Sphinx and the Cursed Mummy Review

Formerly known as Sphinx and the Shadow of Set, Sphinx and the Cursed Mummy has proven to be better than the demo I played months ago. You play as two characters, Sphinx, an Egyptian demi-god, who is our main hero and where all of the action aspects of the game come into play. His “partner�, the mummy, better known to many as King Tut, is where you will play a much more adventure role. Mummy is more creative in reaching his goal than Sphinx.

For one thing, Mummy can’t die. In one of the early levels, you must move some platforms, go into a chamber where the doors slam shut, get electrocuted, run out of the room and use the electricity to turn on a bar. Later in the level, you will find yourself in a room where the floor is moving; you fall down, get slammed by the walls, and run paper thin through the bar doors, all the way to the other side of the main chamber where you run through another bar door and pull a lever. This kind of creative game play is what makes Sphinx and the Cursed Mummy enjoyable and memorable. To tell you the truth, I would rather play as Mummy the whole game.

Sphinx is about using weapons, while Mummy is the weapon. Sphinx’s portion of the game deals with action, platforming, and some puzzles. You will also encounter some relatively simple challenges, where you can earn scarabs, which is used as currency in the land of Sphinx.

As Sphinx, you must earn your moves and weapons. In the first level, you earn the Blade of Osiris, which is comparable to a “light-saber� from Star Wars. Later, you will receive a double jump move, along with a blow pipe.

No joke, Sphinx and the Cursed Mummy is one of the most challenging games of the year. Many of the puzzles require a lot of thought and dedication to solving them. Let it be known, you may get frustrated if you are a casual gamer, due to Sphinx’s difficulty.

The sound in Sphinx is solid overall and inline with the game’s mood. The music is a mix of Egyptian and Arabian, again, fitting quite well with the game’s overall feel. The biggest turn-off is the fact that there is no voice-acting, instead, there are sub-titles that you must read.

From a graphical standpoint, Sphinx is a stunning game. Whether it is the water effects or the particles that follow the shattering of a rock, Sphinx has nice environmental effects. Each environment is huge, with great detail and architecture, historically accurate for the time period. Another draw is the body movements, which are fluid and lifelike.

While Sphinx and the Cursed Mummy has some humorous points, the overall game is focused on serious challenges for the gamer, unlike other “hack’n’slash� action/adventure titles. This game has some true depth and one level or even a puzzle could literally take you hours to figure out and beat. Sphinx is a welcome title for people who like to bend their mind; it has proven to be a serious challenge.