Also On: PS4, Xbox Series X, Xbox One, Switch, PC
Publisher: Limited Run Games
Developer: Limited Run Games
Medium: Digital
Players: 1
Online: No
ESRB: E
Before we had the smart mouth Geico Gecko in 1999 for our insurance ads, videogame development studio Crystal Dynamics gave us Gex the gecko in 1995. Not only was he the star in several games, but he was also on Crystal Dynamics logo for half a decade. For the next four years, Crystal Dynamics gave us three games with the wise-cracking Gex.
All of the Gex games have a paper-thin story. Gex’s antagonist is Rez, a cybernetic entity from the Media Dimension. Each game involves some plot to get Gex into Rez’s realm and Gex must defeat the sinister cyborg to escape.
The original Gex came out on 3DO, PC, Sega Saturn and PlayStation. I originally played it on 3DO and it is still a gap in my PS1 library. Gex is a side scrolling platformer. Each level is connected by an overworld, and is represented by, since it’s the Media Dimension, a TV.
Every level is hiding a remote control. To proceed to the next level, Gex must find the hidden remote and reach the exit. Gex is a little different in that he can attach himself to the walls and ceiling to move around. Jumping on enemies only works if you press down on your controller. Or you can smack them with your tail. After completing the level, use the remote collected to activate the next TV and play the next level. Voiced by Dana Gould, Gex’s one liners come out, perhaps a little too often and with not enough variety.
Gex: Enter the Gecko and Gex 3: Deep Cover Gecko are both 3D platformers. On the original PlayStation versions of the games the camera was controlled by the L1 and R1 shoulder buttons, and even the Dual Shock’s right thumbstick didn’t allow for moving the camera in Enter the Gecko. Thankfully, Limited Run games added the ability to use the right thumb stick to move the camera around horizontally only. To look up and down requires pressing and holding the Triangle button.
Gex 2 and 3 are more like Super Mario 64 as the main hub between the levels is a 3D level. Gex 3 has more secrets to explore in its hub environment, and selecting a level is much like the original, walk in front of a working TV and step on the green button in front of it. Once the stage is selected, players must pick which remote they are going to go after. In some circumstances this sets up the stage a little differently, and in most cases it just shows a quick cutscene of where the remote is or how to unlock it.
The levels can range from horror movie like sets, to sci fi action style stages, and even cartoon levels. Each stage has a hidden remote as well as a remote for collecting enough of the game’s “coins”. Each stage in Gex 2 the coins are different, and they change as you collect enough. For example, the Toon Town level the “coins” start off as carrots and when 30 are collected, they change into tin cans, and when 40 are collected they turn into dynamite plungers.
The major difference between the latter two Gex games is collectables. In Gex 2 just the “coins” are collectable. In Gex 3, there are three different types of collectables, one gets you extra lives and remotes, the other two get you access to special areas of the main map.
Gex and its sequels are platformers from the 90s and you can really tell. For its time, the platforming was pretty good. Players were just starting to figure out how to navigate a 3d platformer as these games were coming out. While Gex wasn’t the best at it, there were games that were pretty bad — I’m looking at you Bubsy 3D. We did get one big quality of life improvement, hit both L2 and R2 at the same time and players can go back to any point in the level.
Keeping in mind the age of the games and Limited Run games try to bring the games to modern consoles as close to the original as possible. It would be nice to see at least one or two modern touches, like the ability to move the camera up and down with the right thumbstick by default. Also, the jumping can feel awkward at times and some of the one-liners have not aged very well.
The Gex Trilogy is a faithful adaptation of three fun games from a company with a storied history as Crystal Dynamics was involved in games like Legacy of Kain and Tomb Raider. It can take some getting used to, but Limited Run Games are dedicated to keeping the original experience as close as possible to the original. And although we did get a nice improvement with the ability to reverse time, there are still some improvements I would like to have seen in these games such as that full free roaming camera, but I do understand them wanting to keep to the original experience as much as possible.
Note: Limited Run Games provided us with a Gex Trilogy PlayStation code for review purposes.
