MediEvil (1998): Difference between revisions

{{FA}}{{for|the first ''MediEvil'' game|the series and the remake|MediEvil (series)|MediEvil (PS4)|respectively}}{{Infobox video game

|name = MediEvil

|icon = [[File:Memory Card.png|link=|alt=]]

|image =  

[[File: Medievil-front.jpg|230px|center]]

[[File:MediEvil_-_Front_Cover_NTSC.jpg|230px|center]]

|-|

NTSC-J=

[[File:Japanese_cover.png|230px|center]]

|developer = [[SCE Cambridge Studio]]

|publisher = Sony Computer Entertainment

|platforms = {{w|PlayStation (console)|PlayStation}}, {{w|PSN}}, {{w|Android (operating system)|Android}} ({{w|Xperia Play}})

|release = {{Release date|October 9, 1998{{Siteref|MED-EU-Site|german/content.html|Welcome}}|'''PlayStation:''' <br/>

{{vgrelease|JP=June 17, 1999|EU=September 1999<ref>[https://archive.org/details/official-australian-playstation-magazine-26-september-1999/ Official Australian PlayStation Magazine No. 26], page 81. Published by ACP Publishing in September 1999.</ref> ([http://gallowmere.wikia.com/wiki/File:1332136-medievilplat_eu_ps_front_super.jpg Platinum])}}

{{vgrelease|EU=May 9, 2003{{Citation needed}} ([http://gallowmere.wikia.com/wiki/File:Twin_pack.jpg Twin Pack])}}

|genre = Action-adventure

|ratings = {{CollapseContent|PEGI: 7<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://pegi.info/search-pegi?q=MediEvil&filter-age%5B%5D=7&page=1&op=Search&form_build_id=form-FpmJNlOx2nAzWSIJxan3AS2JqMRpHofq1nwnZumq6UI&form_id=pegi_search_form|title=MediEvil|site=Pegi Public Site}}</ref>|ELSPA: 11+<br>ESRA: +15<ref>{{Cite web|site=نظام ارزیابی و رده بندی سنی بازی های رایانه ای|title=MediEvil|url=https://esra.ircg.ir/ratingGameResults.aspx?gn=MediEvil}}</ref><br>ESRB: Teen<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.esrb.org/ratings/Synopsis.aspx?Certificate=3505&Title=MediEvil|title=MediEvil (PS One)|site=ESRB.org}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.esrb.org/ratings/Synopsis.aspx?Certificate=22593&Title=MediEvil|title=MediEvil (PS3, PS Vita, PSP)|site=ESRB.org}}</ref><br>GRAC: 12<ref>{{Cite web|title=Medievil® (메디이블®)|published=April 27, 2011|url=https://www.grac.or.kr/Statistics/Popup/Pop_StatisticsDetails.aspx?d38348dbb2db3897bfe590f1098413e1cecd98f227eaeaf17ed258610ac557e8|site=게임물관리위원회}}</ref><br>OFLC: G8+<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.classification.gov.au/titles/medievil-0|site=Australian Classification Board|published=January 9, 1998|title=MEDIEVIL}}</ref><br>USK: 12<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://usk.de/?s=MediEvil|published=August 5, 1998|title=MediEvil|site=Unterhaltungssoftware Selbstkontrolle}}</ref>}}

|serials = {{CollapseContent|[[MediEvil/SCES-00311|SCES-00311]] (English)|[[MediEvil/SCES-01492|SCES-01492]] (French)<br>[[MediEvil/SCES-01493|SCES-01493]] (German)<br>[[MediEvil/SCES-01494|SCES-01494]] (Italian)<br>[[MediEvil/SCES-01495|SCES-01495]] (Spanish)<br>[[MediEvil/SCUS-94227|SCUS-94227]] (American)<br>[[MediEvil/SCPS-10081|SCPS-10081]] (Japanese)}}

|next=''[[MediEvil 2]]''}}  

'''''MediEvil''''' is an action-adventure video game and the first installment in the ''MediEvil'' series. It was developed by SCE Studio Cambridge and published by Sony. It was released on October 9, 1998 in Europe, October 21, 1998 in North America and on June 17, 1999 in Japan for the PlayStation. Due to its success, the game was released in October 1999 as a platinum title in Europe. It was also released in a bundle with ''C-12: Final Resistance'' on May 9, 2003.

