Montezuma’s Revenge – The 40th Anniversary Edition is a challenging game that, surprisingly, is easier than the original. If you are old enough to remember the original, you’ll recall how unbelievably hard it was—precise platforming, unforgiving enemies, and a healthy dose of back and forth. Accordingly, older gamers had to be patient if they wanted to complete it. Thankfully, there is a little respite as autosaving and unlimited lives let you play this freely.
This 2.5D platformer was developed by Normal Distribution and published by Eastasiasoft Limited. It is a single-player game that focuses on exploration, puzzles, adventure, and a high score. The latter is the key to replay value. However, I wanted to get to the end and forget I ever played it. Consequently, although I enjoyed it, I won’t be looking for any high scores.
Montezuma’s Revenge – The 40th Anniversary Edition loves gold.
Hunting for treasure and getting rich are enough to drive any person insane. Sadly for Pedro, this desire to get rich is a risk to his life expectancy. This treasure hunter finds himself at the mercy of Montezuma. Unsurprisingly, this powerhouse isn’t happy about having his gold stolen. As such, he sets traps and conjures monsters to thwart Pedro’s plans.
100 rooms of danger stand between Pedro and his goals. Furthermore, there is a boss encounter every playthrough to test your skills and desire to survive. Although this element isn’t challenging if you have unlimited lives, it breaks up the treasure hunting and dungeon diving.
Piece together your gear.
Working through each room is challenging. Creatures, ghouls, spikes, axes, lava, and other obstacles wish to kill you. Luckily, avoiding them can be simple if you find a clear path and time your jump correctly. Alternatively, if you happen to have a knife at hand, you’ll kill anything that comes close to you.
The knives only last one attack, so you must use them sparingly. Alongside this, there are coloured keys to open doors and torches to light darkened tunnels. The latter is essential during the end part of each playthrough. Whereas the keys are needed to open doors and create new pathways. This can be tricky as the keys can be hidden behind switches and locked doors. Subsequently, you must plan your approach to maximise your chances of survival.
Montezuma’s Revenge – The 40th Anniversary Edition retains its old-school charm.
Montezuma’s Revenge – The 40th Anniversary Edition has polished the visuals to appease a modern audience. However, it still has that amazing old-school charm for a familiar edge. The colour palette is earthy, and the use of lighting helps to create a sense of trepidation. Moreover, the level design is interesting, and I like the use of platforms, monsters, and traps.
Due to the difficult nature of this game, I found the music to be a little repetitive. Although it does a great job of creating a dangerous and interesting atmosphere, it plays on a loop, and this was tedious. Alongside this, there is a hefty dose of voiceover work, and this didn’t work as expected. Instead of delivering an oppressive experience, it becomes reasonably annoying. I know what the developers were trying to achieve, but it didn’t quite hit the mark.
Sluggish controls.
My biggest bugbear with Montezuma’s Revenge – The 40th Anniversary Edition was the controls. Jumping felt sluggish, and falling from half a foot causes you to die. It is unbelievably stupid and extremely frustrating. However, once you get to grips with it, you’ll navigate each tight area and avoid the monsters.
If you love to punish yourself, this will keep you coming back for more. Loads of levels, plenty of puzzles, and an array of monsters and bosses to overcome. On top of this, you can look to achieve a high score if that is your thing. It is not my thing, and I will not be returning for more.
Montezuma’s Revenge – The 40th Anniversary Edition will appeal to a niche audience.
Montezuma’s Revenge – The 40th Anniversary Edition will appeal to a niche, retro audience who love to push themselves all the way. I found it frustrating and difficult, and this prevented me from truly enjoying it. Yet, this was a “me” problem, and I can see it being popular if you love something very cruel. Accordingly, I recommend buying it here! Can you survive and take all of the treasure? Avoid the monsters, jump over the traps, and defeat Montezuma.
