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MediEvil is a series of hack and slash action-adventure video games exclusive to PlayStation consoles. The first three games of the series were developed by the now-defunct SCE Cambridge Studio (formerly Millennium Interactive), while the latest entry was developed by Other Ocean Interactive's Emeryville studio. MediEvil is the intellectual property of the series publisher, Sony Interactive Entertainment. The eponymous first game, produced by Chris Sorrell and designed by Jason Wilson, released on October 9, 1998.

MediEvil is centred around the adventures of the undead knight Sir Daniel Fortesque from the fictional kingdom of Gallowmere. The games are visually and thematically inspired by German Expressionism, Gothic horror, English folklore, as well as late 20th century horror films such as The Evil Dead — the name itself, MediEvil, is a portmanteau of the words "medieval" and "evil", which was the original title of the third Evil Dead film.

Media

Games

Year Title Platform
1998 MediEvil PlayStation
2000 MediEvil 2
2005 MediEvil: Resurrection PlayStation Portable
2019 MediEvil PlayStation 4

Main installments

  • MediEvil was first released in Europe on October 9, 1998, for the PlayStation. It follows Sir Dan, who was falsely hailed as a hero after his death, on a journey of posthumous redemption when he is accidentally resurrected by his nemesis, the evil sorcerer Zarok.
  • MediEvil 2 was initially released in Europe on April 21, 2000, for the PlayStation. 500 years after his last resurrection, Sir Dan finds himself in the world of the living once again, this time in Victorian London.

Remakes

  • MediEvil: Resurrection was first released in Europe on September 1, 2005, for the PlayStation Portable. It is a retelling of the first MediEvil, featuring new characters and locations while removing some that were present in the original game.
  • MediEvil was released worldwide on October 25, 2019, for the PlayStation 4. It is a faithful remake of the first game in the series.

Unrealised concepts

  • Fate's Arrow was a concept for a third MediEvil entry pitched by Chris Sorrell in 2003. It would have served as a direct sequel to MediEvil 2 and featured a storyline taking place 100 years prior to the first MediEvil. Sixteen years later, the concept was adapted into a comic book.
  • A Game of Bones was a concept for a third MediEvil game pitched in the early 2010s. It was going to take place between the first two games. The game's story would parody the first book in the A Song of Ice and Fire series, A Game of Thrones.

Abertay University student games

In January 2011, students of the Professional Masters in Games Development course at Abertay University (formerly the University of Abertay Dundee) were tasked by Sony to develop four PS Mini game prototypes based on the MediEvil IP using Sony's proprietary PhyreEngine. The projects were finished by May of the same year. None of the projects are available for public consumption.

  • MediEvil: Boneyard was a destruction derby combat game which featured six racers battling within an arena using charging and melee attacks.
  • MediEvil: Defence o' the Damned was a tower defence game where Sir Dan had to protect Gallows Town from zombies. Unlike the other prototypes, this project was chosen for further development as a PlayStation Move title. This version was later showcased at Dare ProtoPlay in August 2011, a games festival for showing off student games developed as part of the Dare to Be Digital competition. Despite this, Sony chose not to pursue further development of the game.
  • MediEvil: Grave Cards was a trading card and card combat game, featuring over 90 unique cards, a deck builder, a campaign and a card merchant.
  • MediEvil: Legends was a wave-based hack-and-slash game. The gameplay consisted of a linear set of enemy waves, each wave getting progressively harder by spawning in more enemies for longer periods of time. In addition, the final prototype contained 5 different enemy types, each with their own strengths and weaknesses.

Other media

Comic

MediEvil, also known as MediEvil: The Comic Prequel and MediEvil: Fate's Arrow is a comic that serves as both a prequel and a sequel to the MediEvil games. It is based on a 2003 concept pitch for MediEvil 3 by Chris Sorrell. The digital version of the comic was released on October 25, 2019, as part of the Digital Deluxe Edition of the MediEvil remake, while a physical hardback version was published by Titan Comics on December 3, 2019.

Television series

According to MediEvil developers Dominic Cahalin and Jason Wilson, a French company was interested in creating a television show based on the MediEvil universe while MediEvil: Resurrection was in development. However, the show was not produced in the end.

Gameplay

Development

Reception

Legacy

References