Gallowmere is back with a job by Other Ocean Interctive that leaves better feelings than the initials. We tested it on Gamescom.
The PlayStation booth at Gamescom 2019 has been one of the busiest of people, without a doubt. Although the Japanese company has not attended Cologne (Germany) as such this edition, something that is beginning to be customary, its catalog of titles has soaked in blue the pavilion number 7 of the vicinity of the Germanic event, an ideal opportunity to test the first three levels of MediEvil in your remake for PlayStation 4 with the necessary time.
When the project was presented two years ago at the PlayStation Experience 2017 the emotion was superlative, but there were also doubts. Bringing back Sir Daniel Fortesque would have been much easier a couple of courses ago, when Crash Bandicoot N. Sane Trilogy and Spyro Reignited Trilogy were nothing but a product of desire; but paths of Activision have set the bar high, very high. MediEvil, meanwhile, now has the task of returning to meet expectations. For now we liked it more than we expected.
Sir Daniel's philosopher's stone
Only three levels, the initial three, about thirty-five minutes of session to see how it feels at the controls this new build, which is very changed compared to the first gameplays of 2017. If the game has taken longer than the account In arriving, if Sony has preferred it to be October 25 when we return to listen to Gallowmere on our televisions, it is because there was a lot of work to be done, and the work of Other Ocean Interactive does not seem to be less than remarkable.
The expectation is very high, they could not be played. We are facing a conservative work in the playable, discreet in the technical, but that has opted to polish, to make it feel modern. Before going into detail in each one of the levels, it is necessary to make clear that the sensations are positive because those aspects are improved where surely every MediEvil fan will agree that there was room for improvement: the camera, control elements and combat.
The Californian study has taken note of what could no longer be digested so easily in 2019, they have applied it and they have kept everything else intact. Action, platforms, puzzles, secrets, collectibles … it's MediEvil. A character that needs no introduction, but who will return accompanied by a staging where we can only nod with the chosen artistic style: it looks very beautiful.
We insist, this remake cannot be compared to the work done with Ratchet & Clank, Spyro or Crash Bandicoot, it is not that scale of change nor do those production values feel. Does this make MediEvil a low level product? Not much less, because it is still what many described as outstanding and with what they grew a few generations. The essence is there, it is going to satisfy the fan of the first installment, which is the one that is being recreated on this occasion (the PlayStation version, not the PSP version).
That is why, after starting to advance through the first level, start controlling both triggers indoors and outdoors, we see that the camera responds much better. We tested the current version by getting very close to the walls, getting closer to objects of different heights, almost touching corners … all with the intention of checking how the camera behaved.
MediEvil
For example, when we have many enemies on top, the position will be somewhat more peripheral to yield more visual coverage. When we pass the first river, on the first level, there is a moment where the camera cannot be controlled, but it does not happen to stop seeing Sir Daniel at times.
Another aspect that we want to detail is the hitbox of the enemies, something more precise than in the original. We still have two attack buttons, one stronger and charged. Fidelity is total. At the controls it is still the game of 1998, with the exception that it is seen and handled in a much more modernized way.
A remastering based on polishing small details
Before we talked about control and it is not a banal aspect. Sir Daniel no longer slips in some movements, slows more dry. That chaos that we could feel with those sharp turns, exaggerated in relation to the turn of the joystick, have been left behind. The more platform stages, which are not very numerous in these first three levels, improve effectively. Even in fighting, enemies can be set with a trigger. They may seem minor details, but at the end of the day they make a difference. It feels more comfortable and also easier. Having more manageability makes the player have more control of the character, which can dominate the situation. Hopefully they have not gone over the account and the difficulty – at these very low levels – remains high in the final stretch of the adventure.
Before finishing we also have to mention the interface, another necessary change not only because of the high definition but because we have changed the aspect ratio of this time to this part. Goodbye at 4: 3 to welcome a structure of elements on screen very well organized, with visual menus and easy to understand. There is no doubt where everything is, how to equip ourselves … Now, in fact, the number of steps to do a single task has been reduced.
The only downside is the graphic. Artistically approves with a note, both for the color palette and for the direction in the design of the scenarios; It looks with pleasure. Now, graphically leaves you wanting more. The load of textures does not explode nor does it approach the total power of a PlayStation 4, but the title goes straight ahead: the original work is being remastered with a total modernization in the playable.
We are more than satisfied with this work, which is what it was and that is how it wants to continue being. MediEvil will launch on October 25 for PlayStation 4 in physical and digital format at a reduced price.
You can check out all the Gamescom 2019 coverage of the FreeGameTips team here.
