Sphinx and the Cursed Mummy Review

Like Zelda, but not quite as good.

As a college student, most of my adventures into the local video game shop start with a stop at the bargain bin. Usually I find nothing. Sometimes I buy something awful and end up burning it for warmth. And once in awhile I dig a $5 gem out of the pile of old Madden games. One of those gems was called Sphinx and the Cursed Mummy.

Sphinx and the Cursed Mummy is an action-adventure game in the style of the Legend of Zelda series, and is almost on par with Zelda in almost every sense - definitely worth the $5. It has two protagonists: Sphinx, a smirking guy with a tail, and prince Tutankhamen, who becomes a cursed mummy. The game is set in an ambiguous Egyptian environment, and includes a mix of Egyptian legends and themes that are presented in a satisfyingly cartoony and light-hearted fashion.

Sphinx is an apprentice who is sent by his master to investigate the standard evil force that is stirring in a big evil fortress somewhere. At the same time, Tutankhamen is getting ready for his birthday party, which is being organized by his nefarious older brother. The naïve and oblivious prince stumbles upon his brother's evil plot, is captured and turned into a mummy during a mystical ceremony. Before the ceremony is completed, however, Sphinx appears and interrupts everything. As a result, the mummy is a little less dead than he was supposed to be. Unaware of this fact, the bad guys deposit his body somewhere within the evil fortress, where he can run around and wreck havoc by stealing mystical objects for Sphinx.

The game switches between adventuring and dungeon crawling with Sphinx and puzzle solving with the mummy. Sphinx's movements are smooth and the combat is simple. Much of Sphinx's adventure also involves puzzle solving, which often integrates the latest gadget or mystical item you have found. The dungeons are a bit small, but fun to navigate, and there are a number of side quests to break up the game. The most interesting side quest is a creature-hunting challenge wherein the player uses a special beetle to capture weakened baddies. It's kind of like an action-adventure version of Pokemon. Two of the creature species, an explosive little green guy and a flaming armadillo, can be collected in bulk and used to open new areas or break into otherwise impenetrable boxes. Exploring with Sphinx is generally enjoyable and well-paced, with an appropriate difficulty level. I rarely found myself to be bored or frustrated.

Switching to the mummy's perspective always seems to come right when you're about to get tired of Sphinx. Solving puzzles with the mummy is an unusual and hilarious experience. Since he's dead, he can't be killed. Therefore the traps that would kill any living intruder work to the mummy's advantage. When a trap sets the mummy on fire, he can then go burn down a wooden barrier. Getting crushed into a paper-thin form allows him to fit through tiny spaces. Adding to the challenge is the fact that the mummy will return to his normal state after a set amount of time. As with Sphinx, the puzzles are challenging but rarely frustrating. The mummy's goofy nature also serves as comic relief. Left standing still for a few seconds while on fire, and he will start to dance around and pat at his bandaged body like he's trying to put himself out. Fall a far enough distance and he'll end up flat on his face - clumsy even in death. And again, just when you might be getting tired of him and solving puzzles, the game switches back to Sphinx.