Sphinx and the Cursed Mummy
Of all the many Nintendo Switch portsSphinx and the Cursed Mummymight be the most perplexing . earlier released in 2003 and rise by the now defunct Eurocom , Sphinx and the Cursed Mummywas one of many 3D action platformers that released for the 6th generation of console . At the timeSphinxwas generally well receive critically but a commercial flop , not even find cultus classic status . The other ' 00s were flood with 3D platformers andSphinx and the Cursed Mummywas just another dip in the sea .
tight forward to today and THQ Nordic now has theSphinx and the Cursed Mummy licence . After release a remastered interlingual rendition on PC in 2017 , THQ Nordic has brought the plot to Switch . The Switch port is monovular to the 2017 reading but , problematically , the game play exactly like 2003 original . A few new textures ca n’t helpSphinx and the Cursed Mummyfrom tactile sensation like a 16 year - older game that should ’ve stay in the past .
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Sphinx and the Cursed Mummyhas an interesting conception . It ’s not necessarily unique in 2019 but it ’s still challenging . There are two playable characters in the secret plan , the intrepid warrior Sphinx and the fearful mummy of Tutankhamen . They play entirely otherwise with Sphinx ’s division of the game beingZelda - esque . He jump , explores , bashes enemies with his steel and solves minor puzzles . The Mummy meanwhile avoids armed combat , almost entirely preferring to sneak and schema . If Sphinx is the sinew , Mummy is the brains .
ToSphinx and the Cursed Mummy ’s credit entry this intermixture of gameplay styles work as well in 2019 as it did in 2003 . The shift between gameplay styles allowsSphinxto feel impertinent for longer . Yet one decorous game automobile mechanic , however of the essence , ca n’t save up the entire experience . For well and ( much ) worse , Sphinx and the Cursed Mummyis a plot from 2003 that ’s been rocket into 2019 with few update .
The most obvious flaw are the visuals . While Sphinx and The Mummy ’s character mannequin look good , the same body of work did n’t appear to go into the earthly concern they inhabit . Nonproliferation Center look right out of the new millennium and environments are flat , scraggy and empty . This is specially present in Switch ’s modest resolution handheld mode . These visuals are more than just aesthetic fault too as the poor rendering of the environments and special impression can make some object lens much more difficult than need . It ’s not obvious what is a survivable weapons platform and what ’s deadly one because they have the same blocky structure .
Gameplay is just as dated . The different styles of the two playable quality are ab initio interesting but overall , Sphinxis a frustrative relic of the past and is oftentimes just evidently boring . The camera is often uncooperative and too bouncy , and platforming is ill-chosen with the Sphinx character feeling as if he ’s made of atomic number 2 and far too floaty . The Mummy , since he ’s less political platform focused , is much easier to control by compare but platforming ascendancy are n’t the only added danger . Combat feels like it ’s up to probability with no point system and Sphinx wildly throwing his brand back and off in the direction of enemies .
The most unsatisfying aspect ofSphinx and the Cursed Mummyby far however , is that it ’s just plain lifeless . Sphinxhas huge levels but in 2019 those levels are expected to be teeming with life , arcanum or both . This is n’t the case withSphinxwhere the environments are barren and bland . The sound intention does n’t pick up the slack either . Despite a mountain of dialog in the game there ’s no voice act . There are just lines and lines of textual matter which fail to help make the long fib engaging . The music is painfully generic as well so even that ca n’t keep the interestingness going for long . Sphinx and the Cursed Mummyis sic in a fantasy edition of ancient Egypt but none of that personality comes across in the game .
An significant flaw to take down withSphinx and the Cursed Mummyis an issue with the audio while play in the Switch ’s TV mode . Screen Rant ’s review copy was ineffectual to wager speech sound while playing the game with the Switch dock . The audio worked fine in hand-held mode but all audio frequency dismiss once the Switch was in its sorrel . We ’ve reached out to THQ Nordic and they ’ve distinguish the return and promised a fix will be available within a week .
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Even if the deficiency of audio is just a temporary way out it ’s still voiceless to recommendSphinx and the Cursed Mummyfor its usurious Mary Leontyne Price point . It ’s a 16 - year old game that did n’t mature well and that does n’t hold much nostalgic value .
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Sphinx and the Cursed Mummyis useable now for $ 29.99 on Nintendo Switch . Screen Rant was provide a copy for critique .
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