Retro Replay Retro Gaming History, Reviews & Emulation
Some heroes are born great. Others have greatness thrust upon them. And then there’s Sir Daniel Fortesque, who managed to become a legend despite getting killed almost immediately in his first big battle.
On 21 October* 1998, MediEvil arrived on the original PlayStation in North America, introducing gamers to one of the most unlikely heroes of the 32-bit era: a one-eyed, jawless, undead knight with a reputation he hadn’t actually earned.
I remember when this game came out. I saw that ridiculous television commercial and immediately knew it was going to be a must-buy. It looked creepy, goofy, and completely unlike most of the other games on my shelf.
And when I finally popped the disc into my PlayStation, snapped that lid shut, and started playing, I wasn’t disappointed.
The game was amazing!
Developed by Sony’s Cambridge Studio, MediEvil tells the story of Sir Daniel Fortesque, a knight celebrated for supposedly defeating the evil sorcerer Zarok a century earlier. Unfortunately, history had been rather generous to Sir Dan. In reality, he’d been killed by the first arrow fired during the battle. 
Fast-forward a hundred years, and Zarok has returned to unleash his dark magic upon the kingdom of Gallowmere. The spell raises an army of the dead, accidentally resurrecting Sir Daniel in the process.
Now our skeletal hero has a second chance to defeat Zarok, save the kingdom, and finally earn the legendary reputation history mistakenly gave him.
It’s a fantastic premise, and the developers ran with it.
The world of MediEvil is filled with spooky graveyards, sinister crypts, haunted villages, bizarre monsters, and plenty of dark humor. Its crooked architecture, exaggerated characters, and macabre presentation feel like something pulled straight out of a Tim Burton movie.
And that wasn’t accidental.
For the record: The game’s original working title was Dead Man Dan. Designer Chris Sorrell later explained that the initial concept combined the action of Capcom’s Ghouls ‘n Ghosts with the gothic visual style of The Nightmare Before Christmas. The project actually began at Millennium Interactive before Sony acquired the studio and turned MediEvil into a PlayStation exclusive.
What I particularly loved was how perfectly the game balanced its creepy atmosphere with its irreverent attitude.
This was the era of Resident Evil 2, Silent Hill, and other games that wanted to make your skin crawl. MediEvil gave us graveyards, zombies, and all sorts of nightmarish creatures without demanding that we take any of it too seriously.
It was spooky without being stressful. Creepy without being genuinely horrifying. And funny without turning the entire adventure into a joke.
Gameplay combined hack-and-slash combat, exploration, platforming, and puzzle-solving. Sir Dan gradually acquired an impressive assortment of weapons, including swords, clubs, crossbows, and magical equipment. And if things got desperate, he could even pull off his own arm and throw it at enemies!
One of the game’s more interesting mechanics involved collecting Chalices by defeating enemies throughout the levels. Earn one, and you could visit the Hall of Heroes, where Gallowmere’s legendary warriors rewarded you with new weapons and equipment.
Of course, beneath the goofy exterior was a game that could be surprisingly challenging.
Some of those levels and boss fights were genuinely tough, and the loose controls certainly didn’t make matters any easier. The camera could be downright frustrating, especially when precision jumping or fighting enemies in awkward spaces. More than once, I found myself battling the camera almost as much as the monsters.
But that was also part of the early 3D gaming experience. Developers were still figuring out how to make these worlds work, and MediEvil was hardly alone in struggling with cameras and character movement.
Despite those frustrations, I kept coming back because the adventure was just so much fun.
The wonderfully bizarre environments, memorable characters, atmospheric music, and Sir Dan’s ridiculous predicament gave the game a personality all its own.
The original was successful enough to receive MediEvil 2 in 2000, followed by MediEvil: Resurrection for the PSP in 2005 and a full PlayStation 4 remake in 2019.
But there’s something special about that original PlayStation release.
Maybe it’s the wonderfully exaggerated visuals. Maybe it’s the quirky humor. Or maybe it’s the simple pleasure of playing a game that could be dark, charming, funny, and challenging all at once.
Whatever the reason, MediEvil remains one of those games that perfectly captures the experimental spirit of the original PlayStation era.
Sir Daniel Fortesque might have been a terrible knight the first time around, but he certainly made one hell of a video game hero.
Did you play the original MediEvil on PlayStation, or did you discover Sir Dan through one of his later adventures?
*Some outlets report different release dates, but the 21 October seems to be the official one.
