Gex Trilogy Review: 90s mascot platformer from The Last Of Us talent is back on your TV

Let's be honest, Gex is probably not the first mascot platformer from the 90s that pops into your head - but with this Gex Trilogy release on PS5, Xbox, Steam and Nintendo Switch, a whole new generation have the chance to try out a set of games widely regarded as a cult classic of the once-booming genre.

Having gone hands on with Gex Trilogy for PS5, I can confirm this retro collection is something of a rarity on console and something we need much more of. PC players have for decades been able to throw old games onto their machines and enjoy a slice of nostalgia, but for console many releases can be lost to the generations, stuck on an old machine.

But here, Limited Run Games' Gex Trilogy revives three of the best platfomers of their age and brings a host of quality of life improvements for the modern age.

The trilogy comprises Gex, the original 2D platformer from 1995 featuring a wall-climbing reptile who has to jump between TV-themed worlds. This is the only 2D platformer of the three, as sequels Gex: Enter The Gecko and Gex 3: Deep Cover Gecko switch to 3D platforming more in the style of Mario 64.

While I enjoyed the 2D original - it's tricky in places, with enough challenge to keep you on your toes but never unfair - I'm more a fan of the 3D games personally. Each one is stuffed with collectibles, as you'd expect, and some fun bosses all themed around television and media, with some very weird and wonderful bosses. It also looks pin-sharp running in 4K on my OLED TV and bursting with colour too, especially the 3D games.

These games were a breeding ground for future talent too: amazingly, Evan Wells and Bruce Straley worked on these titles - two men who would go on to work at Naughty Dog and make The Last Of Us.

All three share a sense of style that Mario couldn't match back then: a punchy, gag-stuffed script with pop culture parodies and a sense of humour few games offer now, let alone back then. The game boots up with a warning that the games have been kept intact without cuts to preserve them, but some may find elements offensive by today's standards, which I think is exactly how it should be done.

Modern improvements include a rewind function (just like Nintendo Classics and PlayStation Plus PS2 games), allowing you to instantly undo a fatal mistake, retake a badly timed jump or undo damage from an enemy, which is a big help in some of the more fiddly sections.

There's also a CRT filter, for those who want their 80" OLED to harken back to a SCART telly from 1995, and you can also save anywhere and swap between 4:3 or 16:9. Clicking the stick brings up all the modern QOL elements at any time within any of the three titles, and you can also use the analogue stick, you're not stuck with four-way d-pad directions.

One note - at the time of writing, the Nintendo Switch version currently does not play on a Switch 2 console, so the game is only for Nintendo Switch 1 owners on the Nintendo side.

In all, it's without doubt the best way to play these hidden gems of a bygone platformer era. While I imagine they'll be more popular as nostalgia for returning players than a big pull for new players, anyone who's got into classic era platformers owes this old gecko a go.

VERDICT: 4/5