It’s not easy for a studio to reboot an old IP, and they don’t come much older than Gauntlet. Originally released in the arcades in 1985, Gauntlet is a game whose legacy can still be seen today in games such as Diablo III. It was one the first four player dungeon crawlers and still has a dedicated following of fans. There has been numerous sequels to gauntlet but the last one was way back in 2005. Gauntlet: Seven Sisters was met with mainly negative critical reception when it launched on the PS2, Xbox and Xbox 360. The IP has since fallen into the hands of Warner Bros and this newest game is the result.
The task of reviving Gauntlet has been given to Arrowhead Studios. The developer has a lot of experience with multiplayer isometric action games thanks to their Magicka series, but how have they handled Gauntlet? Fans of the franchise will be pleased to hear that altogether, Arrowhead has been pretty faithful with this reboot. All four original characters, Wizard, Warrior, Valkyrie and Elf, are accounted for. Other features of the original such as the amusing voice overs and the fact that you have to eat cooked turkey to regain health have also made it over.
Of course, Arrowhead has not simply remade the original Gauntlet; they’ve also added some 21st century improvements. The graphics are now in full 3D and have some pretty nice lighting effects although the color scheme is mostly made up of bland grays and blacks. There’s also more voice acting with the characters spouting cheerful banter as you play. Thankfully, Arrowhead decided to ignore gaming’s increased focus on cinematics and has kept the experience appropriately arcade-like. There are a few cut-scenes in the game but they are short and all used in the right places.
In terms of the core gameplay, the developers have done a lot right. Combat is satisfying and very easy to control. The four playable characters each have their own unique fighting styles and changing between them really does provide different experiences. Take the two melee characters for example. The Warrior is all about getting up close and personal with his enemies, wading into large groups of them and using his spin attack to take out many foes at once. The Valkyrie on the other hand has a much greater reach thanks to her spear but is in more trouble when surrounded. She also has a block move because of her shield.
The ranged characters play very differently as well. Questor’s quick firing bow turns the game into a twin stick shooter, although he can also cause AoE damage with his bombs. Choosing Merlin on the other hand turns the game into Magicka as the spell system in both games is very similar. This gives the Wizard 9 different attacks at his disposal, which seems a bit unfair when the other three characters only have 4 or 5. Merlin is the hardest character to master, but he’s also the most powerful and the most fun. It would be nice if the Elf, Warrior and Valkyrie could have the same level of variety as the combat can get boring when you’re using the same moves over and over again.
Arrowhead seems to have recognized the problem with the simplistic combat and have sought to fix it with varied level design. For the most part, they have succeeded in this. The game’s levels are split into three different locations comprising of 4 chapters each. The three areas each have their own unique environments, enemies and gameplay mechanics. One area has levels where you must constantly keep moving to avoid the invincible Death. Other new mechanics include levels covered in darkness, so it’s very hard to see enemies, and levels set in volcanoes where you must avoid fireballs and lava. The final chapter of each area contains a boss fight which also helps break up the monotony. The varied level design doesn’t solve the problems with the game’s unremarkable combat but it does alleviate them somewhat.
Where the game truly shines is in its multiplayer. With four people all playing at once the number of monsters really jumps up and you’ll have to all work together to survive. At the same time, each player will also want to get the best score and the most gold. This creates a competitive/co-operative dichotomy that really adds to the multiplayer fun. The pick up and play approach to combat is a huge bonus here as it means that anyone can quickly join a session and start having fun. It’s clear that the developers were focused primarily on multiplayer when designing Gauntlet.
To their credit, Arrowhead have attempted to add some depth to the game’s combat with the mastery and relic systems. Of the two, it is the relic system which is the most important. The relics are what you buy with the treasure you collect in every level. Each relic offers some sort of advantage when activated. One relic summons two illusions to fight with you whilst another increases your movement and attack speed. After you buy a relic you’ll also be able to spend more gold on upgrading it. Any character can be equipped with two relics at the same time but the game doesn’t let you abuse them. The only way you can activate a relic is by picking up potion bottles scattered around the level.
The Mastery system is Gauntlet’s version of achievements. There’s a variety of ways to unlock each Mastery; some require you to kill a boss whilst others become unlocked when you die in a certain way. Unlike normal achievements, Masteries have in-game effects albeit minor ones. Buffs such as 6% extra movement speed or a reduced cooldown for special abilities are just about noticeable but they don’t really add much to the overall experience.
Arrowhead Studios have given Gauntlet a worthy reboot and for that they should be congratulated. The characters are different yet balanced, the level design is interesting and the core multiplayer gameplay is both satisfying and fun. Despite the developer’s best efforts, what Gauntlet really needs is more depth. A greater variety of attacks and a more complex combat system could have removed some of the repetitiveness and boredom that begins to set in by the end of the game’s 7 hour campaign. Even with these flaws this is still a title which all Gauntlet fans should try out, especially if they can get three friends to purchase the game as well.