If you ever ask a historian or history teacher about Ancient Egypt, chances are they like it (a lot). Egypt is not one of those subjects we get to teach about much since most of the history classes are covered with a brief history of the ‘prehistory’ and then we plow through towards ancient Greece and the Roman Empire. It’s a shame, since Egypt is a really interesting country, with a rich background, awesome hieroglyphic writing and religious traditions (which transition the standard polytheistic worldview we all assume the ancient Egyptians had). Luckily we have games like Age of Empires, Cleopatra, and Sphinx and the Cursed Mummy! THQ ported the game to the Nintendo Switch, and boy, am I glad they did.
Sphinx and The Cursed Mummy is a third-person action-adventure inspired by the mythology of ancient Egypt. And let’s highlight the inspired part since they have really messed up some of the relationships between gods and pharaohs.. (Like seriously, shipping Tut with Nefertiti? She could be his daughter..). You will travel the world via magical portals to foil the evil plans of Seth (my favorite Egyptian god, and also the name of my deceased goldfish). Sphinx’s Journey will require all his wits, agility, and special powers. He will also rely on his reluctant hero friend, The Mummy, to help when being inconspicuous is the only solution. By finding the stolen magical crowns of Egypt, Sphinx can stop Set and save the world.
Traveling back:
Sphinx and the Cursed Mummy is really a trip down memory lane. I grew up with games like Rayman 2: The Great Escape (best Rayman game, hands down), Beyond Good & Evil, Conker’s Bad Fur Day and such. All of them are great examples of third-person action-adventures and really have a special place in my heart. Since I grew in a small town, my local toy store did not carry many ‘lesser-known-games’. I mostly played the AAA-titles or some really obscure ones..? And so I missed out on this beauty. Sphinx released in 2003 on several platforms, including the purple cube we all love (GameCube), but I never spotted this Egyptian monster on the shelves. But hey, it’s 2019 and we still love to play some action-adventures right! Sure, we have a new Mario game, a Yoshi game on the way and some other great ported AA-titles. But let’s talk about what makes Sphinx different from the modern day classics.
Sphinx Gameplay:
The gameplay is solid and brings a textbook example of an Adventure Action game. Sphinx can run, jump, use special items (swords, shield, eagle stone) to progress through the level. Sometimes you will hit a ‘wall’ in the game, which requires a certain skill upgrade. Usually, these upgrades are gained by beating a boss or completing a certain in-game quest (like collecting enough amulets). It all feels smooth, even for a game that turns sixteen years old today. Most of the puzzles you will face are solvable by using basic logic or an item you just acquired. This all makes Sphinx a very relaxing game to play. The only point that could have used a little bit more polish is probably the camera, which can be a little buggy…
The game is called ‘Sphinx and the Cursed Mummy’. which means you can also play as, you guessed it, a mummy! The mummy has been tweaked and uses a little different control scheme then our friend Sphinx. You can jump-climb by example (which makes it easier to climb ladders). But, still, it brings nothing special to the game’s table. It’s a nice break from playing as Sphinx though and really helps develop the story. It even has the classic voice-over of the early 2000s games, in which the mouths keep moving if you don’t press through the dialog at the end of the voiceover. Of course, this is part of the charm and did not really change my opinion of the game, since it’s not game-breaking.
Graphics & Sound:
Nowadays studio’s use all sorts of technical engineering to create the best sound effects possible (including orchestra’s etc.). At the beginning of the Nintendo 64/Playstation era, you had a limited sound package you could work with. Think of it as the laughter you still hear in American sit-coms. Those are the voices of people, recorded in the ’50s (and most of them have passed away). The sound the Portal God makes when transporting Sphinx from one ‘area’ to another, is the same ‘roar’ the Dragon in Gauntlet (Nintendo 64) uses and is even edited onto some of the enemies in the same game. But still, the voiceovers are good (except the continues talking after the voices have ended). Graphically the game looks good and better than some newly developed Switch games. So for a port (or re..master?) the game really shines on the Nintendo Switch.
Conclusion:
If you are in the market for a ‘new’/old Action Adventure game and can’t wait until they finally announce the release date for Beyond Good & Evil 2 (or a remake of Rayman 2), you are going to love Sphinx and the Cursed Mummy. It’s definitely better.. then Yooka-Laylee (it just didn’t grab my attention) and even more enjoyable than some of the newer platformers that are released by Nintendo itself. So THQ Nordic, thanks for porting this game. If you haven’t played it yet, grab a copy – if you want to relive your childhood, grab a copy. I’m back to saving the world from my deceased goldfish. I mean.. god of the chaos, the desert, storms, disorder, violence, and foreigners!
