Look, I have to admit something to you guys. I’m a pretty big fan of Jim Carrey. Growing up, I would watch all of his movies and, as previous partners have pointed out, it’s influenced a lot of my mannerisms. It’s horrible. A death in the family? Watch my face elongate, note my cocked eyebrow, and groan as I let out a “Oh, really?” I feel like I was exposed to something deadly very early on in my life, and years later, I’m entitled to financial compensation. Not just him, though. I was a big fan of all those loud, obnoxious comedy guys back in the day. Adam Sandler, Eddie Murphy, Mike Myers, whatever you guys got, serve it up. So when you put a wisecracking animal mascot platformer in front of five-year-old me, you know that you’ve got that kid’s attention. And he’s referencing the movies that I’ve been watching all day long? Say no more, I’m putty in your hands. So let’s hop into Gex and see what all the fuss was about this way-too-cool lizard. It’s tail time.
Gex: Enter the Gecko was released in 1998 for the PS1, the N64, and the PC. It was a sequel to the original Gex, which is an alright platformer, but really could have used a few more checkpoints in its levels. For those of you not in the know, this game came out two years after Super Mario 64 changed the entire gaming landscape. Suddenly, 2D platformers were out, and everything needed to be in the third dimension. This transition was pretty rough; It took a good while until people really got the hang of moving around in 3D. For every Pac-Man World, you got an Earthworm Jim 3D. But in early 1997, developer Crystal Dynamics announced they were throwing their hat in the ring with their lizard mascot. And, I mean, they did well enough that they released a third game a few years later. So how was Gex’s entry into the hottest, newest dimension?
Pardon my Tongue, Darling
Gex: Enter the Gecko starts off with our favorite wise-cracking lizard just lounging on the couch, watching T.V. Taking place two years after the first game, Gex is just chilling out, enjoying being a hero who saved the world from the big bad of the first game, Rez. Just then, Rez’s image appears on screen and the FBI comes barging in, begging Gex’s help. Why the FBI needs this otherwise-unremarkable gecko to do their dirty work for them, I am unsure. They must not know enough M*A*S*H trivia, and are thus wholly useless. So Gex agrees and heads off into the TV dimension to enter a bunch of different worlds, collect a bunch of maguffins, and then have a showdown with Rez himself. The only story you get is in the opening cutscene and I think that’s perfectly serviceable for a game like this. Believe me, you don’t need more opportunities for Gex to talk. The story is the barest of bones and just gives enough to get you through the door. The main appeal of this series is to platform in a bunch of legally distinct TV knockoffs, and that’s all you need. Do you really want to know the state of a world that needs to grovel at the feet of a couch potato lizard every time shit hits the fan?
If there’s one thing that Gex is known for, it’s his mouth. Dude simply does not shut up. Crystal Dynamics had a few Simpsons writers on the team and, I swear to god, they must have been getting paid by the word. Voiced by one of said Simpsons writers, and an accomplished stand-up comedian besides, Dana Gould brings Gex to life, at least in the North American version. He’s so lively that sometimes you just want to kill him. Almost every action and scenario in the game prompts Gex to expel “funny” “jokes” to your earholes. Movie quotes, TV quotes, this game is stuffed with pop culture tidbits of the 20th century. I don’t know if this game is even worth playing unless you were born before the towers fell. He references dog commercials at some point; that’s the level that we’re working with here. Ultimately, this is probably the biggest hurdle for a lot of people. Gex talks a lot, a lot of it is obnoxious, and a lot of it is just referencing old movies. But if you refer back to my opening paragraph, I am unfortunately susceptible to this brand of comedy. I wish I weren’t this way, but I regret to inform you all that my cynicism allows a blind spot for chatty lizards. And though I don’t judge anyone who can’t stand him, I do think you’re a weaker person than me and probably don’t get any bitches. But there’s more to this game than just listening to the dulcet tones of that obnoxious guy guarding the punch bowl at the party. This is a jumping game. How’s the jumping?
