Sydney Hunter and the Curse of the Mayan (Switch) Review

A genre that has fascinated me for many years is what I categorize as Retro-Inspired games. They almost always bring me joy and there are often subtle mechanics or design elements that elevate what was found in the original inspirations. Sydney Hunter and the Curse of the Mayan is an example of this, pulling energy from games like Montezuma’s Revenge, Super Mario Bros. 2 and Castlevania on the NES, and more. What results is this obvious love letter to retro design but there are some components that feel like could use a second pass. Being that Curse of the Mayan is one of the newest chapters (and the only title on modern console and PC platforms) in the Sydney Hunter series of homebrew games, I can safely assume that whatever comes next from CollectorVision could be absolutely stellar.

Starting out in Curse of the Mayan can be tough for most players familiar with this style of design. At first, it seems like a simple screen-by-screen platformer in line with the Mega Man series but I actually found it to be closer to the original Castlevania. In Castlevania, challenges are minute and deliberate where the player must consider every move before executing. Whip attacks are delayed, jumps are deliberate, and almost every enemy can take out a sizable amount of health in Castlevania. Sydney Hunter and the Curse of the Mayan is similar to this with a bit more air control on Sydney’s drop. Once I learned that this is a game where a screen needs to be carefully studied before attempting, I steadily started to see success but even that mindset didn’t save me from the constant barrage of challenges. 

Almost every level of Curse of the Mayan resulted in about 30 deaths, constant trial and error, to the point that I could only stomach a couple of levels at a time. Finally beating that challenge does bring a huge amount of catharsis but I eventually broke when facing a later game boss. Players have to know exactly what’s available to them and execute moves mostly perfectly. Boss fights can be especially grueling but with enough exploration, it can be mitigated through health potions. That said, not being prepared is a nightmare and I typically would find a save point, grab a crystal skull, and backtrack back to the save to ensure I didn’t lose the item. 

While Curse of the Mayan is based on clearing courses, there is a collect-a-thon component in the crystal skulls. These skulls are essentially the same as the stars in Super Mario 64; they unlock new levels and more are needed for later stages. Each stage has a number of skulls to snag but they are lost on death without saving. This means one can get 3-4 hard to get to skulls only to have to try again on a slipup, hence my method of sticking to a save point. While skulls are the main target for the plucky adventurer, not every skull is needed to face the endgame. Sydney also gathers lots of treasure in the Mayan temple which can be used to buy upgrades, healing items, and other tools. Progression does have a bit of a Metroidvania component which does invite going back to previously cleared stages to find secrets and skulls. Aside from the challenge, Curse of the Mayan is an enjoyable retro romp that most fans of tough platformers will appreciate. 

Every screen should be carefully considered.

Holding the gameplay together is a world grounded in Mayan culture. The developers at CollectorVision used a ton of architecture to model their tiles and of course, the game’s bosses are designed from the pantheon of gods. These bosses often look a bit like Mega Man robot masters but sometimes they can be larger creatures or guardians. The flying serpent Kukulkhan is the boss where I finally put the controller down, despite my intense stubbornness to not let Curse of the Mayan beat me. I also struggled with a boss that was just a boulder rolling back and forth, initially a fun homage to Indiana Jones which Sydney is obviously inspired by, but ultimately an annoying dance that can take a long time to finish. 

One of the main criticisms I have about Curse of the Mayan is the design of the various enemies. These are usually bats, rats, skeletons, Mayan warriors, or killer fish which all fit the theme but the problem is that they are often small and blend into the background. There were plenty of times I would be traversing a stage, only to step on a green enemy masked by the grass of the stage. Health is pretty tough to come by too so this created a lot of frustration. I also noticed that transitioning into a new room via a ladder should always be done with caution. In these sorts of games, I almost always grab the ladder and drop down which is a common movement for Mega Man speedruns. Doing this in Curse of the Mayan almost always results in dropping into fire-spewing tiles, which also blend into the environment. All in all, it takes a lot of learning to get used to what results in pain for Sydney and I wish there was better color contrast to see these obstacles more clearly. Even a different sprite outline could do this. 

Enemies like this snake can often be hard to see when focusing on the platforming.

Aside from that, visuals definitely hearken back to the games that inspired it and it is mostly appealing. Better use of contrasting colors could’ve made it stand out more but I enjoy the way Sydney is animated and his design is something that can be carried through many games and projects. Sydney Hunter does have several adventures on older systems, so those with interest in playing well-crafted homebrew titles should give the CollectorVision website a look. 

Music is crunchy and has that Commodore 64 feel to it. Some of the themes didn’t grab me but a couple did stick. Of course, with my adventure coming to a halt, these tracks just infuse me with anxiety but mileage will vary from player to player. 

This is also a game that would be really impressive to see as a speedrun, especially for the runners that enjoy fairly restrictive movement and cycle timing. 

Boss fights often mimic the robot masters found in classic Mega Man titles.

Boss fights often mimic the robot masters found in classic Mega Man titles.

In conclusion, Sydney Hunter and the Curse of the Mayan has some areas that could use more consideration and improvement but it is a challenge worth attempting. The Mayan themes are interesting and the ways the levels are laid out are fun to work through. It’s a great game to have on the Switch for playing a level or two in between other tasks but it’s not one I see myself completing any time soon. Those who enjoy retro design should at least give it a try. 

SCORES

GAMEPLAY - 6/10

VISUALS - 6/10

SOUND - 7/10

CONTROLS - 7/10

REPLAY VALUE - 5/10

OVERALL - 6.2/10

Sydney Hunter and the Curse of the Mayan is available on Nintendo Switch and Steam. There are plans to bring the game to other consoles and there will likely be a physical release given CollectorVision’s history. 

A digital Switch copy of the game was purchased by the reviewer. 

To learn more about Sydney Hunter and the Curse of the Mayan, check out our podcast interview with John “Gamester81” Lester who talks about his long relationship with the retro community through YouTube, conventions, retro games, and hardware design.