Gaming Under $20: Gauntlet

The classic 1985 arcade game returns! This top down hack ‘n’ slash game brings back the four classes that players of the original know and love, to bring down the endless hordes of evil that stand before them. The game is simple, but not something that you could call mindless as you and your party must work together to be successful. The story is straightforward, as it should be for a hack ‘n’ slash of this name. If you don’t know the story already, it’s simple: a young wizard attempts to summon the Gauntlet, a trial of sorts for wizards and he is the only that we know of who has succeeded. He calls on you and your friends to help set him free from the depths of the Gauntlet by helping him collect three shards of immense power, each one naturally guarded by a bad-ass boss.

Yes! The four original classes are back; Thor the Warrior, a heavy handed brute who (more than you’d like to hear) remarks about food and how he’d love to eat right now. Thyra the Valkyrie, a bit weaker and faster than Thor she’s got great power attacks and loves to throw her shield. Questor the Elf, (never mind Elf being a class, think classic D&D) this guy is who I played for the most part, not too strong, but a great ranged attacker with an awesome explosive special. Questor is super speedy and will annoy the hell out of your friends if you don’t stop “Captain Kirk Rolling” everywhere. Finally, there is the wizard, Merlin, with nine different spell combos (there may be more?) this character is more of a challenge to play than the others, but when mastered he makes a fantastic asset as you battle the ever coming hordes of the undead.

The game is uncomplicated…kill, kill, kill, and kill some more. A true top down hack-away game. This kind of game is usually not my cup of tea, as I usually demand deep story, more immersive action and a bit more thinking in order to be successful. That said though, this game had me playing for quite a while. I played first with my two college roommates, where an hour and a half passed in no time at all. I have very few criticisms to give this game, but there are a few. Firstly, story. Yeah, I know it’s a Gauntlet game, but with the arcade game being so legendary, and this being it’s great return, I think some more effort into the story could’ve really pulled in new fans and satisfied the fans of the old game. That said, as a suggestion, the lack of story as to why you’re there and what you’re doing doesn’t hurt the game at all, considering the genre.

So, should you buy it? Is it good? Will it wash my dishes and make me scream like I did for the release of Return of the King? Yes to the first two, no to the dishes, and maybe? This game is by no means GOT material for most people’s lists, however it will provide hours of fun if you have some good friends that you love to hop online with and kill stuff. While I usually hate these games, this one gets a pass in my book. Loved it, but probably won’t be playing it as much as some others that released around the same time. (*Cough* Mordor *Cough*) For $19.99 as of this writing, its fun and worth it if you love to slaughter the undead with your friends.

By Austin Gragg