Sphinx and The Cursed Mummy

The early 2000s was a special period for creating platformer games. Psychonauts and other titles led the charge by incorporating and exploring what was possible in 3D space by adding combat mechanics, puzzle solving and elements of exploration. Before Psychonauts, however, there was Sphinx and the Cursed Mummy, a remaster of an old classic from the PS2 era of gaming. The game introduced unique dual character mechanics for both puzzle-solving and traversal that made it stand out from others in its class.

Here’s everything you need to know about Sphinx and the Cursed Mummy:

Two Sides

One of the key mechanics of Sphinx and the Cursed Mummy involves making use of two distinct characters. Sphinx is more durable and is able to use an array of abilities to fight through levels and solve puzzles. His mummy companion, on the other hand, is more fragile and is able to stealth through environments in order to open up new paths and complete puzzles. Thanks to this dual character mechanic, Sphinx and the Cursed Mummy is able to deliver fresh, creative ideas with every single level it throws at you.

Egyptian Legend

As one would expect, the main theme of Sphinx and the Cursed Mummy is ancient Egypt. This means you can expect environments that resemble the interiors of pyramids, deserts and palaces from one of the most iconically mysterious civilizations in human history. The game features hundreds of different creatures and characters, all seemingly pulled out of an Egyptian adventure story. Be prepared to take on Set, the Egyptian god of disorder and chaos, and foil his evil plans.

Fun and Easy to Pick Up

Sphinx and the Cursed Mummy is an action platformer with puzzle-solving elements that is easy to pick up and play for anyone. Don’t let the dual character mechanics fool you as both Sphinx and his mummy companion are simple to control. Sphinx receives new abilities gradually, each of which has a clear and distinct purpose. The game’s challenge evolves naturally and gradually without ever giving you more than you can chew.

The Bottom Line

Like other games of its generation, Sphinx and the Cursed Mummy is a solid platformer that benefits from the creativity and enthusiasm borne out of the boom in 3D games in the early 2000s. Every level feels fresh and unique with the title never serving up a dull moment.

Pros

• A classic 3D platformer filled with creativity that keeps everything fresh
• Dual character mechanic switches things up and adds variety
• Fun yet simple gameplay that never gets too difficult

Cons

• Not much sense of exploration if you are used to open-world games
• Cartoony graphics may not be for everyone

Initially I hated Sphinx and the Cursed Mummy. I found its blend of action, platformer and adventure painfully hard to master and far too often had to replay massive chunks of the game when I died. Then I realized that it wasn't the game that sucked, it was me.

It's been so long since a really challenging game has come out that I forgot what it was like to play one. This isn't some save-when-ever-you want, countless-life, namby-pamby video game. No, to beat Sphinx you have to be smart, cautious and willing to spend some time mastering the mechanics of this well-crafted keeper.

You'll spend your time in the game split between controlling the two titles characters: Sphinx and the Cursed Mummy. The game initially shoots back and forth between two apparently separate plots, one for each character, but as the game progresses the plots and characters meet.

The play is typically smooth with a simplistic controller layout that lets you attack with one button, jump with another and do practically everything else with a third. Although Sphinx does have very strong action and platform elements, at its heart it is a classic adventure game. What that means is that you're going to spend a lot of time using your brain instead of your fingers.

Graphics in the game go far to enhance the experience, with a cartoonish look that works well with the fun gameplay of Sphinx. Unfortunately, the same can't be said about the sound. For some reason the developers decided to skip voices all together, instead plugging in annoying noises that are supposed to project some sort of emotion.

The only other annoying aspect of the game is the fact that when you are forced to replay a section, and there will be a lot of times that that happens, there is no way to avoid watching all of those lengthy cut-scenes again. They really should have given you a way to skip them, because listening to the monosyllabic grunts of the central character time after time can get to be a wee-bit annoying.

Overall I highly recommend Sphinx and Cursed Mummy. It's well-crafted, challenging in all of the right ways and just a heck of a lot of fun to play with a cool blend of Egyptian mythology and Manga-like fantasy.