Preview:Game Buyer, October 1998
| Game Buyer, October 1998 | ||
|---|---|---|
 Cover of Game Buyer Issue 4. | ||
| Issue No. | 4 | |
| Page(s) | 108 | |
| Preview Subject | MediEvil | |
| Language | English | |
| URL available? | Yes | |
Transcript
Sony Scares Up MediEvil
Sony's latest 3D action/adventure title arrives just in time for the Halloween festivities. MediEvil, follows the adventures of an undead knight who must fight his way back to the living. But along the way, he's got to right a couple of real wrongs that have been done to him. With lush, hi-resolution backgrounds and completely polygonal enemies and environments, MediEvil feels much like Sony's other upcoming blockbuster, Spyro the Dragon.
Your character will have a whole host of weapons and defensive armor to don and slash with as you go up against an array of supernatural baddies. Frankenstein creatures, imps, skeletons and other monsters haunt the halls of castles, the knolls in graveyards and the mucky swamps within the game. But, this isn't merely a hack and slash fest for action gamers -- there are plenty of puzzles and secrets to tease players as well. Movable blocks, hidden items and quest-oriented missions all figure nicely into the gameplay. And in addition to these features, you'll also be able to partake in the other standard duties of platforming adventures, such as collecting coins, powering up your weapons, and unlocking secret bonus levels.
Weapons range from the standard sword that you begin the game with, to stuff like projectile axes, throwing knives and other delightful tools of torture. When you complete certain objectives, you can also be transported to an area that features all sorts of powerful weapons to choose from. But, before you can touch them, you must fulfill specific requirements that are tough, but not impossible to accomplish.
A lot of the game depends on how many enemies you lay to rest on each level. When you hack a foe, its soul will visibly leave its body and float skyward. When this happens, you'll receive a percentage which goes towards filling your 'chalice.' When the chalice is full, you can then reap the rewards for freeing all the condemned souls on the level. But to do this, you must find the hidden powerup chalice on each level. It's standard gameplay cliche, but it motivates the player to track down each and every monster instead of promoting a cowardly escape from oncoming foes. With enough cleverness in level design and a catchy character in the lead role, the game will catch gamers' attention for its late October release.
With tons of levels to conquer and a good amount of atmosphere, humor and challenge to offer, MediEvil should be a nice start to what looks to be one of Sony's biggest seasons of games. Hopefully, MediEvil won't be too overshadowed by the company's mammoth amount of hype which is about to enter full swing for their excellent-looking Spyro the Dragon. Look for MediEvil to hit the store shelves at around October.
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