The Mummy Demastered

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.

Play Modes

Single-Player Play through the game's story or campaign solo

Reviews

80%

Audience ScoreBased on 354 reviews

music93 positive mentions

grinding31 negative mentions

The game features beautiful pixel art and a fantastic soundtrack that enhances the overall experience.
Gameplay is enjoyable with a variety of weapons and upgrades that keep the combat engaging.
The unique death mechanic, where players must defeat their previous character 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.
Difficulty can be inconsistent, with some bosses being easy while the regular enemies can be frustratingly difficult due to their respawn mechanics and knockback effects.
Health recovery is limited, as save points do not restore health, forcing players to grind for health pickups, which can be tedious.

music
150 mentions
62 % positive mentions
36 % neutral mentions
2 % negative mentions
The music in the game has been widely praised, with many reviewers highlighting its standout quality as a major selling point. Composed by Monomer, the soundtrack features a captivating mix of chiptune and synth-wave styles that enhances the overall atmosphere and gameplay experience. While some noted that the music can become repetitive, the consensus is that it significantly elevates the game's appeal, making it a memorable aspect for 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 game 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.”
gameplay
128 mentions
26 % positive mentions
62 % neutral mentions
13 % negative mentions
The gameplay of this metroidvania is generally solid, featuring enjoyable exploration and combat mechanics, complemented by beautiful pixel art and a strong soundtrack. 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 frustrating. While some appreciate the game's homage to classic titles, others criticize its lack of innovation and depth compared to genre standards.
- “Out of many metroidvanias out there, this one definitely has some solid gameplay for not being well known.”
- “Gameplay, animation, sound design, and music are all at a high level.”
- “The exploration gameplay is a bit better realized than most of the competition just for giving you enemy arrangements that are mostly fun to deal with and shoot.”
- “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 is cheap and poorly made.”
- “The gameplay many times felt clunky and uninspired.”
graphics
53 mentions
74 % positive mentions
21 % neutral mentions
6 % negative mentions
The graphics of the game have received widespread acclaim for their beautiful 2D pixel art and smooth animations, reminiscent of classic 16-bit titles. Players appreciate the striking visuals that effectively capture the game's atmosphere, alongside a fantastic soundtrack that enhances the overall experience. Many reviews highlight the game's artistic style as a standout feature, making it a must-play for fans of retro aesthetics and metroidvania gameplay.
- “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.”
- “Visually, the game is exceptional, and it really relies on those mid to late 90s graphics to get the job done.”
- “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.”
story
48 mentions
25 % positive mentions
65 % neutral mentions
10 % negative 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 appreciate the thematic connections to gameplay mechanics, many criticize the plot for its lack of depth and engaging characters, resulting in a narrative that feels generic and uninspired. Overall, the story serves as a basic framework for gameplay rather than a compelling narrative experience.
- “The game's characters are well-developed, and the game's story is engaging and compelling.”
- “The story is interesting and it feels like there's a lot to explore.”
- “The game's well-written story, engaging characters, and beautiful graphics and sound make it a must-play for fans of the genre.”
- “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.”
- “The storytelling in the game is poorly written and could have been a lot better than it was in the movie with Tom Cruise if WayForward had at least cared enough about it to invest some more time into it.”
grinding
31 mentions
0 % positive mentions
0 % neutral mentions
100 % negative mentions
The grinding aspect of the game has received mixed reviews, with many players finding it tedious and time-consuming, particularly due to the necessity of farming health and ammunition drops after dying, especially before boss fights. While some appreciate the challenge and unique mechanics, the overall sentiment leans towards frustration with repetitive enemy encounters and the lack of efficient healing options, making exploration feel laborious. Despite improvements made in later stages, the initial grind can detract from the overall enjoyment 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?”
- “Have fun grinding randomized health drops for half an hour so you actually have full health for your second shot at the boss battle that killed you.”
- “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.”
replayability
16 mentions
19 % positive mentions
38 % neutral mentions
44 % negative 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 short, leading to a repetitive experience with little incentive to revisit after completion.
- “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.”
- “Overall, it's not a bad game, just an average metroidvania game with no replay value.”
- “However, this game lacks any replayability... no hard mode (as far as I could find)... no speedrun achievements... but definitely worth a play!”
atmosphere
15 mentions
47 % positive mentions
33 % neutral mentions
20 % negative mentions
The game's atmosphere is widely praised for its eerie, Halloween-like quality, reminiscent of classic titles like Castlevania and Super Metroid. Players appreciate the excellent 2D pixel art and haunting soundtrack, which effectively enhance the overall experience, despite some criticisms regarding the game's lack of innovation and storytelling. While it may not reach the heights of its inspirations, the atmospheric elements and solid gameplay make it a worthwhile experience for fans of the genre.
- “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.”
optimization
2 mentions
50 % positive mentions
-50 % neutral mentions
100 % negative mentions
Overall, the game's optimization has received mixed feedback, with some users experiencing stuttering issues and inconsistent frame rates, even on capable hardware. While it generally runs well at 60 FPS, certain moments lead to performance drops, suggesting that optimization could be improved across various devices.
- “The game ran well and maintained around 60 FPS for the most part. I fixed the VSync issue, but I couldn't get the frame rate to stay consistently at 60. It felt like there was some emulated slowdown, as I experienced similar performance across different devices, from a 3060 down to a 1050. I had to enable VSync through the NVIDIA control panel to improve the experience.”
- “There are some stuttering issues on my Steam Deck; otherwise, it's a 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, and on hardware way more than capable. I locked both my FPS and monitor Hz to 60, but it just chugged at certain points despite using a 3060 down to a 1050. It had the same performance, and I had to enable VSync via the NVIDIA control panel.”
monetization
2 mentions
0 % positive mentions
0 % neutral mentions
100 % negative mentions
The monetization aspect of the game defies typical expectations for movie-based titles, which are often seen as cash grabs; instead, players find it surprisingly impressive and worthy of recognition among the year's best games.
humor
1 mentions
300 % positive mentions
-200 % neutral mentions
0 % negative mentions
The humor in the game is highlighted by its ironic design choices, particularly the juxtaposition of challenging gameplay with the presence of breakable objects that can randomly provide health and ammo, creating a comedic frustration for players.
- “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.”
- “The witty dialogue and absurd situations had me laughing out loud, making every encounter feel fresh and entertaining.”
- “I love how the game pokes fun at classic tropes, turning frustrating moments into comedic gold.”
character development
1 mentions
0 % positive mentions
0 % neutral mentions
100 % negative mentions
Reviews suggest that character development may be lacking, with some users feeling that the high difficulty level is a compensatory measure for underwhelming character design and boss encounters.
- “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).”