MediEvil

The game takes place across a variety of levels, many of which require certain objectives to be performed to progress. Sir Daniel Fortesque can use a variety of weapons, consisting of close range weapons such as swords and clubs to long range weapons such as crossbows. Dan can equip a shield alongside weapons for defence, but each type of shield has a limited amount of strength and are therefore best used sparingly. Throughout the game, Dan can visit gargoyle heads of two varieties: green ones offer Dan information while blue ones allow Dan to buy services or ammunition by using the treasures he finds. Dan's health is determined by a health bar, which reduces when Dan is hit. It will deplete completely if Dan drowns or falls from a great height. If Dan runs out of health, the game will end. In each level, there is a hidden Chalice of Souls which can be collected if the player has dispatched enough enemies (some Chalices are awarded via other means). Certain enemies have no soul and therefore do not count while the levels "The Sleeping Village" and "The Haunted Ruins" include NPCs with "good souls" that will reduce the Chalice percentage if killed. If the player clears a level with a Chalice in hand, Dan is warped to the Hall of Heroes, where he can speak to a hero who will give him rewards, such as weapons. If the player finishes the game with all the Chalices, the true ending is revealed. == Plot ==

In the year 1286, an evil sorcerer named Zarok plotted to take over the kingdom of Gallowmere with his undead army. Zarok, meanwhile, went into hiding. As Dan travels across Gallowmere, fighting his way through Zarok's hordes and confronting all manner of beasts, he soon arrives at Zarok's lair, fighting off Zarok's skeletal personal guard using the souls of his old allies retrieved by collecting the Chalices. As Zarok uses his last breath to cause his lair to collapse in an attempt to take Dan with him (inadvertently crushing himself in the process), Dan escapes and Zarok's magical influence over the land is thwarted, thus restoring the souls back to the living and putting the dead back to rest. With the magic cast on him also wearing off as a result, Dan returns to his burial chamber where he once again enters eternal slumber. == Development==

Development of MediEvil began in late 1995 at independent developer Millennium Interactive in Cambridge. Chris Sorrell, previously known for the James Pond series of games, created the original concept for MediEvil and served as the game's creative director. Sorrell joined Millennium, with whom he had been working with for a while, after completing James Pond 3. When asked what he wanted to do, he said he wanted to work with someone on the visual side. Jason Wilson, who would be the designer and a writer for the game, met up with Sorrell and began working on MediEvil. This idea, along with the player-character's unusual appearance, turned appealing to some sectors of the gaming community, as lead designer Wilson later recalled that female gamers considered Sir Daniel to be endearing, and was considered a sex symbol in France. Humour drove the game forward. Jokes were reflections on how the team operated. Sorrell explained that the humour was a "happy accident", and that he used it only when he thought it appropriate. Wilson said that the team were "youthful and silly", and they liked horror films and comedy. He thought the humour was "a natural extension of our personalities". The music was created using electronic synthesisers to simulate an entire orchestra and organ. An album was made from this music and signed copies can be purchased from the artists' website. ==Marketing and release==

Sorrell explained that, during the marketing campaign, the team were frequently asked to go to graveyards for photo-shoots. These usually went without incident, but on one occasion a vicar asked them why they were filming on church property. They lied by telling him that they were students filming a documentary on churches. MediEvil was first released in North America and Europe in October 1998. The Japanese version, titled MediEvil: Yomigaetta Gallowmere no Yūsha, was released on 17 June 1999. The character of Fortesque proved unpopular there, because Japanese audiences considered the idea of a skeleton being the protagonist strange. It was also re-released on the PlayStation Network in 2007. In 2011, MediEvil was released on Android, although it is only compatible with PlayStation-certified devices such as the Sony Xperia Play. == Reception ==

The game received positive reviews from critics upon release. It received an aggregate score of 80 percent from GameRankings and was mostly praised for its Halloween-influenced atmosphere by many critics. Game Revolution praised the humour and combat, calling the game "one of the cleverest platform games ever made" and noting that its use of music, voice acting and full-motion video made up for its weaker graphics compared to Banjo-Kazooie. Edges reviewer believed the game is "well crafted in some respects, underdeveloped in others": the "ingenious" feel was praised, but many levels were felt to be simple cases of maze navigation. The music and atmosphere were the mostly praised aspects of the game. Many reviewers compared the visuals to be similar to Tim Burton's The Nightmare Before Christmas, Joe Fielder of GameSpot credited MediEvil for its original look and number of unique puzzles, but criticised the camera work, summarising that a "tighter camera control" would have been a necessity. Randy Nelson of IGN considered the game to be a homage to Capcom's Ghosts & Goblins, stating that the game took too many inspirations from others and not enough innovation was put into it to make it "unique". Nelson praised the environment of the game but considered the gameplay to be best suited for "a mindless hack-'n-slash romp". MediEvil was named as a finalist by the Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences for "Console Adventure Game of the Year" and "Console Game of the Year" during the 2nd Annual Interactive Achievement Awards. The Android version was described as "rather expensive" by Damien McFerran of Know Your Mobile, but he praised the humour and the amount of content, which he said made the game stand out from other 3D action games on Android. ==Remakes==

• In 2005, a "reimagining" was released on the PlayStation Portable under the title MediEvil: Resurrection. The gameplay is similar, but there are several additional minigames and plot elements. • An eponymous PlayStation 4 remake was released in 2019. It was developed by American studio Other Ocean Emeryville. The original 1998 game can be unlocked in the remake by completing special objectives. == Notes ==