Game Review: Montezuma's Revenge - The 40th Anniversary Edition

By Manuel

Players: 1
Platforms: PC (Steam)

I don't envy anyone who has to work on retro game, as they surely must be very difficult to create. Not only do you have to retain elements that made the game great originally, but you also have to make it approachable to a new audience. Montezuma's Revenge - The 40th Anniversary Edition is the latest retro game remake on the market, and this one revives a computer game that originally released all the way back in 1984. This retro action platformer is sometimes cited as an early example of the Metroidvania genre, so it's re-release isn't without some fanfare. It's out now on Steam by way of publisher EastAsiaSoft, and we're going to be taking a look at it today and see if its pedigree warrants picking it up. There's a lot to cover in this one, so let's dive in!

It probably won't surprise anyone when I say that Montezuma's Revenge has only the most basic of stories. You're an explorer who is attempting to collect all the treasure he can find in the huge underground pyramid that houses the tomb of the titular Montezuma. Not the most altruistic of goals, but treasure hunting can be its own reward. You guide your avatar in collecting this treasure by taking them through a series of connected rooms, all the while your way deeper into the pyramid. Said pyramid is broken up into 9 stages, and each of those stages is made up of dozens of the aforementioned screen-filling rooms. Though there isn't an in-game map to help you figure out where you're going, you only really have to concern yourself with making it to the center of the lowest floor in each area. The particular room you'll find there houses the stage's biggest cache of treasure, and it's also your ticket to the next stage. You continue this until you reach the final treasure room of the game, where Montezuma himself will face you. You win the game by besting him, and you then loop the game on a higher difficulty setting. High scores can be added to the leaderboards, or you can forego all that if you don't really care for such things. It's simple, but it works. There's nothing here that will surprise modern gamers, but I can only imagine how amazing this game would've felt upon its original release. Not only is the game massive by the standards of the time, but there are also multiple ways to go about clearing it. Not a bad start to this review, let's hope things don't go south as we take a closer look at gameplay.

While I can definitely see how some people might look at Montezuma's Revenge and consider it an early example of a Metroidvania, I'm not exactly sure I share that sentiment. One aspect that is similar is the design of the stages themselves. Instead of moving along in a standard right-to-left way, you're allowed to freely enter and exit any room at any time. There of course might be obstacles blocking your path, but that's what the in-game items are for. Most items are simply treasure you acquire for points, but you can also get swords that kill enemies, torches that light the way, and several types of keys that open doors. The latter two items are the most important in the game, as they can mean life or death. Many areas lower in the pyramid are in darkness, and you'll need torches to light them up. Keys are arguably even more important though, as you'll need several keys of all colors to open up the doors that will inevitably block your path. As a matter of fact, I'd argue that the core gameplay loop revolves around circling each level collecting keys. Who would've thought that opening doors would be the bulk of this game's activities. What is this, Hotel Mario?

Besides items, there are also stage hazards for you to contend with. Some of these stage hazards can be stationary objects like fire, moving platforms, energy beams, or even electrified barriers, but enemies are probably the most common obstacle that you'll face. Not only are enemies numerous, but it only takes a single hit from them to kill you. Thankfully the enemy that took your life will also die, but it can be quite annoying to not have much in the way of offensive capabilities. The sword is the only item that will help you out against enemies, but holding onto them might be difficult. Even though item management is surprisingly important as far as gameplay goes, you can only hold five items at once. Picking up another item when you're already full will replace the first one picked up, and this can actually lead to you soft-locking the game if said item is a key that you desperately need. One-hit deaths and losing much-needed keys may sound terrible, but the biggest threat in Montezuma's Revenge is actually fall damage. If you ever fall more than the height of your character, you die. This means you have to take each step carefully, never fall from more than one block up, and you can't miss a single jump if you want to survive. I'm not exaggerating when I say that I died more from falling than any other thing in the game. You do technically have unlimited continues at your disposal, but I couldn't help but feel like I was trapped in an old AVGN skit. It also seriously killed whatever fun I was having.

I don't want to keep bashing the gameplay, but there's one more aspect I have to pick apart: the controls. Describing bad controls is never easy, as they can only truly be experienced through playing the game for oneself. Standard movement is fairly normal, if a little floaty, but jumping in Montezuma's Revenge is just as ridiculous as the fall damage. Each jump barely moves you up a space, and it's practically impossible to adjust your trajectory while in the air. This means that you'll have to plan each jump before you make it, and sometimes even take a leap from way off the platform you're currently on. It's not even that the jumping is bad because it follows retro aesthetics, it just feels off in general. The animation is choppy, your character stops abruptly in their ascent, and you then drop like a sack of potatoes as soon as you hit the pinnacle of your jump. It's really hard to put into words, but the jumping takes far too long to get used to than it should. Why the developers would go through all the trouble of remaking a classic game to only leave in all the stuff that's aged like milk is beyond me, but that's what we get here.

