When you're unable to create a cover on time and have to recycle the movie's poster.
The Mummy is a 2000 video game made by Konami and Rebellion, based on the film of the same name and, for some baffling reason, released a full year after the movie came out.
Unlike the movie, the game is set entirely in Hamunaptra, the City of the Dead, where players assume the role of Rick O'Connell who battles enemies ranging from rogue treasure hunters to scarabs to assorted mummies in order to prevent Imhotep's awakening.
The game was released for the PlayStation and Game Boy Color.
See also The Mummy Returns, based on the second film. Which was released at least the same year as the film it's based upon.
You have unleashed a creature... we've feared for more than 3,000 years!
- 1-Up: Collecting an Ankh grants Rick an extra life.
- Adapted Out: The American Expedition team who serves as Rick's rivals in the film - Dr. Allen Chamberlain, Burns, Henderson and Daniels - doesn't show up in the game. Same goes for crucial supporting characters like Gad Hassan and Winston Havelock. Imhotep and Beni does show up, but only in cutscenes and the latter becomes the mouse because his fate is unknown unlike his movie counterpart.
- Adaptation Distillation: The video game focuses entirely on the dungeon exploration aspect and the excavation of Hamunaptra, skimming over Rick's battles alongside the legionnaires, his first meeting with Evelyn and Jonathan, their trip to Hamunaptra, and left out Imhotep unleashing the plagues upon Egypt, their escape in Cairo, the biplane chase and most of everything else.
- Adaptational Villainy: In the earlier stages, Rick gets attacked by rival diggers and workers who hacks at him using their picks. In the movie the diggers are merely working for Rick's American rivals and are neutral bystanders.
- Adaptational Wimp:
- Scarabs in the film are The Dreaded, where a single one is lethal enough to kill a grown man instantly by burrowing itself through flesh and devouring the victims from the inside. In the game they're weak insects Rick easily kills unarmed.
- It is possible to kill a mummy (at least, the lowest-level priest variety) using Rick's fists. In the movie the mummies are borderline implacable and can only be dealt with using firearms or swords.
- Always Night: Every single level takes place after dark. Which is odd, since in the film all the trips and excavations Rick, Evelyn and Jonathan made in Hamunaptra takes place in daytime.
- Blatant Item Placement: You can find bullets, shotgun shells, and ammo drums for machine-guns in the middle of an ancient Egyptian tomb, for no reason other than of course.
- Booby Trap: Hamunaptra in the game is filled with these, from walls protruding with strikes to fire-despensers on the floors which can incinerate Rick. In comparison, it's movie counterpart has no such obstacles.
- Demoted to Extra: Ardeth Bay and Beni, both who appears in a scant handful of scenes and doesn't play as large a role as their film counterparts. The latter's onscreen death isn't even in the game!
- Drop-In Nemesis: The game loves pulling this off on you. All the time. So you're in an area free of enemies, collecting artifacts and ankhs. Nothing happens... until you triggered the last switch. At which point, suddenly two or three mummies bursts through the nearest wall and tries to eviscerate you.
- Gotta Catch Them All: Unlike in the movie where the Key of Hamunaptra is discovered in one piece, the game instead have it dismantled into various gold leaves - each and every leaf must be collected by Rick to clear a level.
- Guns Akimbo: Just like in the movie, Rick can use two handguns simultaneously. And yes, it allows him to target two enemies at once.
- Indy Escape: Shows up in one stage, except with the boulder replaced by a cluster of sentient fireballs that chases Rick down a corridor. And lava pits he needs to jump across. The chase ends when Rick dives behind a closing wall which blocks the fireballs pursuing him.
- Living Statue: One of the bosses is a massive, living statue of Anubis as large as the room it's in who can take quite some damage.
- Matchstick Weapon: One of Rick's earliest melee weapons is his torch, which can deal better damage if set alight. It's also necessary using said torch to illuminate certain runes and hieroglyphs to activate exits and doorways.
- Our Ghosts Are Different: Ancient Egyptian ghosts are another enemy in Hamunaptra, where they can only be defeated using a magic sceptre.
- Rivers of Blood: One level in the pyramid has an underground stream flowing with blood, another element absent in the film.
- Secret Level: There's an unlockable, optional stage, "Cairo", achievable by completing the game and collecting all available bonuses (or simply inserting a cheat code). It's based on the movie's shootout on the boat where Rick fends off armed Medjai throughout.
- Shield-Bearing Mook: Shielded mummies from the film makes an appearance in video game form as well, as enemies with slightly higher refences and doesn't get stunned as easily after getting shot.
- Stock Footage: Clips from the film are used for cutscenes in the opening FMV, as well as between levels.
- Tornado Move: The Final Boss battle has Imhotep turning himself into a living tornado, where he attacks by spinning himself all over the place to assault Rick.
