And that’s exactly what you’ll be doing 95% of the time in
Gauntlet Legends. The game is basically a remake of the original
Gauntlet, in luxurious 3D and with complexity not possible on the 8-bit systems of the time that the first game reigned in the arcade. Indeed, the Dreamcast version of
Gauntlet Legends is as close to the arcade experience as you can get at home, a much tighter adaptation than the PSX and N64 versions. (Not to mention much nicer looking.) You start the game by picking a character class and color. From the magic-wielding Wizard and Sorceress to the speedy Archer and Jester, each character has its pluses and minuses, and experimentation is in order to find just who suits your playing style the best. I’m a fan of the Valkyrie, mainly because of her alter-ego’s bad-ass sword. But everyone has their own tastes. Once you pick your character, you’re thrown into the Tower, where you can learn about your quest (find obelisks, runes, and defeat the bosses), and finally enter the world of
Gauntlet Legends.
The game itself plays very much like its predecessor. Droves of enemies pour out of monster generators, and you’ve got to destroy them before the waves of oncoming enemies overtake you. You have a turbo meter, which charges as you play, and you can let loose three different levels of attacks by pressing Turbo and Attack at the same time. You can also pick up Magic potions, which basically slaughter anything in a radius around you. The speed, weapon strength, armor, and effectiveness of magic of your character are determined by their statistics, which have certain starting values. In a first for the Gauntlet series, as you slaughter enemies, you gain experience. Enough experience nets you a level, which raises all of your stats. At the end of each level, you’re taken to a store, where you can buy keys, power-ups, or stat boosters. Since you can save your character, you can come back and tear the enemies apart with your 99th level Valkyrie.
You may be wondering if the game will keep you entertained long enough to do that. The answer is, absolutely yes. There are enough levels and secrets in this game to keep you occupied for ages, and if you’re a completist, you’ll want to try it out with all eight classes. The four original classes have alter-egos, as well, which are basically souped-up versions of themselves.
But Gauntlet wouldn’t be Gauntlet without multiplayer, and this is where Legends really shines. Four people can team up and take on the world, each having a unique character with their own stats. This is the way the game is meant to be played, and it is just as addictive and fun as the original. You’ll find yourself breaking it out every time your friends are over, just to waste a few hours slaughtering baddies and beating up bosses.
If there’s anything wrong with the game, it’s that, despite all the graphical flair and gameplay goodness, it really is still just the same old game. This isn’t so much a fault as a necessary limitation, however.
