The truth is that it is difficult to evaluate this game because on one hand, I am emotionally connected to Medievil, being the first game I loved on the PS1, but on the other hand, as a consumer, I must be objective.
Medievil has several positive aspects, but also some significant weaknesses and ultimately seems like a missed opportunity. Back in the days of the PS1 and the technical difficulties in game representation, the story and myth of the game would begin even before you put it in the console. Witches, dragons, monsters adorned the covers and manuals of the games, igniting your imagination. The lore of the world had to be so strong that amorphous things, due to our imagination, would appear to us as imposing cyclops, terrifying dragons, zombies, etc. Therefore, with today's means and the evolution of graphics, this game had a golden opportunity to surpass titles like Spyro and Crash.
Sir Daniel Fortesque leads an army in battle against the magician Zarok, but before he can even fight, an arrow kills him. The magician is defeated and for decades, Sir Dan is celebrated as if he won the battle, even though he did nothing. After 100 years, the magician returns, and the same thing happens to Sir Dan, who rises from the grave - now as a skeleton - in order to stop the magician and vindicate his myth.
As for the positive elements, there is certainly a terrifying improvement in the character's image. It is an overly faithful adaptation of all the characteristics from the 1998 game. There is a huge improvement in the camera and some upgrades compared to the old game, such as having access to two weapons at all times instead of just one. The story, while simple, does not become boring as there are entertaining details added through interaction with other heroes. The game is not particularly difficult, but above all, it is fun.
On the negative side, the game was launched as a remake and not remastered. The difference is that in the latter, the main goal is to upgrade the graphics, perhaps some sound issues, while leaving the gameplay untouched, whereas in the former, the goal is to create the game from scratch, taking into account its strong characteristics and eliminating the drawbacks. Unfortunately, this game fails in that aspect. Despite the improvement, the camera remains very poor for today's standards and unacceptable in several points. There are no new features compared to the old game, except for the part with the lost souls. There is no innovation in the combat system, such as dodging. There is no checkpoint system, and you are forced to start from the beginning of each level. The PS1 era, apart from its enchanting lore, also had frustrating games - which, in order to cover the lack of content, were deliberately difficult. Not in the sense of Dark Souls, where you need to excel in a combat system, but with cheap tricks like vague instructions on where to go, zero maps, no saves, demanding excessive grinding, and requiring you to replay levels or parts or the entire game. Medievil does not make excessive use of these tricks, but it is clear that the lack of checkpoints and the need to replay each level of the game (once you reach the end) is done to add hours to an incomplete content. Even in terms of price, there is an asterisk since it was released as a standalone game with a suggested price of €29.99, while the Crash and Spyro trilogies were released at €39.99. For those who are not familiar, Medievil is a trilogy, so why not do exactly the same? When it was released, it crashed all the time (which was resolved), and even today the game is stuck in a state where bugs and frame drops are not surprising. There are no difficulty levels or even the addition of a more challenging category. The platforming is mediocre and often, even when you do everything right, your jump fails and you die by falling into the void.
In conclusion, this particular title seems as if it did not receive the support, attention, and promotion that was required for it to stand out. A huge portion of the negatives can be overlooked by fans of the old games, and that is the problem. There was the potential for it to be an ideal choice for everyone, but in the end, it is only for those who happened to play the previous ones. The rest, if they can overlook the above, will encounter a magical and entertaining game and will likely be satisfied regardless of age!
74/100 (but my heart tells me to give it 5 stars)