To see The Mummy “demastered,” view the 1933 Universal series. Better still, watch those films only. The film Mummy Demastered is based on, the summer ’17 Tom Cruise vehicle, is a debacle. WayForward’s brisk de-generational take is better.

Mummy Demastered does not star Tom Cruise. It doesn’t have co-star Russel Crowe either, just a kinda/sorta facsimile, enough to avoid likeness licensing. Instead, the star here is a faceless PMC gunmen, fully masked and covered in body armor. Had WayForward lifted this sprite from a late ’90s run-and-gun, few would notice. That works though, playing into the crass, expendable ideology of a corporate monster hunting company Prodigium. What matters is stopping a rogue mummy, the same from the movie, and this may or may not take place during said movie. That doesn’t seem to matter to Mummy Demastered anyway.

Instead, it’s the exploring, the gunplay, the running, and the item catching. That’s all fine, if bland. WayForward adds their touch with a synth score and delightful pixel art, but it’s also missing any real identity. That’s more on the license than WayForward, but this isn’t a project challenging the studio. Axiom Verge’s disquiet, Metroid’s exotic allure, and even WayForward’s spunky Shantae break their molds in various ways; Mummy Demastered splurges on its nostalgia, then it’s over. Harmless, ineffectual, but with enough to get by.

3/5