#Gex Trilogy assessment – A retro remaster of one of many ’90s largest fever goals – Destructoid

Few video games from my childhood dug their claws into my reminiscence like Gex: Enter the Gecko. However as older consoles and video games turned more and more tougher to accumulate, I believed Gex’s edgy voice strains and eccentric stage designs would without end keep as reminiscences tucked deep in my psyche.

That was till I bought my palms on a assessment copy of Restricted Run Video games’ Gex Trilogy, a remastered model of all three video games from the OG sequence: Gex (1995), Enter the Gecko (1998), and Deep Cowl Gecko (1999).

The sequence follows a TV-surfing Gecko named Gex who likes to smack enemies along with his tail, which he so lovingly (and often) refers to as “tail time.” Though the franchise began as a 2D platformer, the sequels, Enter the Gecko and Deep Cowl Gecko, granted gamers extra freedom by including an additional dimension. Every entry within the sequence hit cabinets between 1995 and 1999, and the franchise as an entire is understood for leaning closely into popular culture and sociopolitical references from the last decade.

The highlights of this remaster embody new rewind and save options, improved controls, up to date visuals for contemporary consoles, an achievement system, and wide-screen assist. It runs by the Carbon Engine, what Restricted Run Video games describes as its “in-house, proprietary engine for bringing retro video games to trendy platforms by emulation.” And “emulation” is the important thing right here; Restricted Video games says the purpose right here was authenticity, so don’t anticipate any main content material additions or different gameplay approaches.

With that in thoughts, the Gex Trilogy masterfully maintains the attraction, ’90s humor, and enjoyable gameplay from the unique video games. This remaster feels polished on PC with minimal to no bugs, and the added options solely profit the unique gameplay. Nonetheless, among the unique trilogy’s issues make this a distinct segment title that can seemingly solely enchantment to retro players or those that’ve fallen deep right into a pit of nostalgia like me.

For these of you who haven’t performed the trilogy, the gameplay is pretty easy: In every stage, you have to hop your approach from platform to platform, defeat enemies by hitting them along with your tail, and hunt for TV remotes by finishing aims. Every stage has a number of aims you have to full separately—and sure, it’s important to replay a stage a number of instances to gather all of the remotes. Add in further collectibles and hidden aims, and also you’ll be working by the identical map a number of instances. Fortunately, every stage is brief, making the work of absolutely finishing every stage simple and thus pretty addictive. I additionally opted to bounce forwards and backwards from one to the opposite to additional forestall the identical environments from changing into stale.

New maps open up as you acquire remotes, and also you’ll sometimes be tasked with combating bosses earlier than you’ll be able to advance to the following stage of ranges. It’s a simplistic, however enjoyable gameplay loop, and every entry into the sequence expands on the gameplay simply sufficient that the core mechanics of tail-whipping, tail-bouncing, and lapping up flies along with your tongue largely keep the identical.

What separates Gex from different platformers of its time, although, was its metaplay on the tradition of the ‘90s. As quickly as you load right into a stage, you’re handled to Gex’s shmoozey Austin Powers impression or sarcastic jab on the late health guru Richard Simmons. A few of the humor is simply downright foolish, like whole ranges enjoying off of Looney Tunes and different ’90s cartoon aesthetics. I’d be remiss, although, to not level out how ’90s humor received’t all the time translate to at this time’s day and age. Different ranges in Gex and Enter the Gecko (because the names Kung Fuville or Samurai Evening Fever may counsel) play into stereotypes of different cultures, and a few could discover this offensive.

Your largest enemy within the Gex video games, although, isn’t Elmer Fudd-like hunters or MooShoo Pork, a ferocious cow-pig hybrid—it’s typically the sport its very self. Within the first recreation of the trilogy, for instance, among the enter felt delayed or too sluggish, and for a platformer, this will have a severe impression. Although it was annoying at instances, it by no means obfuscated my playthrough to the purpose of full-on frustration.

I encountered my largest ache level, although, once I revisited my previous stomping grounds, Enter the Gecko. Within the second recreation of the trilogy, you’ll be able to select from one in every of three digital camera choices: guide, semi-automatic, and computerized. After just a few temporary nausea-inducing moments with the latter two choices, I ended up sticking with the guide setting. However even with this feature chosen, I nonetheless discovered myself battling the digital camera—and rising extra annoyed once I seemingly misplaced. I can’t let you know the variety of instances I teed up for a leap between platforms, just for Gex to fall flat on his face on the backside of a chasm as a result of the digital camera rotated away from the motion within the second I selected to leap.

These digital camera woes had been current within the unique recreation and served as some extent of criticism from followers all these years in the past. The third entry within the franchise, Deep Cowl Gecko, addressed this, narrowing the digital camera choices down and making it work extra for gamers as a substitute of towards them. Though you would level again to Restricted Run’s emphasis on “authenticity” and “emulation” right here as an excuse, it might’ve been good to have kinks like this ironed out from the originals earlier than they bought repackaged with just a few new options and offered again to us for $30.

However of all of the previous video games from my childhood that would’ve acquired a remaster, am I glad it’s the Gex trilogy? Yeah, I’m—and I’d advocate it to anybody who additionally felt a rush of nostalgia after they noticed the remaster’s preliminary announcement. Sadly, although, I’d have to inform these of you whose beginning 12 months begins with a two to sit down this one out just because it loses a big a part of its attraction if you happen to don’t perceive the references.

No matter your age, this could possibly be proper up your alley if you happen to love retro video games, particularly platformers. Purchaser beware, although: The ‘90s jank continues to be very a lot current in Gex Trilogy. In the event you can look previous the unique gameplay flaws and probably dated humor, you’re in for a very good time—tail time, some would say.