The Mummy Demastered – Has A Better Game Ever Come From A Worse Movie?

It’s as straightforward a plot as you could possibly hope for in a tie-in video game, but there are a few interesting twists chucked in to keep players on their toes. If you die in the game, you’ll respawn as a different soldier, but the body of your former protagonist will have reanimated, forcing you to take down a zombified version of your former self in order to retrieve key items left behind. This mechanic is then further explored in the ending of the game, with up to three possible conclusions available depending on your performance, with a special ending being unlocked if you manage to get through the entire game without dying once.

Perhaps most importantly, however, The Mummy Demastered managed to achieve something that the movie couldn’t; something that Brendan Fraser had so succinctly communicated in just a few short sentences. It was fun. Really fun, in fact! Taking inspiration from the likes of Contra, Castlevania, and Ghosts ‘n Ghouls, The Mummy Demastered is a pixel art Metroidvania in which you navigate through a labyrinthine environment filled to the brim with undead beasts. You’ll encounter locked passageways that will subsequently open up whole new areas once you locate the key or item required to proceed.

As you progress, you gain new weaponry (grenades, powerful machine guns, and the like) along with invaluable health upgrades. To counter this, the game introduces new enemy types and boss characters that will test the skills of even the more hardcore Metroidvania fan. There’s nothing here that hasn’t necessarily been done before (and arguably better, in some instances), but it’s simple, straightforward fun with none of the pomp or absurdity from the movie itself.

In fact, aside from the occasional brief appearance from Russel Crowe and Sofia Boutella, the game almost actively distances itself from the movie, and it’s all the better for it. Expecting to play a running simulator starring Tom Cruise? Think again. Looking forward to some comedic cutscenes featuring a ghostly Jake Johnson? Well, you ain’t gonna get it here, friend. We reckon some folks might be put off by the idea of a game based on such a terrible movie, and in some respects, we wouldn’t be surprised if the link between the two actively harmed the success of The Mummy Demastered. A demake of the Brendan Fraser and Rachel Weisz movie? Heck, that would get the crowds in! The Tom Cruise one? Erm, nah, you’re alright.

However, if you’re a fan of Metroidvanias and have yet to play WayForward’s take on The Mummy, then do yourselves a favour and get it downloaded ASAP! It’s thrilling and captivating in equal measure, and that’s the same now as it was five years ago; in short, it’s everything the movie isn’t.

Let us know in the comments what you make of The Mummy Demastered and the ill-fated film. Is it the best game to come from a bad film?