Sony's state of play revealed the long-awaited gameplay footage for the MediEvil Remake, and fans of the original will notice right away a familiar feel in the combat and action of the game.
In taking control of the protagonist, Sir Daniel Fortesque, the player is rather rudely awakened from the dead and promptly set off to fight against the forces of Zarok, a sorcerer who seeks to take over the kingdom of Gallowmere. In life, Fortesque died quite embarrassingly in the first charge against Zarok, taking an arrow through the eye. Now that he has been brought back to life, he has the chance to redeem himself and vanquish Zarok once and for all, not only regaining his honor, but also earning him a place in the Hall of Heroes.
In the gameplay reveal, we saw Fortesque handling a number of different weapons. In the original game, players would begin with a simple sword and shield but then find both new weapons and upgrades to existing ones. This would be done mainly within the Hall of Heroes, where previous acquaintances of the protagonist offered both advice and their old tools of combat that they used in life.
Here is the catch, however. In each level, there is often a simple way to complete an objective and exit, but there is also a hidden Chalice of Souls that gradually fills as you defeat enemies. Finding the Chalice once it is full and then completing the level gains Fortesque access into the Hall of Heroes to obtain new weapons. This means that any attempts to rush through the game without first properly upgrading your character will result in significantly difficult progression. Like many modern games, the true ending will probably only be revealed if a player has taken the time to acquire every Chalice of Souls in the game, thus earning Fortesque his long awaited spot alongside his former comrades and idolized warriors.
The original combat system was rather simple. There was a quick attack, and a stronger one that was activated after charging for a moment, often granting a large swing in an arc and cleaving opponents. From what we have seen in the reveal video, this remains unchanged as well. It should be noted that the original game was made shortly after the popularization of 3D gaming, and as such, the controls were not always ideal. In addition, the level design was often more of a maze than a set of challenges, which made for low replayability and satisfaction in some cases. If the remake of the game has focused on those two issues, there is no reason for it not to be a welcome addition to the PS4 library.
With a release date still slated for October 25, 2019, the remake will arrive just in time for a spooky Halloween experience.