The Mummy Demastered

77%
Game Brain Score Based on 720 reviews
  • music
  • gameplay
  • graphics
The Mummy Demastered Game Cover
A thunderous Metroidvania effort that sublimely marries the timeless design of yesteryear with some of the best decisions of modern game design, The Mummy Demastered is not only a great title but also one of the genuinely best surprises of the year.
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In "The Mummy Demastered," players assume the role of an agent tasked with defeating the reawakened ancient princess, Ahmanet. Explore a variety of levels while battling monsters drawn from the classic film franchise. Utilize an arsenal of weapons and items to defeat enemies and bosses, with each successful run contributing to unlocking new abilities and items.

  • Nintendo Switch
  • PC
  • Play​station 4
  • Play​station 5
  • Steam Deck
  • Windows
  • Xbox One
  • Xbox Series X|S
  • Linux
  • Play​Station
  • Xbox
Genres & TagsPlay Modes

Reviews

77%
Audience ScoreBased on 720 reviews
music186 positive mentions
grinding63 negative mentions
  • The game features beautiful pixel art and an excellent soundtrack that enhances the overall experience.
  • Gameplay is solid with tight controls, offering a satisfying mix of exploration and combat reminiscent of classic Metroid and Castlevania games.
  • The unique death mechanic, where players must defeat their zombified self to regain lost equipment, adds an interesting twist to the gameplay.
  • The game is relatively short, typically taking around 4-6 hours to complete, which may leave players wanting more.
  • Enemy placement can be frustrating, with many small, fast enemies that can knock players off platforms and respawn quickly, leading to tedious gameplay.
  • Health recovery is limited, as save points do not restore health, forcing players to grind for health pickups, which can be tedious and detracts from the exploration experience.
  • music300 mentions

    The music in the game has been widely praised, with many reviewers highlighting its "banger" quality and its blend of chiptune and synth-wave styles, reminiscent of titles like Katana Zero. Composed by Monomer, the soundtrack is often described as the standout feature, enhancing the overall experience with its catchy and atmospheric tunes, despite some criticism regarding repetitiveness in certain tracks. Overall, the music significantly contributes to the game's charm and enjoyment, making it a key selling point for many players.

    • “The soundtrack, composed by Monomer, is definitely the main selling point for me personally and also how I discovered the game, but the game itself, while short, is still a nice game to spend an afternoon or two on for the sake of it.”
    • “Wayforward are absolute masters of their craft and each of their games is immensely playable, with so much charm and character, and invariably a banging soundtrack to boot!”
    • “The music, which is done by the amazing Monomer, is a nice array of retrowave/darkwave which you wouldn't think fits with the setting, but the music is so good.”
    • “Large part of my interest was I heard some of the music and saw the pretty art, but like man this game really sucks to play, like someone read the back of a box of a Metroid game, stole some of the ideas from Super, then implemented them poorly.”
    • “It's not a bad game, by any means: the visuals are very good and the core gameplay mechanics are solid, but when compared to Super Metroid (which is inescapable given that the Mummy borrows so many features from it), it lacks the subtle visual touches, the creepy, atmospheric music and the clever level design.”
    • “The music matches the ambiance of the area you're in fairly well, but lacks that Metroid/Castlevania feel.”
  • gameplay260 mentions

    The gameplay of "The Mummy: Demastered" is a mix of exploration and combat typical of metroidvanias, featuring solid mechanics and high-quality visuals and sound. However, the unique death mechanic, where players must defeat their zombie counterpart to reclaim lost gear, has received mixed reviews, with many finding it overly punishing and detracting from the overall experience. While some players appreciate the game's atmosphere and exploration elements, others criticize its lack of innovation and frustrating mechanics, leading to a divided reception.