Before we move on, I want to cover the other half of this package, and that's Montezuma's Revenge Director's Cut. This DLC is an optional add-on for the game that is an enhanced version of the original PC release. I know that sounds a bit like a remake, but it retains the classic game's look, feel, and style. While you might think I'd dislike this version due to it being an even more archaic take on the game that has been frustrating me up to this point, you'd be wrong. Not only do I like it, but I am of the mind that the Director's Cut is the far better game. Many of the issues I have with Montezuma's Revenge in general are still here, but that old school gameplay nonsense just fits in better. The entire game feels like it was made with these quirks in mind, and I found that the gameplay balance is far better overall. I not only died way less, but I got pretty close to beating the game my first time through. It is a little buggy on launch, but it's arguably the better half of this two-game release. The problem of course lies in the fact that it's DLC to begin with. Not only does it require an additional purchase to play at all, but you also have to own the remake in order to get it. Why this release didn't just include both games at launch is beyond me, but selling it separately just means that fewer people will get to play the better version of the game.

Moving on from gameplay, let's take a look at the game's presentation. I can go on and on about graphics for both games, but I have to give the slight edge to the Director's Cut. The sprites are charmingly big and blocky in that version, and everything somehow looks more colorful than the remake. It does sort of resemble a blown up Atari 2600 game, but that isn't exactly an unappealing aesthetic. The remake on the other hand looks like it has graphics that belong on the PlayStation 2. They aren't bad by any means, but it seems a bit odd to me that the developers would choose another graphic style that looks so archaic when compared to modern graphics. At least things fare better in the sound department. As far as soundtracks go, both games do an excellent job of getting you into the game. There isn't a ton of music here, but it's all catchy and memorable. The sound effect are also nice and retro, and the remake even features voice acting. Said voice acting solely consists of Montezuma trash talking you as you play, but I'm all for it. That was actually one of my favorite parts of the remake, and his often repeated one-liners never got boring to me. Not exactly the best marks all around, but both versions of the game do a decent job in putting their best foot forward in this one aspect.

As I hinted about earlier, one of my biggest complaints regarding this release has to be its release structure and pricing. At the time of this writing, Montezuma's Revenge - The 40th Anniversary Edition costs $19.99 to pick up on its own, and the Director's Cut DLC is another $19.99. You can get the Deluxe Version, but that simply packages both purchases together with no additional discount that I can see. I don't want to sound like I understand the marketing decisions behind the pricing of this release, but I'd be far more comfortable paying $29.99 for a complete package than buying both pieces of the game separately. Hell, I'd even be happier if the game was just a flat $39.99 from the very beginning if they just included both games. That said, I do think the game has enough content to warrant its price. It's challenging, long, and highly replayable. There are multiple difficulty settings for both versions of the game, and I'm willing to bet fans of the original might have more patience with the remake version than I did. What I do find odd is that there seems to already be a far cheaper remake available on Steam. I'm not sure how it compares to this one in terms of development and playability, but you can get a totally different remake & retro release of the game for under ten dollars. This makes me feel like this new version is really up against a wall in terms of pricing, but I guess we'll just have to wait and see how that plays out over time.

If I was reviewing the Director's Cut only, I'd say that this is a must-buy for fans of retro games. On the other hand, giving The 40th Anniversary Edition the same sort recommendation isn't something I'm comfortable doing. I still do think that fans of retro games will enjoy it, but that statement comes with healthy amount of caveats. If you're the type of person who only wants a visual upgrade, then you'll have fun here. However, if you're the type of person who wants their remakes to conform to modern gameplay standards, then you're probably better off skipping this one entirely. It also goes without saying that fans of the original will want to pick it up too, but I think that's a given. Anyway, I think it's time for me to head off into the sunset and let Montezuma have his revenge. See you in the next one!

Check Out Montezuma's Revenge - The 40th Anniversary Edition on Steam:
https://store.steampowered.com/app/3101230/Montezumas_Revenge__The_40th_Anniversary_Edition/

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The 40th Anniversary Edition
Story: N/A
Gameplay: C-
Graphics: C
Music/Sound: B
Value: C

Overall: C

Director's Cut
Story: N/A
Gameplay: B
Graphics: B
Music/Sound: B+
Value: C

Overall: B

Pros:
+ A cool double remake of a classic game. One version updates the visuals and remixes the levels, while the other serves as a definitive take on the classic formula.
+ The core gameplay loop can be quite fun once you get the hang of it, and there's lots of replayability to be had.
+ Though the graphics in the remake are a bit of an acquired taste, the visuals of the Director's Cut are both charming and impressive.
+ The music and sound design are great across both versions of the game, with Montezuma's trash talking in the remake being a personal favorite.
+ This is a game that's earned its classic status, and it's cool seeing it available to modern audiences.

+/- The fact that there's already a remake of the game available on Steam, complete with its own retro version, makes this release somewhat confusing.

Cons:
- This is a very hard game, and will probably put off those who aren't a fan of retro style gameplay.
- The remake barely feels updated in terms of modern gameplay norms. If anything, the changes made seem to be for the worse.
- I personally dislike the graphics in the remake. They aren't up to current standards, and look like they belong on the PS2.
- I'll never understand why the remake and the classic version of the game are sold separately. Pricing aside, they really should've been bundled together.

A copy of this game was provided to us free-of-charge by the publisher for the purpose of this review. This did not affect our review in any way.

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