MediEvil (1998): Difference between revisions

{{about|the first ''MediEvil'' game|the series|MediEvil (series)|the remake|MediEvil (2019)}}{{Infobox video game

'''''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 re-released in October 1999 as a platinum title in Europe. It was also re-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 re-released for PlayStation® Certified Android devices such as the Xperia Play. Finally, a [[MediEvil (2019)|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|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.

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.

Development of ''MediEvil'' started in 1995 at independent developer [[Millennium Interactive]]. Chris Sorrell, previously known for the ''[[wikipedia:James Pond|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 [[wikipedia:Capcom|Capcom]]'s ''[[wikipedia:Ghosts 'n Goblins|Ghosts 'n Goblins]]'' with the art style of [[wikipedia:Tim Burton|Tim Burton]] – especially the look and feel of ''[[wikipedia:The Nightmare Before Christmas|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.