Gauntlet Legends
| Gauntlet Legends | |
|---|---|
| Gauntlet Legends game cover (Nintendo 64) | |
| Developer(s) | Atari Games |
| Publisher(s) | Atari Games |
| Platform(s) | Arcade, Nintendo 64, PlayStation, Sega Dreamcast |
| Release | 1998 |
| Genre(s) | Hack and Slash RPG |
| Mode(s) | Up to 4 players simultaneously |
Gauntlet Legends is an arcade game released in 1998 by Atari Games. It is a fantasy themed hack and slash game, a sequel to 1985's popular Gauntlet and 1986's Gauntlet II. Its unusual features for an arcade game included passwords and characters that could be saved, enabling players to play over the course of a long period of time.
The simplicity of the original Gauntlet series is still here: the player has to find his/her way out of a maze using keys, secret passages, and switches. As the game progresses, he/she will fight monsters such as Golems, Ogres, Etc. endlessly reproducing themselves from generators that are spread through out the game's levels.
Storyline
In ages past, a corrupt mage named Garm used a set of Runestones to summon a demon named Skorne (It is not stated what Garm intended to use Skorne for; however, as Gauntlet Legends introduces Garm as a "greedy young mage", it can be assumed he wanted Skorne for his own personal gain.) Skorne, however, killed Garm and sent his soul to the Underworld. Skorne, fearing the power of the Runestones, scattered them throughout the four realms, so that they could never be used against him. The player(s) must defeat the end bosses of each of the four realms to obtain the four keys which allow access to Skorne's temple. While travelling through each realm, he/she/they must also collect the twelve Runestones from where they have been scattered. The complete set of Runestones allows him/her/them to pursue Skorne to the Underworld in order to finally destroy him.
Ports
- In 1999, the game was ported to several video game consoles including PlayStation, Nintendo 64 and Dreamcast.
- In 2001, the game was given an expansion. It may be a sequel or update, depending on one's point of view. It was released for the arcade, as well as on Nintendo Gamecube, Playstation 2, and Xbox under the new title, Gauntlet: Dark Legacy. It featured new characters to play and new levels. The Dreamcast version of Gauntlet Legends had most of the features of Dark Legacy as unlockable game features.
Items
There are many categories of items in Gauntlet Legends, as well as some unique ones.
- Amulets: Amulets add power to each standard attack, but can only last up to 90 seconds. Various types are fire, acid, electric, and light, and there is no apparent difference in attack power. The only catch is that the character cannot equip multiple amulets simultaneously.
- Breaths: Breaths allow the character to damage all enemies within a small semicircle in front of him/her, and come in increments of five, but cannot exceed 15. Like amulets, they come in fire, electric and acid breaths, however there is no light breath.
- Shields: Shields form an indestructible wall in front of the character. In addition to preserving the character's health, it also damages any enemies that come in contact to it. They come in two varieties, fire and electric.
- Shot Multipliers: There are only two types (3 way and 5 way) and they allow the character to shoot 3 or 5 shots at once, as opposed to the standard 1 shot.
- Potions: Potions exist for one main reason, but can serve several others. The primary function of potions when one's character is at an early level is to kill Death, a character who is hidden in various chests and barrels and drains 100 heath from any character he comes in contact with. Potions can be used three different ways: thrown, dropped at one's feet, and used as a shield.
- Keys: They open chests and certain doors, and appear in chests, barrels, and on the ground.