Sphinx and the Cursed Mummy

"A pretty good addition..."

Hello, and welcome to my review of the Gamecube version of Sphinx and the Cursed Mummy. I hope this little review helps you if you are in any way thinking of buying this game.

Introduction:
Okay, this game has an odd background. To start, this is the games 3rd name. At first, it was called, ''Sphinx.'' Then it was renamed to ''sphinx and the shadow of set.'' THEN, it was renamed to ''Sphinx and the Cursed Mummy.'' (Personally, I thought it sounded the best as Sphinx and the Shadow of Set). A lot of people say that this game is a recreation of Zelda, just in a different timeframe. Which it is, for the most part. You have your item collecting, and storyline, etc. This game just has some stuff that Zelda didn't though. It is a little boring to start, but it will quickly attach to you like a parasite, and stay with you in your head to the conclusion!

Gameplay:
This game is very, very intriguing. It starts out, as I previously mentioned, boring. You will be thinking to yourself, ''When does the action pick up?!?'' But soon enough, after a quick item collection, the game's pace will quicken. However, don't expect too much of a challenge. There are some parts where you will find yourself jumping off roofs or cliffs or something in hopes that you will turn around in just enough time to grab the ledge and swing around. The only other frustrating part, is the fact that there is a lack of save points. There is just enough to stop you from tearing off your eyebrows. The enemies in this game are also a very good at defense. You cannot just hack away at them. They will defend until your combo is done, then take away a few ''ankhs'' of health. The good thing, though, is that after you kill a monster, it may drop a little health ankh, to bring your health back up a bit. The control on this game is good. You will see what you can do in the top right corner of the screen. When you assign items to buttons, it will be in the corner, much like in Zelda. Overall, this game is the perfect mix of easy and hard points.

Storyline:
A lot of people found that this story was dull. Sure, your character, Sphinx, has the personality of a mouse, but the MUMMY more then makes up for it. You see, in this game, there is an evil person, named Set, who pretty much wants to rule the world. Just so happens you have to save the world. The other part of the story is the mummy, who is King Tut, who just wants to be alive again. You will find out after about 5 minutes worth of play, that it will switch between the two quite often. The cool thing about the mummy though, is that he has NO LIFEBAR. Yes folks, your dreams of never dying in a game without codes has finally come true. You will burn, smash, and electrify, him, as well as a few other things you will have to discover for yourself, in order to solve numerous puzzles. You will have to play through the game though in order to find the other ways to hurt him. It really is quite funny.

Another bit to the storyline, is a few sidequests. Not as many as in Zelda, though, so dont worry. You can, as Sphinx, collect monsters for a museum, in return for items. The only way to collect monsters is to lower their health, then send a ''capture beetle'' at them. You will have to find out more secrets about this as you play through.

Graphics/Sound:
Graphics- These are some pretty good graphics for a game like this. Everything has been smoothed out, so everyone looks real. This really puts some of the cubes potential for graphics out there. There are a few choppy shots, like when the camera messes up and you are looking through a wall at your character, but overall is pretty good.

Sound- Some of the music in this game is cheesy, but it does have a catchy tune. After some big event, the main title song will play, which isn't half bad. The creatures do sound a little alike, but they have their differences. The best part: The fire actually sounds like fire. It crackles, and has that deep smoldering sound. Especially when the mummy is on fire :)

Play time/Replayability:
The game took me about 20 hours, because I went through all of the sidequests, and got all of the possible items. Maybe a little longer, but overall the game is relatively short. Take about 15 hours probably for a first timer to pick up and play.
Replayability- eh, you could. I wouldn't suggest it though *see final note* You don't really get anything special, like if you played Viewtiful Joe or something.

Final Recommendation: I got this game for Christmas, and I have no thoughts of returning it. It is a nice addition to my collection, and I play it quite often. The only reasons I would not suggest this game are:
1. The memory card requirement. 20 BLOCKS!! It took a chunk out of my card, but it was mostly worth it. I wouldn't suggest filling all three files that it will allow you to have.
2. There is a really nasty glitch about halfway through the game. If you save at that point, and then turn off your system, the door that you need to go through will be shut when you turn it back on, and the only way to get through it is to RESTART your game all over. Luckily, you should just be able to play through it. The section it involves is relatively short. If I were you I would spend the 10 minutes and just get through it, and on with it.

Reviewer's Score: 8/10, Originally Posted: 01/22/04