GEX Trilogy

My first instinct when booting GEX Trilogy was curiosity: here is a franchise that most people know as an internet meme rather than an actual game series, showing up in 2025 with all three entries packed together under one launcher. That curiosity survived the opening hours, though it got tested more than once by the time I cleared Gex 3: Deep Cover Gecko. The package collects all three Crystal Dynamics entries - the 1995 2D side-scrolling original, the 1998 3D collectathon Gex: Enter the Gecko, and the 1999 follow-up Deep Cover Gecko. Limited Run built the whole thing on their Carbon Engine, which the company is transparent about: this is high-quality emulation, not a remake. What you get on top of authentic PS1 code is widescreen support for the two 3D titles (native 16:9, not a stretch job), rebuilt 360-degree analog controls replacing the original 8-way digital input, a rewind function, mid-level saves, optional CRT filters, and a generous extras menu stuffed with original TV commercials, concept art, original manuals, and a new interview with voice actor Dana Gould. That bonus material is a genuine highlight and shows real care for the source material. The games themselves are, frankly, uneven. The original 1995 Gex is the hardest sell: floaty controls, confusing level layouts, a massive sprite that eats visual information, and a difficulty curve that makes the rewind button feel less optional and more essential. The jump to 3D in Enter the Gecko is more interesting - you are collecting TV remotes to unlock TV-themed worlds covering horror, kung fu cinema, Looney Tunes parody, and more, with Gex tail-whipping, tail-bouncing, and tongue-swiping his way through each one. The camera in both 3D titles is the single biggest frustration carried over from the originals; three camera mode options exist and none of them are great. Deep Cover Gecko is the strongest of the three, adding vehicle sections (tanks, snowboards, camels), fire and ice spitting to Gex's moveset, and a slightly sharper sense of direction. It is still a clumsy 3D platformer by modern standards, but it at least feels like the developers knew what they were building. Gex as a character is the wildcard. Voiced by comedian Dana Gould, the gecko never shuts up, firing pop culture quips constantly - references that land with anyone who lived through 90s television and fall completely flat for everyone else. Community reception on Steam sits at roughly 71% positive overall, which feels about right. Nostalgia players tend to love it; first-timers are more divided. The Carbon Engine itself runs cleanly on PC with minimal bugs, though some players have flagged audio glitches specifically in Gex 3. The omission of the Game Boy titles and the N64 versions of the 3D games (which had exclusive content) drew real criticism from preservation-focused buyers expecting a more complete package. Who is this for? Anyone who had a PS1 in the late 90s and remembers Gex fondly will get solid value from the two 3D entries alone, plus a genuinely well-curated extras section. Retro platformer fans who can tolerate period-correct jank and a protagonist with the subtlety of a late-night infomercial will find something worth their time in the sequels. First-timers with no attachment to the era, or anyone whose platformer benchmark is Crash Bandicoot N. Sane Trilogy or Spyro Reignited, should go in with measured expectations. This is preservation work, not a reinvention.

Alex · Scout Team

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