The game was followed by ''[[MediEvil 2]]'', released in 2000, and ''[[MediEvil: Resurrection]]'', a reimagining released in 2005 for the PSP. The game was made available for download for the PSP, PlayStation 3 and the PS Vita via the PlayStation Store in 2007. In 2011, the game was released for PlayStation® Certified Android devices such as the Xperia Play. A [[MediEvil (PS4)|remake of the game]] for the PS4 was released in 2019.

During the game, the player must go through several places, from a [[The Graveyard (MediEvil)|graveyard]] full of zombies, to a [[The Ghost Ship|flying ghost ship]] full of undead pirates, to a levitating board in an [[The Enchanted Earth|enchanted forest]] surrounded by flying demonettes. There are also several collectible items found in the levels which have to be collected in order to proceed to further areas or levels. There are several [[books]] placed upon stands all over areas in the game which may offer advice to Sir Dan, while some others contain humorous jokes or generally the history of the area. Some of them are placed in hidden places, but they are mostly found along the path that Sir Dan takes. They can be read if struck with a close-range weapon.

===[[:Category:Weapons and shields (MediEvil)|Weapons]]===

Dan starts the game with just his [[Arm|detachable arm]], which can be used as both a melee weapon and a projectile, but is incredibly weak. Soon, however he obtains a [[Small Sword|small sword]]. The majority of weapons Dan encounters are received from the [[Hall of Heroes]] by collecting [[Chalices]] in each level, and range from swords, [[axe]]s and [[hammer]]s to projectile weapons such as [[crossbow]]s and [[spear]]s. There are other weapons that Dan encounters through the course of the game, such as a [[club]] that can be used as a [[torch]], but breaks after too much use; a [[Dragon Armour]] that lets Dan breathe fire and protects him from flame attacks; and [[Chicken Drumstick]]s that can turn enemies into [[Roast Chicken]] for health recovery. Dan is also able to find a variety of shields to protect himself, ranging from [[Copper Shield|copper]] to [[Gold Shield|gold]] in strength.

Throughout the levels Sir Dan is presented with an opportunity to collect that particular level's chalice by filling it up with the souls of his enemies. This mystical item enables him to visit the Hall of Heroes after the conclusion of the level. Dan can only collect the chalice in each level when he has dispatched enough "defeated adversaries" to reach 100%. Chalices are hidden well and are not always at the end of a level, so Dan must back-track to the beginning to find it. In the "Hall of Heroes," he can converse with past heroes, "await spiritual guidance" and receive useful items or weapons to help him in his quest. Collecting all the chalices allows the player to see the true ending.

 

Alongside certain weapons, there are also many colourful and varying enemies, though particularly [[zombies]] in the opening levels, which Dan must defeat. Later on through the epic journey through Gallowmere, Dan will encounter a number of other monsters and creatures, most of which are modelled after gothic demons associated with the time period. [[Imps|Sticky-fingered Imps]], [[Scarecrows|demonic Scarecrows]], and Zarok's boiler guards are but a few of the ghastly and varied monstrosities that inhabit the levels. Very simple weapons will require much use in order to finish off a single enemy. Some enemies can only be attacked either at certain times or using specific weapons, such as the Scarecrows. Many weapons, such as swords and [[Throwing Daggers|throwing daggers]], can be charged up to produce a more powerful attack to finish beasts off more quickly.

==Characters==

[[File:Livelli 1.jpg|thumb|right|Zarok and Sir Dan, the game’s central characters.]]

 

==Plot==

{{Spoilers}}The game starts with a flashback in the 13th century in the fictional Kingdom of Gallowmere. It puts the player in control of Sir Daniel Fortesque: the reanimated skeleton of a deceased champion knight whom history holds in high esteem, due to his supposed heroics in battle against the evil sorcerer Zarok who, in 1286, had raised an army of demons and set out to take over the kingdom. The legend has it that Fortesque lead the King's army into battle against Zarok's demonic hordes and that Sir Daniel himself killed the sorcerer during the battle - despite having been mortally wounded at the outset - cementing his posthumous status as the "Hero of Gallowmere."

===Endings===

*'''''[[13AV|Not all chalices collected]]''': "After Dan returns to his eternal rest, the camera will zoom into the eye socket where Dan was not shot till the screen is completely black. The player is awarded a simple "The End" message. Then the [[Credits (MediEvil)|credits]] roll.''