    • “Gameplay, animation, sound design, and music are all at a high level.”
    • “Gameplay is fun, exploration is solid with a lot of areas to go back to and find new goodies. I particularly like how basically all the weapons are optional, which encourages going off the beaten path for some truly rewarding secrets like the plasma beam.”
    • “Gameplay is fantastic and fluent, graphics are incredible, and the soundtrack deserves some kind of nomination for awesome itself; I would recommend it to everyone.”
    • “This game unfortunately ends up being a valid example of 'how not to make a metroidvania', as it severely lacks some of the most basic mechanics a decent metroidvania game should have.”
    • “The death mechanic *you leave a body behind with your weapons and upgrades, and must kill your zombie corpse to recover it* is so punishing and is so poorly implemented that if you die after a certain percentage of playthrough, it becomes literally unrecoverable, thus making the game effectively... over.”
    • “The developers had a strong vision for the pixel art and the feel of the game, but the actual gameplay is boring and lacking the depth or fun of other metroidvanias.”
  • graphics109 mentions

    The game's graphics are widely praised for their beautiful 2D pixel art and smooth animations, capturing a nostalgic 16-bit aesthetic reminiscent of classic titles. Reviewers highlight the visuals as a standout feature, enhancing the overall atmosphere and gameplay experience, making it a must-play for fans of the genre. The combination of stunning artwork and a compelling soundtrack contributes to its appeal, solidifying its status as a gem in the pixel art gaming landscape.

    • “The game's graphics are excellent, with beautiful 2D pixel art that captures the eerie atmosphere of the game.”
    • “The graphics are really well done pixel art, making this a beautiful game.”
    • “Exploration is rewarded with numerous upgrades, bosses are exciting and varied, the visuals are at times stunningly good.”
    • “It's not a bad game, by any means: the visuals are very good and the core gameplay mechanics are solid, but when compared to Super Metroid (which is inescapable given that the mummy borrows so many features from it), it lacks the subtle visual touches, the creepy, atmospheric music, and the clever level design.”
    • “The whole experience is reminiscent of a Sega Genesis/32X title in aesthetic and a Saturn game in sound.”
    • “Visually, the game is exceptional, and it really relies on those mid to late 90s graphics to get the job done.”
  • story98 mentions

    The game's story, loosely tied to the 2017 film "The Mummy," is often described as forgettable and simplistic, primarily revolving around a mission to stop the antagonist, Ahmanet. While some players appreciated the thematic connections to gameplay mechanics, many criticized the lack of depth, character development, and engaging narrative, leading to a perception of the story as a mere backdrop for the gameplay. Overall, the storytelling is seen as basic and uninspired, failing to elevate the experience despite the game's solid mechanics and atmosphere.

    • “I even enjoyed the story and the way it thematically tied in to the game's death mechanic.”
    • “The game's characters are well-developed, and the game's story is engaging and compelling.”
    • “Overall though this was a nice joy to play, WayForward did a fantastic job, the story is interesting and it feels like there's a lot to explore.”
    • “The whole plot is literally go here, fight something the mummy has summoned, now go here, fight something the mummy has summoned, etc. It felt like a drawn-out first act to something more involved.”
    • “As for the story, it's basically just 'Ahmanet is doing bad things, go stop her', and has no depth to speak of.”
    • “It's wholly unoriginal, the plot is weary, paper-thin exposition from a talking head bereft of all charisma, and the whole thing is over in about 3-4 hours.”
  • grinding63 mentions

    Players find the grinding aspect of the game to be tedious and time-consuming, often requiring them to farm health and ammunition drops after dying, particularly in boss fights. The lack of consistent healing options and the necessity to repeatedly clear areas filled with respawning enemies contribute to a frustrating experience, making exploration feel laborious rather than enjoyable. While some improvements have been noted, many still consider the grinding to be a significant drawback, detracting from the overall fun and flow of the game.

    • “Games have to be fun, you know, interesting, striking a delicate balance between challenge and playability: what's the point in getting 20 or 30+ hours when a significant part of it is just tedious repetition, unfair deaths, grinding, farming, you name it?”
    • “This is especially annoying when you die on boss fights because it means that, in addition to killing your old self, you need to spend 10-15 minutes grinding to get back to full health and ammo before taking another crack at the boss.”
    • “The save stations don't restore your health, so the only way to get your health back is to farm enemies for a couple of minutes, which isn't really fun and makes death overly punishing in a tedious way.”
  • replayability32 mentions

    Overall, the game has been criticized for its lack of replayability, with many reviewers noting the absence of new-game plus options, difficulty settings, and meaningful replayable content. While some mention minor replayability through level replays and weapon experimentation, the consensus is that the game feels linear and repetitive, making it less appealing for those seeking extended play.