The Year Of The Gecko
Being an early-era 3D platformer, a lot of what’s here in Gex is somewhat simple. You pretty much just jump around and thwack things with a tail whip. Being a gecko, Gex also can stick to certain walls, crawling around and exploring new areas. The main things you’re going for in this game are remote controls. Every level has three main remote controls to collect, one secret one, then one more for collecting enough maguffins. Once you collect enough remotes, you unlock a new handful of levels. There are also a few boss battles that really don’t have much meat to them aside from the absolute final one. Like I said, this is a pretty simple game. However, I don’t think that’s a bad thing. Formulaic? Sure. Boring? Not if you get in the right headspace. I can absolutely go for a decent-to-good platformer that stays in its lane and fills that niche well. My main gripe comes from the controls. They’re not the worst I’ve ever come across, but this is not a free-roaming gecko. You have 8-directional movement, so Gex can only angle his movement in 45° intervals. This might be on me since I’m used to being spoiled by games that, you know, go in the direction that you point, but it just feels that little bit off. For the most part, levels accommodate the clunky controls, but it can especially be frustrating in tight platforming segments or when the camera isn’t cooperating. Overall, Gex is still fun to hop around in, you just need to meet it on its terms. You’re not getting exactly what you want all of the time, but it’s close enough that it isn’t a huge issue.
A lot of the novelty of the game comes from its different environments. Gex separates itself from the crowd with its personality, and that extends to the levels. Not all levels are created equal, so I’m just going to list them out like this:
Toon TV
This is probably the level theme that people think of whenever Gex is on the brain. A sendup of Looney Tunes, these stages are usually pretty breezy with lots of personality and more open level design. You’ll come across falling anvils and legally distinct Elmer Fudds. Most of these stages are just low-stakes jaunts where you have plenty of time to experiment with the controls. A perfect beginner level with only mildly annoying platforming sections.
Scream TV
Acting as a total counterpoint to the Toon TV levels, this is all about horror. Not really referencing any one franchise in particular, you’ll be running across zombies, ghosts, kids with knives, all those things that minimum wage retail workers deal with on a day-to-day basis. These levels aren’t too bad. Contrasting with Toon TV, these levels are pretty linear, so expect a whole bunch of rooms connected by hallways. Some of the secret remotes are hidden in pretty creative ways though, so these are fun, concentrated doses of Gex.
Circuit Central
Platforming in its purest form. It’s all computery and Tron-y; expect a lot of colored blocks to jump on and moving platforms. Some of the most fun sections of the game are in these levels, but the theme is just pretty bland, unfortunately. I also find that a lot of the Gex quotes for this level don’t actually make any sense. I have no idea how the inside of a computer is “like an all-nighter at Richard Simmons’ house.” But to be fair, you do need a high level of IQ to understand Gex’s humour.
Kung-Fu Theater
More combat-centered. Gex will occasionally do his Asian accent. These levels suck.
Rocket Channel
Fuck these levels. There’s an air mechanic, where you need to rush to the nearest oxygen station in a certain amount of time or else you die. Also, it’s in space, so the entire stage is a bottomless pit if you miss an input. The theme is great though, you’ll love the wallpaper while you die over and over to the world’s most baby jump of all time. Immensely frustrating levels, but overall, pretty cool.
Pre-History Channel
The best levels in the game by far. The gimmicks for these levels are pretty inventive. You’ll be racing to hop off platforms before they careen off lava waterfalls, then you’ll climb webbing on the inside of a volcano, dodging drips of magma. It feels like every remote requires you to play differently. It’s nothing too crazy, just very solid platforming. I dunno what it is, dinosaurs are just the secret to making things better.
Rezopolis
Just one level (not counting the bonus unlockable ones) but a good final level. Tests a lot of the skills you cultivated over the course of the game. The disco sections are a pretty big tonal whiplash though. And statistically, most of you didn’t finish this game, so you’ll never know if I’m lying about that or not.
Overall, most of the levels in Gex are fun. And as long as the controls are cooperating, you have a pretty solid time on your hands. It’s not always a guarantee, and you will run into jank from time to time, but I’d give the gameplay here a thumbs-up.