{{See also|List of all MediEvil builds}}

[[File:MediEvil's Design History|thumb|MediEvil's Design History]] Development of ''MediEvil'' started in 1995 at independent developer {{w|Millennium Interactive}}. Chris Sorrell, previously known for the ''{{w|James Pond}}'' series, created the original concept for ''MediEvil'' and served as the game's creative director. Prior to the development of ''MediEvil'', Sorrell had endured a rather torrid time working on some edutainment products that Millennium Interactive had signed up to create. "Once these products were finally complete, I think management took pity on me and rewarded me with the chance of making my dream game" he recalls. According to Sorrell, the first design proposal for the game had the working title ‘''Dead Man Dan''’ and described a game that was a fusion of {{w|Capcom| Capcom's}} ''{{w|Ghosts 'n Goblins}}'' with the art style of {{w|Tim Burton}} – especially the look and feel of ''{{w|The Nightmare Before Christmas}}'', both of which were things that he was a huge fan of back in the mid-'90s. Lead artist and designer Jason Wilson shared his interest in dark, Gothic influenced artwork and they worked together to define the look and feel of the game. Wilson was particularly inspired by [[wikipedia:German Expressionism|German Expressionism]] from the 1920s and credits films such as ''[[wikipedia:The Golem (1915 film)|Der Golem]]'', ''[[wikipedia:The Cabinet of Dr Caligari|The Cabinet of Dr Caligari]]'', ''[[wikipedia:Nosferatu|Nosferatu]]'', ''[[wikipedia:Metropolis (1927 film)|Metropolis]]'' and ''[[wikipedia:Sunrise (1926 film)|Sunrise]]'' as his main sources of inspiration.<ref>{{Icon|Facebook}} {{cite web|author=Jason Wilson|published=November 3, 2014|title=Reference and inspiration for the game ''MediEvil''|site=Facebook|url=https://www.facebook.com/JayGunnArts/posts/587295241397225}}</ref> As development progressed, Wilson pushed the game into more of a ''Zelda''-like direction as opposed to the original arcade-style concept. Sorrell approved of the new direction and said that he would liked to have expanded more on it.

In addition to bringing together a brand new team – none of whom had really made a 3D game of this scale before – they were in 'sell' mode almost from day one, with the future of the studio riding on their ability to attract a major publishing deal as quickly as possible. They were initially working on multiple platforms including {{w|Windows}} and {{w|Sega Saturn}} as well as PlayStation before finally having the chance to pitch an early demo to Sony, who were so impressed with their work that they bought the whole studio and became Sony's second United Kingdom development studio. Late in the game's development, Sony requested that ''MediEvil'' should support the (then) new PlayStation analogue controller, which Sorrell described as a "particularly fortuitous event" as it allowed them to capture much more fluidity and intuitiveness within the game.

Sorrell said that ''MediEvil'' presented a mountain of challenges due to the fact that, like many other developers at the time, they were still very new to 3D gaming. Things like camera and character control presented many interesting new challenges and required the team to try out a number of approaches before settling on solutions that seemed to work. He said that they spent many long nights without sleeping, trying to finish the game. There were also many levels and ideas from the original concept that they were forced to remove because of time and budget constraints. In most cases, the best of what they had already created for those levels ended up being spliced into the levels that they shipped with. There was also intended to be a platform-oriented section of the game where the player would control the worm that lived in Daniel's skull. Concept art and a level ost was created for this section, but it never materialized into the game. Even so, Sorrell said that the game still came very close to the original concept and he was most proud of how the team pulled together to finish the game without compromising on the quirky attention to detail or scope of the game.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://blog.us.playstation.com/2012/09/07/behind-the-classics-medievil/|site=PlayStation.Blog|title=Behind the Classics: MediEvil|author=Fred Dutton|published=September 7, 2012}}</ref>

*N-World - Used for creating in-game 3D models.<ref name = "atomic">{{cite web|title=jason wilson medievil design history|site=atomic-city concept art and design of Jason Wilson (archived at Wayback Machine Internet Archive)|url=http://web.archive.org/web/20080303185334fw_/http://www.atomic-city.co.uk:80/pages/games/games_medievil.htm}}</ref>

====Music====

The following tools, CD samples and software were used to create the game's original soundtrack:<ref name = "casestudy">{{cite web|title=Medievil 2 case study|site=Bob and Barn (archived at Wayback Machine Internet Archive)|url=http://web.archive.org/web/20061202001928/http://www.bobandbarn.com/downloads/pdfs/medievil2.pdf}}</ref>

 

 

 

 

 

Although there's no official soundtrack release, the 71st issue of the french magazine Joypad featured a CD named "Les musiques de Medievil," which contains ten tracks from the game and is the only "soundtrack" ever released for it.