    • “Replayability: the game offers some replayability, with the ability to replay levels and try different weapons and upgrades.”
    • “The game's procedurally generated levels and difficulty modes also add to the game's replayability.”
    • “A bit short, but has some replayability for completionists.”
    • “There's no new-game plus or replayable content, so replayability is a zero.”
    • “The game has no difficulty setting to choose from, and provided you don't die during your run, there are no missable achievements. Once you complete the game and achievements, there is simply no replay value.”
    • “Overall, it's not a bad game, just an average metroidvania game with no replay value.”
  • atmosphere30 mentions

    The game's atmosphere is heavily influenced by classic titles like Castlevania and Super Metroid, featuring excellent 2D pixel art and a haunting soundtrack that effectively enhances the eerie setting. While some players may find the gameplay unremarkable, the strong atmospheric elements and sound design contribute significantly to the overall experience, making it enjoyable for fans of the genre. Despite its ties to a poorly received movie and a lack of innovation, the game's Halloween-like ambiance and engaging visuals are often praised.

    • “The game's graphics are excellent, with beautiful 2D pixel art that captures the eerie atmosphere of the game.”
    • “The game's sound design is also effective, with a haunting soundtrack and sound effects that add to the game's atmosphere.”
    • “It's atmospheric and creepy at times, which I think is fitting for the setting.”
    • “And, being tied to the disastrous movie, without a good story to engage the player, it has to live and die by its atmosphere and gameplay, which is conflicted.”
    • “Not only is it the reason that I’m aware of this game, but as the game slowly showed itself to be unremarkable, the background music maintained some semblance of atmosphere.”
    • “In my opinion, it holds the same quality of those titles, but since I love Halloween-like atmosphere and environments, I value this game a bit more.”
  • optimization4 mentions

    The game's optimization has received mixed feedback, with users reporting stuttering issues across various devices, including the Steam Deck and PCs with different graphics cards. While some players managed to achieve a mostly stable 60 FPS, others experienced performance drops and inconsistent frame rates, suggesting that optimization could be improved. Overall, the game runs well for the most part, but persistent performance issues detract from the experience.

    • “The game ran well and maintained 60 FPS for the most part. I fixed the VSync, but I couldn't get the frame rate to stay consistently at 60. It might have emulated slowdown, as I experienced performance drops on various devices, even with hardware that was more than capable. I locked both my FPS and monitor refresh rate to 60, but it still chugged at certain points, regardless of whether I was using a 3060 or a 1050.”
    • “There are some stuttering issues on my Steam Deck; otherwise, fantastic game.”
    • “(Not terrible, ran well and at 60 for the most part. I fixed the VSync but could not get the frame rate to stay a solid 60. Maybe it actually emulated slowdown? No matter what device I used, it was present on hardware way more than capable. I locked both my FPS and monitor Hz to 60, but it just chugged at certain points despite a 3060 down to a 1050. It had the same performance, and I had to enable VSync via the NVIDIA control panel.)”
  • monetization4 mentions

    The monetization aspect of the game is viewed positively, as players were initially skeptical due to its movie tie-in but found it to be a surprisingly high-quality experience, defying typical expectations of cash grabs associated with such titles. This has led some reviewers to consider it among their top games of the year.

  • humor2 mentions

    The humor in the game is derived from its intentionally frustrating design choices, such as not refilling health and ammo at save points while populating rooms with breakables that can randomly provide these resources. This creates a comedic contrast between the game's challenges and the absurdity of the situation.

    • “The most hilarious show of artificial difficulty is when they don't refill health and ammo at save points, but still fill those rooms with breakables that can randomly give you health and ammo.”
  • character development2 mentions

    Reviews indicate that character development may be lacking, with some players feeling that the high difficulty level is a compensatory measure for underwhelming character design and boss encounters. This suggests that the focus on challenging gameplay may overshadow the depth and growth of characters within the game.

    • “I suspect the developers set the difficulty at such a high bar to make up for the lack of character development, such as character design and boss levels (spiders, dinosaurs, etc).”
Positive mentions (%)Positive
Neutral mentions (%)Neutral
Negative mentions (%)Negative

Critic Reviews

74% average critic score

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Play time

5hMedian play time
6hAverage play time
4-8hSpent by most gamers
*Based on 12 analyzed playthroughs

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