From incompetent buffoon to the undead savior of Gallowmere, MediEvil tells the tale of Sir Daniel Wigginbottom Fortesque The Fourth, or Dan, for short. The original release, which mixes the adventuring and puzzling seen in the Legend of Zelda titles with a Tim Burton-esque art style, became a cult classic among PlayStation fans. It still pops up now and then, with cameo appearances in Sony-exclusive titles and a remake of the game that released in 2019.
The comedic adventure is filled with interesting secrets, not to mention beautiful world-building that a PlayStation game sadly could not explore as much back then. Hopefully, the series will rise from its grave like its protagonist and allow fans to fully explore all there is to see. In the meantime, here's some curious trivia about the series.
8 MediEvil 3 Was Considered, Then Turned Into A Comic Book
The series comprises two games, both released on the PlayStation, and two remakes of the original (the 2005 MediEvil Resurrection on PSP and 2019's MediEvil for the PS4). However, there was talk of making a third game, titled MediEvil 3. In it, it seems, Sir Dan would travel back in time to events prior to the first game, and he would have to save the kingdom of Gallowmere yet again (before he didn't and then did, because time travel is confusing).
Although this sequel never came to be, a comic titled MediEvil: Fate's Arrow was released digitally along with the 2019 remake. It was created by the same duo behind the games, written by Chris Sorrell (producer of the original game) and drawn by lead artist Jason Wilson.
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7 Sir Dan's Voice-Actor Recorded Lines With A Bucket On His Head
Sir Dan's voice actor is the aforementioned Jason Wilson, who was also lead designer of the original game, as well as one of the writers responsible for the first script. He voiced the character in almost all of his incarnations, the best-known voice of the skeletal warrior (some high-profile titles have been known to switch voice actors).
What makes his voice acting curious is how Sir Dan's iconic voice is performed. To do such a voice, there are two very important steps; First, he delivers every line while gritting his teeth. Second, and perhaps more importantly, he records the lines with a bucket over his head. Thus, Dan's beautiful and jawless voice comes to life.
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6 Zarok Became A Necromancer After Losing His Dog
In the first game, Sir Dan needs to save the kingdom of Gallowmere from a necromancer named Zarok. This villain tried to take the kingdom once and was defeated. In MediEvil, he raises an army of undead warriors (along with Sir Dan, by chance) to attempt his take-over once more. What is interesting about Zarok is that he was once a poor child from the kingdom, and had a dog named Mr Snuffy.
During the King's Coronation, the Fate's Arrow comic book reveals, the dog approached the King's carriage (while chasing a cat) and the King's guard killed the dog, fearing it would attack the monarch. That was the moment Zarok's hatred for the King began, as well as why he became devoted to necromancy. What a tragic villainous backstory.
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5 A Finnish Metal Band Made A Song Based On MediEvil
Synergy was a metal band from Finland, created in 1997 and remained active until 2004 when they sadly disbanded. What does this have to do with MediEvil, you ask? Well, the band's second album, To Hell and Back, features a song called Gallowmere (you can listen via YouTube), a sort of ode to MediEvil.
The lyrics are in first-person, as if sung by Zarok. "He" sings about taking back the kingdom and exacting his revenge on Sir Dan. The most intriguing part is that this song seems to be purely a passion project from the band. They were not hired to do it, or promote the game in any way, shape, or form.
4 The Full Original MediEvil Is An Unlockable Extra In The PS4 Remake
One major addition to the PS4 remake is an extra endgame mission. Once you reach the level The Entrance Hall, you can free many Lost Souls. They will be spread across the game's stages and give you extra challenges. These missions can vary a lot from soul to soul and, at first, there's no real reason to do them (unless you want a couple of nice PlayStation trophies for your profile (MediEvil isn't the easiest game to collect them in, though).
However, trophies aren't your only reward. If you find all these tricky souls and lay them to rest, you get a very special bonus: The full original MediEvil game becomes available on the main menu. While many may not feel the need to jump back into this release after completing the remake (like many PS1 titles, its visuals haven't held up very well at all) it's a great little extra for long-time fans.
3 There Was Almost A MediEvil TV Show Or Movie
According to Jason Wilson, there were once talks to expand the MediEvil series into other forms of media. In an email exchange between Jason and a fan from DeviantArt's The-Dan-Fanclub, Wilson was asked whether Sir Dan would appear again in the future. He replied, "over the years there has been talk of a movie or an animated TV show (I think originally a French company was interested – Medievil [sic] was a big hit in France)."
Considering that this exchange took place in 2006, it's pretty safe to say that the project was tossed aside. A true shame. The silver lining is that Wilson also stated that he'd love to see a MediEvil comic book become a reality, and the one-off Fate's Arrow did indeed materialize later.
2 There Were Plans To Make Morten The Earthworm A Playable Character
If you have played the original or remake and don't know who this is, it isn't your fault. Morten the Earthworm is, well, an earthworm that lives inside Dan's skull. It only makes brief appearances in the series during cutscenes, and nothing more. It was even cut from 2005's MediEvil Resurrection.
However, the original idea for the character was to have Morten as a true sidekick. There would even have been gameplay segments in the original where Morten would be playable, doing things such as retrieving a key in an area Sir Dan couldn't reach. Sadly, these sections were cut from both the original and the remakes. You can find lore about the worm as you play the 2019 version, though.
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1 Canny Tim Is Actually A Woman Named Timberly
Another of Dan's allies, Canny Tim is a hero you can interact with within the Hall Of Heroes, who gives you a crossbow to assist you in battle. They're also the only one in the Hall that personally knew Dan when he was alive, as they both fought against Zarok's forces.
After all, Canny Tim defeated Lord Kardok, Zarok's champion. What most people don't know is their intriguing backstory. The Fate's Arrow comic reveals that Canny Tim's full name is Timberly (her mother lost her jaw when she was born and couldn't pronounce the 'K' sound in Kimberly), and that she pretended to be a man named Timothy to join the army. Chris Sorrell explained that this allowed him to add much-needed depth and diversity to some of the smaller characters of the series.
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