You know you’re old when a game you remember the name of has a 40th anniversary. I’ve always giggled at the name “Montezuma’s Revenge” as it is a double entendre. For those that know me, if it is making me laugh, it is probably tapping into my A1-humour of either puns or toilet-humour. I’ll let you, the reader, look it up and see which one it is.

The original “Montezuma’s Revenge” was known for its challenge, unforgiving controls, and being unfinished. I am unsure whether it is unfinished, but “Montezuma’s Revenge’s” creator, Robert Jaeger, obviously had a vision that was never realised. However, I can certainly vouch for the challenge and unforgiving controls though.

Developed by Mission Critical Studios, Handcrafted Mystical Games, and Normal Distribution, along with publisher Eastasiasoft Limited, they have brought “Montezuma’s Revenge” into the 21st century by giving it a graphical uplift and finishing the game by completing Robert Jaeger’s vision. Say hello to “Montezuma’s Revenge – The 40th Anniversary Edition”.

The plot of “Montezuma’s Revenge – The 40th Anniversary Edition” is straightforward. You play as Pedro, a treasure hunter who enters Montezuma’s pyramid to steal its treasure and escape with it and his life. In “Montezuma’s Revenge – The 40th Anniversary Edition”, the developers have added Pedro’s sister to the game, Rosita.

Rosita is only an in-game sprite change. Regardless of whether you play Pedro or Rosita, the characters function identically.

“Montezuma’s Revenge – The 40th Anniversary Edition” taps into the classic nostalgia of gaming in the 80s. It is a two-dimensional platformer that will have you running, jumping, and climbing your way through tricky puzzles and dodging enemies and traps, all to collect valuable artifacts.

Being from that era of gaming, the difficulty is old-school, as in very hard on the easiest difficulty. There are three difficulties to choose from, but even the easiest one is challenging.

Though by collecting loot you increase your score, which can be used to extend your play at the cost of 10,000 points when you run out of lives. You can easily brute force your way through the “Montezuma’s Revenge – The 40th Anniversary Edition” if you desire.

The controls are simple, but “Montezuma’s Revenge – The 40th Anniversary Edition” is just as unforgiving as the original. Minor drops from height will instantly kill you; jumping is inaccurate, and everything will one-shot you unless you have protection.

“Montezuma’s Revenge – The 40th Anniversary Edition” starts you at the top of the pyramid and guides you down until you reach the boss room. Here, you will collect the beating hearts of Montezuma, forcing him to retreat, giving you access to the lower depths.

The tricky part is finding items to help you reach Montezuma, such as keys, swords, torches, sceptres, and tasers. Keys are colour-coded, so you need to find the right key for the right door. Swords will kill an enemy, torches light up the lower depths so you can see, sceptres give you a short spell of invincibility, and tasers can shoot and kill an enemy at a distance.

Though the level layout is static, it is possible to learn the optimal path. Where you find valuables and items are not. Restarting can give you a leg up when navigating the labyrinthine rooms. After all, there are no maps to help you out, so it is up to your memory or a sketch pad.

The graphics have been beautifully uplifted into 2.5D. Gone are the original pixelated graphics; everything has been smoothed and given depth in the third dimension. I love what the developers have done here, and I wish more refreshed games would take the time to provide a decent uplift like “Montezuma’s Revenge – The 40th Anniversary Edition” has done.

The Aztec colour theme is vibrant and perfectly offsets the dungeon’s duller tones. The whole visual package is very pleasing to the eye.

Unfortunately, the music, though perfectly themed for the Aztec setting, its jungle tones become incredibly repetitive very quickly. Along with Montezuma’s voice calling out to you every time you die or shift rooms is terribly annoying. It didn’t take long before both of those audio features were switched off.

The sound effects, though basic, were crisp and clear. They were exactly what you would expect from an 80s game of, crunchy footsteps and springy jump noises.

“Montezuma’s Revenge – The 40th Anniversary Edition” is a game that brings the difficulty of 80s gaming into the now. Though the music and voice are annoying, the improvement in graphics is something other developers should spend time doing when refreshing a game.

If you played the original or are looking for an old-school challenge, “Montezuma’s Revenge – The 40th Anniversary Edition” is a game that may give you the shits, but it’ll be up to you to decide if the journey is worth it.

Written by: Ashley Barnett-Cosgrove