Gauntlet Dark Legacy

"A great home port of a great arcade game"

Back in 1984, when games like Frogger, 1942, Robotron, and Galaga ruled the arcades, there was a fantastic little game called Gauntlet. The premise was simple: grab three friends, pick your character (wizard, elf, warrior, and valkyrie) and color (red, blue, green, and yellow), and proceed to hack and slash your way to glory and riches. The game was so addicting that you could easily plop $20 in quarters into the machine before realizing you've been there for 3 hours. If you've played it, you know what I'm saying. ''Red wizard shot the food'' still echoes through my head (damn the voice for betraying me!). A couple of years later (1986), a sequel came out called (what else?) Gauntlet II. This iteration had a few extra features like being ''it'', but essentially was the same addictive game wrapped in a pretty new box. I still loved it. Few games at the time offered the depth and ease of play that these titles did. And then.....1999. The arcade series is reborn in a blaze of light and color with a slightly new title: Gauntlet Legends. I remember how fired up I was about this game and how it did little to disappoint. It was everything I'd hoped it would be. Bold and LOUD, it played just like the original and ate just as much money. When it came to the consoles, I ran right out and picked it up (for N64, then Dreamcast) hoping it would offer all the thrills of the arcade without the hole in my pocket. As it turned out, it was a nice try but fell short. There was always something missing; a level or a character or whatever. WELL, ALL OF THAT HAS BEEN REDEEMED!!

Enter- Gauntlet: Dark Legacy, a pseudo sequel to Gauntlet Legends, first appearing in the arcade in 2000. Now it has been ported in all its glory to the PS2! Lemme tell ya, it is EVERYTHING that the arcade game is. All the levels, all the characters, all the graphics, music, and sound effects (all with absolutely NO SLOWDOWN), and especially all the 4 player action you can handle. This game is a marvel to behold. So what if it's just an arcade port. It's a VERY GOOD arcade port. Midway has definitely taken their time with this one. There is nothing missing and several things have been added, such as a second attack button used for combos. This makes playing far less monotonous. There are also new items (like 'junk'), 'gargoyles' and sub-bosses, 2 kinds of 'death' (red and black), many new hidden characters, and several additional stages that aren't even in the arcade game! You cannot go wrong with this title! I can't, in good conscience, give the game more than an 8 because a)it's an arcade port and b)it is only replayable in so much as you feel like trudging through the entire game with another character. But with a few friends over, this is the ultimate party game. You can even enable shots to hurt or stun other players, for you sadistic types.

Players progress through the game collecting crystals (another new addition) that open new realms to explore. Among these are the Ice, Mountain, Forest, Sky, Desert, Dream, Castle, Forsaken (cemetary), and the Desecrated Temple. There are secret bonus levels in many of these for collecting the precious coins that unlock hidden characters. Many new enemies join the ranks along with the familiar ones from past iterations of Gauntlet Legends.

For newbies, I'll offer a brief description: beginning the game as whichever character you choose, you start in the Forsaken Realm. The whole premise of the game is to shoot or whack anything that moves and collect all the items strewn about the land (treasure, food, special items, etc.). Each realm has several stages to play through, and each one you finish opens the next stage in that realm. The last stage in each realm is an epic battle with a guardian character, such as the Lich or the Genie. Scattered among the realms are various runestones needed to finish the game. These are usually pretty well hidden but if you explore everything, they will reveal themselves. Then there is ''the voice''. Anyone who has played ANY version of Gauntlet remembers ''the voice''. It's a booming reminder of everything you do. If you are close to death, ''he'' might say ''YELLOW WIZARD NEEDS FOOD BADLY'', or if you try to open a chest without a key, ''he'' may offer ''USE KEYS TO OPEN DOORS AND CHESTS''. It's really very cool and adds atmosphere to the game (as if it needed more). Controls are very simple: quick attack, strong attack, magic, and turbo attack (the turbo meter recharges over time and with items). There are some additional buttons that I rarely use: charge, block, team attack (really cool but I forget to use it alot), and another that I can't remember. I consider these last four buttons optional because you never need to use them to progress; they're just extra features. Finally, characters gain experience and levels over time, changing the appearance of your hero (every ten levels) and even gaining them some new abilities (like making poison food edible or turning junk into gold). At level 30, each character gains a familiar. This is just a little buddy that floats over your left shoulder and helps you fight. It even gets bigger at level 80! At the end of every stage is a shop where you can spend your hard earned gold on items or permanent ability enhancements (speed, armor, magic, and strength). This may sound like a lot, but it's really quite seamless. The game is so easy to pick up and play, even a non-gamer might be tempted to play.

So, to sum up, here's the breakdown:

Graphics----7/10: The graphics look great, but they aren't improved over the arcade at all. I can't complain, but it's the truth.

Sound-------8/10: The music is sooo well done. I don't know what you may have heard or read elsewhere, but the music fits the game perfectly. It even changes on the fly during certain parts of several stages. Sound effects are pretty good too. One of my favorites includes the people locked in coffins in the Mausoleum that beg, pound, and scream to be let out. It's just creepy.

Controls----9/10: As I said, anyone can pick this up and play it. All buttons do what you want them to and are very intuitive. You can adjust the set up in options to include things like one-handed playing and auto-aim.

Replayable--8/10: This one is tough. The game remains fun for as long as you are interested in the hack-n-slash style of gameplay. For me, that's quite awhile. With a few friends, it is even more so. I think it may get old for a lot of people after the first couple of playthroughs, but the multiplayer aspect can breath new life into it. I could see this game sitting on your shelf for a month when suddenly you find yourself playing it again with a new work buddy or something. Did I mention all the codes out for it?

Overall-----8/10: Given the option, I'd give it a high 8. A 9 isn't fitting because it's just an arcade port, but like I said: it's a damn good one. I'd recommend it to anyone that enjoys a good adventure. It's long and fun. I'd certainly say it's one of the better games out for the PS2 right now.

Reviewer's Score: 8/10, Originally Posted: 05/11/01, Updated 05/11/01