Gex Trilogy (PS5) Review: Throwback Platformers Find New Life

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5 days ago

While some are more cynical about it, I've been loving the sea of remasters, ports, and remakes of classic games that are now playable on current systems. The latest retro collection is Limited Run Games' Gex Trilogy, which brings Dana Gould's media-obsessed gecko to modern systems. With quite a few quality-of-life upgrades and plenty of special features, this is more than a simple port and gives Crystal Dynamics' forgotten mascot the respect he deserves.
While it's possible to get the full nostalgia effect and play the original games with purely digital controls and in a 4:3 aspect ratio, there are also a lot of additions. The most exciting is the ability to play the Gex 2 and 3, which are both 3D platformers, in native widescreen. Rather than just stretching the screen to achieve this effect, you can see more of the world at once in the widescreen version. This makes it the ideal way to play these platformers as they look sharp and give you a wider view than previously available. There are also several other quality-of-life upgrades, such as the ability to rewind gameplay, make saves at any point, and play with a CRT television filter.
The original Gex is what I'm most nostalgic for, and I had a great time going through the game again. The 2D platformer is still quite fun, as you've really got to explore the levels in order to find TV remotes to unlock other stages, as simply going from left to right won't keep the game going. The game was a visual feat back in 1995, and while the sequels are clearly inspired by Super Mario 64 being a phenomenon, it's hard not to wonder what the games would've been like if it had doubled down on 2D and evolved that way.
The 3D sequels, Gex: Enter the Gecko and Gex 3: Deep Cover Gecko, retain the good sense of humor and feature former The Simpsons writer Rob Cohen doubling down on gags. The pop culture references and parodies help the game feel like a real time capsule, although the gameplay hasn't aged incredibly well. Gex 2 and 3 weren't Super Mario 64 upon release, and they certainly aren't as fun to go back to 25 years later. However, there is a charm to platformers of the era, and these collectathons are faithfully put together in the Gex Trilogy. There's value beyond nostalgia here, even if these aren't platforming classics (although it's fun to see some of the huge names that worked on these titles, such as Glen Schofield, Evan Wells, and Bruce Straley).
I do want to give a special shoutout to the game's nice collection of bonus features. There's a great interview with Dana Gould, prototype footage of the never-released Gex Jr. game, plus ads, manuals, and art for all three titles. This extra effort, along with a complete music player for all three titles, really helps make Gex Trilogy feel like a celebration of the series. We love to see it.
The Gex Trilogy lives up to its name and brings all three Gex games to modern consoles. With solid quality-of-life updates and a nice array of bonus features, there's a lot here for fans to sink their teeth into. While the 3D sequels haven't aged like wine, they're still interesting to revisit, and the original side-scroller is still quite a lot of fun.
The original Gex is still quite fun
Nice quality-of-life upgrades
Good array of bonus eatures
The 3D sequels aren't quite as beloved
8
Disclosure: The publisher provided a digital copy for our Gex Trilogy PS5 review. Reviewed on version 1.000.000.
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