Developer: Midway Publisher: Midway Release: 06/06/00 Genre: Action
Gauntlet Legends might be one of my favorite arcade games of all time. At a time when the arcade market was flooded with fighting games, racing games, and light gun shooters Gauntlet Legends was a breath of fresh air. It brilliantly brought the classic arcade gameplay in to the modern age with sensible gameplay additions to create an addicting title that many spent a fortune plumbing its depths. Of the few home ports at the time the N64 game was the most popular. But for those wanting a 100% faithful port the Dreamcast version is your best bet and is excellent.
In ages past, a corrupt mage named Garm used a set of Runestones to summon a demon named Skorne. However, Skorne crushed Garm and imprisoned his soul in the Underworld. Skorne, fearing the Runestones power, scattered them throughout the four realms so that they could never be used against him. Now the wizard Sumner has summoned four adventurers to find the Runestones in order to pursue Skorne and defeat him.
At the time there were three ports of Gauntlet Legends. The Nintendo 64 version came first and used the expansion pak to support four players and high resolution graphics. With its native four controller ports this was ideal and the version I spent the most time with. However there were significant changes to the level design to accommodate the weaker hardware. It also has a more RPG feel with its inventory system as well as Sumner’s shop. The PlayStation edition was next and frankly the less said about that one the better. For the Dreamcast Midway not only created a near perfect port but also include the extra characters from Dark Legacy. This does not break the game however but instead gives you more options to enjoy the great gameplay.
All four of the primary characters from the original Gauntlet return and are largely the same. The Warrior has the highest attack power but the slowest attack speed. The Valkyrie is balanced in pretty much every category while the archer is the fastest. The Wizard has the best magic and strongest long range projectiles. The differences in their stats this time are more pronounced and immediately noticeable. Where the Warrior can generally walk away with little damage if surrounded by enemies the wizard and archer will die quickly in that situation. The four new character classes from Gauntlet Dark Legacy are also playable in this version from the start, these being the Dwarf, Knight, Sorceress, and Jester. While sporting unique looks they are basically variations of the primary four with different stats which is disappointing. It is a cool addition nonetheless.
The general format of Gauntlet Legends remains the same. You enter a level, fight enemies that spawn from generators and must reach the exit. However many things have changed. Rather than randomly generated levels you visit themed worlds with predefined maps. Throughout each of the game’s six worlds are twelve runestones and nine obelisks necessary to open new worlds and to ultimately confront Skorne. These are exceedingly well hidden and will require thorough exploration of each map as well as solving puzzles to access. Now that you do not have to worry about health ticking down you can take your time exploring and there is much to find aside from those mandatory items. There are power-ups, alternate characters, and a few bonus levels for those willing to plumb the game’s depths.
The addition of RPG elements does much to relieve the monotony of killing hordes of enemies over and over again. As much as I like the Gauntlet “formula” it does get repetitive. It worked extremely well in the Quest mode of Gauntlet IV and this is a massive improvement. The sense of character progression feels tangible and gives meaning to killing the mindless hordes. The fact you visit different worlds also goes a long way toward keeping the game interesting until its conclusion. The quality of this port is also stellar as it runs at a higher framerate than its console counterparts. It only suffers from a few dropped audio issues. The one annoyance is the camera. With a single analog stick you cannot control the camera and must contend with less than ideal viewpoints frequently. While annoying it does not break the game.
This was not an easy game in the arcade as its goal is to take your money. That remains true at home and is in fact even more difficult for a few reasons. While you could purchase health from the shop in between levels previously this version lacks that. That means you must revisit prior levels to find food and restore health. This becomes excessively tedious later in the game. The other home ports had an inventory system which was both convenient and added to the adventure feel. This Dreamcast port follows the arcade in that power-ups last a short time to its detriment. Even with the special items that help defeating each boss they still remain a monotonous slog to whittle down. Sometimes the commitment to arcade accuracy is not always a good thing. They were willing to add features from the sequel, why not that?
In Closing
Gauntlet Legends is a fun, action-packed game that’s perfect for fans of hack-and-slash gameplay and an excellent port of the arcade game. While the game may not offer groundbreaking depth or narrative, it makes up for it with satisfying combat, accessible gameplay, and a nostalgic appeal for those who enjoyed the original arcade Gauntlet games. Midway did a fantastic job updating the original Gauntlet and this Dreamcast release is stellar.
