The Dead is Rising – “MediEvil” is Resurrected for PSP
By Louis Bedigian

“MediEvil Resurrection is designed and built from the ground up, but is strongly inspired by the original MediEvil's characters, levels and environments.”

Back before Capcom decided to give the Ghosts ‘n’ Goblins series the 3D treatment, Cambridge Studios took a chance on a game that reminded us all of Capcom’s masterpiece: MediEvil. A combination of fighting, platform hopping and action/adventuring, MediEvil was creepy, clever, and one of the most memorable games of the PSone era. 

The series makes it PSP debut this month with MediEvil Resurrection.

“Virtually all of the oddball characters from the original MediEvil have survived intact into MediEvil Resurrection,” said Dominic Cahalin, Lead Designer, “however in keeping with the general evolution of the series many of these characters have been more fully developed and fleshed out (no pun intended Sir Dan!).

“A good example of this might be the character ‘Death;’ in the original game he was a bit part player, but now thanks to being voiced by the mighty Tom Baker he has become far more important and amusing.”

Dominic told me that they’re also introducing several new characters to spice up the action. “These include Al Zalam, a crestfallen genie who has taken up residence in Dan’s skull cavity, and the Harbourmaster of Scurvy Docks, a man who can barely hide his repressed affection for the rugged pirate types he deals with on a daily basis!”

What else can we expect from this exciting adventure? Dominic wasted no time in answering our Qs.

What has been the biggest challenge in bringing the MediEvil series to the small screen?

Dominic Cahalin: Throughout the development of MediEvil Resurrection, its became increasingly clear to us that third-person action/adventure games are extremely demanding in terms of the variety and precision-controller input, more so perhaps than driving and puzzle games. Hence our biggest challenge has been in getting Dan’s many different actions to control as well on the PSP as they would do via a large independent controller. We achieved this by continually tweaking Dan’s dynamics until he was completely in sync with the nature of the PSP’s input devices.

Not nearly enough details have been revealed about the game's content. Is this a sequel, a remake, or a compilation of the previous games?

DC: MediEvil Resurrection is designed and built from the ground up, but is strongly inspired by the original MediEvil’s characters, levels and environments.

Basically we’ve tried to take all the very best bits from the early games, and then build upon that foundation; in the process creating loads of new mechanics, level designs and sub plots. Fans of the early MediEvil titles will occasionally recognize familiar buildings and landscape features, but will have to approach the gameplay from scratch, as virtually all the puzzles and combat scenarios are new.

Pumpkins abound.

Which enemies are being designed for Resurrection? Can we expect a few fearsome boss battles, and if so, with who?

DC: We’ve got some great new foes to battle with.

One of the most memorable is The Mad Axeman of Gallowmere Asylum, who can be summed up as having the brain of a deranged four-year old, in the body of a heavyweight wrestling champion, with a fetish for axe murder!

We’ve also done something impressive with Daniel Fortesque’s  nemesis: the evil Zarok. At the end of the game Zarok transforms himself into a 30-foot high cobra complete with high-speed unraveling tail and poisonous spit attacks, he is a truly fearsome boss, and not one for the faint-hearted adventurer!

MediEvil's best feature is its Ghouls 'N' Ghosts-style combat. Are all of Sir Daniel Fortesque's trademark moves making their return?

DC: MediEvil has always been recognized for its accessible, pick-up-and-play combat engine, and we felt that this was an important feature to retain for the PSP version of the game. However, we also wanted to add extra depth and variety for those who like to experiment and develop their own fighting styles. To achieve this we have added new special moves, and created a system which allows literally hundreds of combos over the range of 20 separate weapons types available.

My favorite new move is the ‘sliding parry.’ This propels Dan skidding forwards at speed with sword outstretched; allowing the player to skewer several baddies in one fell swoop!

What new tricks does he have up his sleeve? Any new ways of dealing with enemies, solving puzzles, or getting through the game's creepy locations?

DC: As you might imagine, the creation of Gallowmere from scratch has allowed us to build in loads of new gameplay features and puzzles.  

A good example of this is Dan’s newfound ability to dig stuff up. As soon as he has obtained a spade from the cemetery, any grave with loose soil on top of it is sure to provide rich pickings. Other cool mechanics include igniting haystacks and monsters, interacting with statues, herding chickens onto pressure pads, and re-animating allies with magical lightning.

There are also loads of large set-piece puzzles, and one of best of these can be found in the The Enchanted Forest. Here the player must manipulate a series of concentric floor tiles (with maze like channels on them) so that they match up and enable a water stream to flow through them into the inner section. If he is successful the water will put out a fire that protects the entrance to the shadow demon lair, allowing Dan access.

Don’t you just love levels like these?

Tell us about the game's many different levels. Are any of them exclusive to Resurrection?

DC: The game features a total of 19 levels, many of them based loosely on locations featured in earlier MediEvil games. However, we’ve also added several newly themed levels that have never been seen before.

These new levels include Gallowmere Plains; a large central hub containing an undead fairground (complete with loads of carnival mini games), a farmyard, and an imp’s superstore! Another completely new level is Scurvy Docs, an impressive-looking pirate themed level, populated by the social dregs of Gallowmere society and featuring many dark and terrifying coastal caves to explore.

How about puzzles and scavenger-hunting: what kinds of puzzles will we have to solve, what items will we need to find?

DC: Perhaps the funniest set of puzzle mechanics in the game can be found in Scurvy Docs, where Dan must dress up as a pirate in order to get himself a boat.

This task involves breaking into a Captain’s cave to steal his hat, destroying a smugglers galleon with cannon fire, digging up a grave to pinch a decomposing pirate's wooden leg, and obtaining a shoulder-perching seagull (with an identity crisis) to complete the classy look!

In terms of scavenging; Dan needs to find a hidden chalice in each level. He then must then fill it with the souls of vanquished enemies in order to gain entrance to the Hall of Heroes, where he will be awarded with a spectacular new weapon.

Must all items be collected to finish the game? Or is this like the classic Crash games in that you can collect some items to get to the end, or nab every item to unlock additional content?

DC: There are many artifacts strewn around Gallowmere that the player must locate and use in order to progress to the end of the game. Most notably are the four separate pieces of the Anubis Stone: a major artifact whose constituent parts need to be collected and fused together in order to defeat Zarok. The player does not have to hunt these items down immediately, but if they have not been collected by the time he reaches the ‘Pools of the Ancient Dead’ level or Death will refuse to ferry Dan onwards, and order him back to retrieve them.

Alternatively the player does not need to find all of the weapons in order to complete the quest; however, as you might imagine it would be extremely tough to negotiate the final levels without some of the more potent weapons to hand!

More pumpkins! These guys must be a huge hit on Halloween.

The graphics are looking really sharp. Do you anticipate the final version will be on a par with PlayStation 2's visuals?

DC: Pretty much, we feel that we have pushed the PSP’s graphical abilities as far as anyone has to date. In fact when we first started to develop MediEvil Resurrection we had the game running on a PS2 for several months, and the graphics held up really well.

MediEvil is great fun wherever you are, but is there anything particularly special about this handheld edition? Any content or special feature that wasn't possible on a home console?

DC: The main thing that stands out about the PSP version of the game are the wireless multiplayer games. Players can play head to head on the mini-games, or even race each other through the levels in time-based challenges.

Thank you for your time.