Move Like A Butterfly, Sting Like A Gecko
Believe it or not, behind Gex’s incessant quips, there’s music! And it’s! Uh! A mixed bag! Which only makes sense, as this thing has a whopping six composers attached to it, with very little information available online on who’s responsible for what. I’m not gonna lie, I don’t actually like a lot of the soundtrack here, but I think it works anyway. The Bond-esque theme that plays in the hub area is a certifiable bop, but I feel like a lot of the other tracks in this game lean into more ambience. In isolation, the theme for Toon TV is just a collection of wacky sound effects and horns, but in game, it feels like part of the level itself. The soundscape can also transition dynamically, usually when entering a new part of the level. It’s a strangely nuanced soundtrack for such an in-your-face game. But don’t get me wrong, there are some legitimate stinkers in here. Kung-Fu Theatre, aside from being the worst level to play, is also the worst level to listen to. A lot of the tracks kind of meander around the melody line, and some just keep crescendoing to no satisfying end goal. If you’ve ever run a stick across the entirety of a xylophone, then congrats, you could be the seventh composer for Enter the Gecko. But for the most part, this soundtrack just does its job and stays out of the way. And when it comes to my 90s platformers, I dunno, I’m expecting a little more sauce than the bare minimum.
As far as graphics go, this is a pretty nostalgic look for me, so it’s gonna be tough to be unbiased. Early 3D games had to do a lot with a little and oftentimes didn’t care much about the practicality of its environments. How is this platform floating 20 feet above the ground? Who cares, jump on it. No one thought about things like that back then. Everyone was too busy worrying about their estranged football star husband killing them or getting caught giving the president head. Gex is a fun time though, it’s pretty expressive and cartooney. Frankly, I like the chunky look of older 3D games. Just a few shapes here and there, lots of color, that’s really all you need. I unironically love the fact that Gex’s feet are just made up of four lopsided rectangles to represent his toes. Environments were given lots of love here, with plenty of throwaway gags for each level theme. You could tell the people making this game had a bit of fun with it. The team at Crystal Dynamics did need to innovate a little bit when it came to Gex himself. In order to keep up with the vast amount of dialogue Gex spits at you, the actual construction of his character model was done in such a way that they were able to lip sync things easier. The team knew that the core of the Enter The Gecko experience was references to The Shining, and the rest of the technology was simply wallpaper to get that message out to the people. But yeah, Gex looks good. It makes me happy to look at.
Do You Think Gex Ever Drank SoBe?
Gex: Enter the Gecko is such a weird time capsule. The Gex games came out in an environment where media was slower. Everyone watched the same movies, watched the same TV shows, and listened to the same radio stations. Content was much more focused and everyone had a similar experience. And that’s just not where we’re at anymore. I remember the very last album that Weird Al, the acclaimed parody songwriter, came out with. Don’t get me wrong, it was a great album, but I did have a pang of embarrassment as I realized the songs he was parodying were already so far out of the social consciousness. Even songs that had only come out a few years earlier felt so quaint. Weird Al stated that he stopped making traditional albums because “a lot of [his] humor is topical.” And in a world where media zips by us as quickly as you can scroll on TikTok, I don’t think there’s a place for the Weird Al’s anymore. I don’t think there’s a place for the Gex’s either. Love him or hate him, the charm of Gex comes from being able to make Austin Powers references. I don’t think hearing this gecko quote The Bear at me in the middle of a jump would fill me with the same whimsy. But for those of you who want to go back to this eternal time capsule, I’d say it’s worth it. Gex might have aged worse than a lot of its contemporaries in a lot of different ways, but there is truly no other game that hit its very specific niche. It’s a fun game that’s occasionally broken up by very frustrating quirks, but if its tone hits you right, it’s almost too easy to forgive its shortcomings.
If you want to see what it’s like to drink the tap water at Jerry Garcia’s, you can grab Gex for practically every modern console thanks to the recent trilogy re-release. It includes all the Gex games and they even improved the controls that I complained about up there! From my research, it’s probably the best way to play any of these games nowadays.