===Tracklist===

{|class="article-table" border="1" style="width:99%; margin-right:-1em;"

 

''MediEvil'' received mostly positive reviews, with an 80.40% aggregate rating on {{w|GameRankings|Game Rankings}}.<ref name="Game Rankings"/> The game received a 7.8/10 from {{w|IGN}}.<ref name="IGN"/> IGN heralded it as "A fun game and one of PlayStation's classics". {{w|GameSpot}} gave it an 8.2/10, proclaiming that the game is a "welcome surprise".<ref name="Gamespot"/> {{w|Game Revolution}} gave the game an A− and stated that "what we have here is one of the cleverest platform games ever made".<ref name="Game Revolution"/>

According to [[Jason Wilson]], market research for the game in 1998 revealed that the game scored very highly with female gamers, especially in France.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Jason Wilson|quote=During market research for the game in ‘98, MediEvil was found to score very highly with female gamers, especially in France. Women found Sir Dan an appealing character and different to usual macho game characters.|site=Twitter|url=https://twitter.com/GunnComics/status/1049642128496893954|published=October 9, 2018}}</ref>

The game sold over 800K units world-wide by November 1, 1999.<ref>{{Icon|Med2}} {{cite web|title=Press Release|site=MediEvil 2 Official Website (archived version)|url=http://web.archive.org/web/20030923004124id_/http://www.medievil2.com/uk/nonshocked/press_release/press_release1.htm}}</ref> The studio was awarded a plaque from Sony for selling 250K copies of the game in the fiscal year ending March 31, 1999. The plaque was auctioned off on eBay in the year 2020.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://twitter.com/Kanaratron/status/1325408101831479297/|quote=...Finally we have a 1999 gold plaque the studio received for 250K copies...|published=November 8, 2020|site=Twitter|title=Alex Kanaris-Sotiriou}}</ref>

 

The Android release of the game, available exclusively on Xperia Play phones, saw very low sales numbers in its first month, selling between 100 to 500 units in total.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.gamesindustry.biz/articles/2011-05-12-psone-sales-on-xperia-play-below-1-000|title=PSone game sales on Xperia Play below 1,000 downloads|published=May 12, 2011|author=Jenkins, David|site=GamesIndustry.biz}}</ref>

 

{{Clear}}

 

{|class="article-table" border="1"  cellpadding="1" cellspacing="1"  style="width:100% margin-right:auto;"

{{See also|Category:MediEvil images|l1=MediEvil images}}

 

*Some promotional posters for the game feature a different cover art design (see [[:File:MediEvil Early Cover Art.jpg|image]]).

*''MediEvil'' is dedicated to the memory of [[Mr. Apple]].{{Gameref|MED|[[Credits (MediEvil)|Credits]]}}

* Within the game's memory, the following message can be found: "Buzby sucks eggs, and Eastwood smells!"{{Siteref|MediEvil-Boards|7025|Hidden Programmer Message|January 28, 2012}} This refers to [[James Busby]], the game's lead programmer, who left the project about two months prior to its release as a result of creative differences.{{Siteref|MediEvil-Boards|11632|Interview with Jason Wilson|February 10, 2012}}<ref>RETRO Volume 8, page 130. Published in 2015 by Imagine Publishing Ltd.</ref>

 

{{Names

|cn=骷髅战士MediEvil

|cnM = Skeleton Warrior: MediEvil

*{{Icon|Fan}} ''[[Fan:MediEvil: Hero of Gallowmere|MediEvil: Hero of Gallowmere]] ''mod for ''[[w:c:elderscrolls:The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim|The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim]]''.

*{{Icon|Wikipedia}} {{w|MediEvil (1998 video game)|''MediEvil''}} at Wikipedia.

[[Category:MediEvil games]]

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