Montezuma’s Revenge – The 40th Anniversary Edition review for PlayStation, Xbox, Switch, PC

Montezuma’s Revenge is a classic adventure/platformer from the 1980s that was one of those games that definitely has its fans, but most people remember it as a difficult mess. I was always on the fence about the original, giving it a try here and there but I never managed to see past the first few screens before giving up. It’s a very difficult adventure game where everything, including a short distance fall, can end you. The remake won’t make you a fan, but it might grab a new generation of players with its challenge.

You play as Pedro, an adventurer in search of treasure. You have to make your way through a very unforgiving temple, filled with traps, monsters and other dangers. One slip-up and it’s over. Fortunately, unlike the original game, you have unlimited lives and the ability to save your progress, so the challenge can be overcome a bit easier than before. You can defend yourself with knives scattered about the temple, but they are only good for one use, plus the knife has to be in your main inventory slot (the first item you carry) to be effective. You can carry many knives, but if you pick up something else, like a key, that moves the knife back a space, so running into an enemy will kill you.

Let’s not overlook the platforming you have to do to progress. The jumps must be precise, or you will fall to your death. Even a small fall from a short distance will kill you, so you must calculate where Pedro can jump to and also where he can land to survive. While doing this you must also be aware of traps and invisible walls that can pop up and stop you. The platforming is where most players of the original would give up trying to progress, but again with the addition of saves and no lives to worry about, it’s much easier than before.

The graphical upgrade is very nice, with some good spooky music and a voice over that openly mocks you as you fail again, and again … and again. It can get a little repetitive, but you can tune it out while you are calculating your movements. Some of the character animations are good, while others look a little rushed. Sometimes, foreground objects can blend in with the background so you may jump over something to try to avoid an object that will not harm you, only to hit something that will. The wall torches in the background did this to me a few times as I was trying to avoid them and didn’t have to. The overall presentation is a bit too zoomed out, leading to some unnecessary frustration, and things could be a bit more colorful in some areas as well. It looks decent enough, but ultimately, this is the original game with a shiny coat of paint and options to ease the over-the-top difficulty.

While it is easier than the original, Montezuma’s Revenge – The 40th Anniversary Edition is, at its core, an unforgiving, difficult game with little payoff other than bragging rights. This game is perfect for streamers looking for a frustrating game to entertain their audience with, or someone who actually enjoyed the original game and wants to experience it again. New players may find the challenge too difficult and give up very early on, while others may stick with it for a short while.

Personally, I can only recommend Montezuma’s Revenge – The 40th Anniversary Edition if you are familiar with the original game and already know what you are getting into or are looking for a challenge that, many people have tried and failed to beat. It’s definitely not for everyone, so if there is interest, proceed with caution.

Note: eastasiasoft provided us with a code for review purposes.