit after the Guardians of the Graveyard boss fight.
• Scarecrow Fields - A gargoyle appears at the level exit after getting past the final contraption.
• Pumpkin Gorge - A gargoyle appears at the level exit.
• The Sleeping Village - A gargoyle appears on the left from the starting point. It will automatically initiate a conversation with Dan, warning him to not harm the villagers.
• The Enchanted Earth - The first gargoyle appears where the Shadow Demons tomb and the emergency exit is located, and the second gargoyle appears next to the proper level exit. The second gargoyle will initiate a conversation with Dan automatically, berating him for releasing the Shadow Demons.
• The Ant Caves - A gargoyle appears at the start of the level.
• Pools of the Ancient Dead - A gargoyle appears in the starting area, before the bridge.
• The Lake - A gargoyle appears next to the exit door with crystals.
• The Crystal Caves - A gargoyle appears next to the cavern entrance after the bridge.
• The Haunted Ruins - The first gargoyle appears next to the castle entrance after the portcullis, and the second gargoyle appears next to the iron gates further in. A gargoyle's voice is later heard after Dan opens the lava flood gates.
• The Entrance Hall - A gargoyle appears at the start of the entrance.
• The Time Device - A gargoyle appears in front of the clock puzzle platform.
• Zarok's Lair - A gargoyle appears next to the entrance on the right-hand side.
• Hall of Heroes - A gargoyle appears next to the hall entrance on the left. Unlike other gargoyles, this one has something new to say after Dan obtains more Chalices.

The five levels that feature no Information Gargoyles are The Pumpkin Serpent, The Asylum Grounds, Inside The Asylum, The Gallows Gauntlet and The Ghost Ship.

MediEvil: Resurrection

Locations

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Behind the scenes

Information Gargoyles are supporting characters in MediEvil, its remake, and MediEvil: Resurrection. They serve as the game's hint system alongside the books and also provide the narrative flow of the plot to the player.

Development

MediEvil (1998 original)

Information Gargoyles are not present in pre-release versions of MediEvil from before 1998, such as the MediEvil Rolling Demo or the MediEvil ECTS Pre-Alpha.

In certain mid-1998 versions of MediEvil, Information Gargoyles appeared in greater numbers than in the final game, although there were no voice lines for them at the time. Most of them were replaced by books in version 0.32, a change that was retained for the final game version.

In the cheat menu's sound test section, there is an unused line of dialogue spoken by a gargoyle who was removed from The Enchanted Earth level:

"Well about time too, thought I was going to be a permanent addition to this mossy hell hole!"

MediEvil (2019 remake)

In concept art seen in The Art of MediEvil, the Information Gargoyles had a full torso, reminiscent of the Notre Dame gargoyles.

In their official artwork, the Information Gargoyles wear a door knocker-like object with an eyeball. However, this is absent in-game.

Portrayal

Information Gargoyles were voiced by the late Harry Dickman in the original MediEvil. Dickman was personally picked out by Jason Wilson due to his performance in Mr Kipling commercials. These original audio recordings were later re-used for the 2019 remake of the game. Dickman passed away in August 2020.

In other media

2012 – PlayStation All-Stars Battle Royale

A gargoyle serves as the narrator for Dan's introduction, rival cutscene and ending in the game's story mode. Another gargoyle, who uses a model similar to the MediEvil: Resurrection gargoyles, also appears in "The Graveyard" DLC stage. It has unique taunts for thirteen of the game's characters, including Sir Dan.

Both gargoyles are voiced by Marc Silk, who also provided the voice for several MediEvil 2 characters.

See also

• Books – series-wide sources of information.
• Al-Zalam – partial counterpart in MediEvil: Resurrection.
• Professor Hamilton Kift – counterpart in MediEvil 2.
• Winston Chapelmount – counterpart in MediEvil 2.