Gauntlet: Seven Sorrows

"Bummer"

I have to start of by saying that this game really really disappointed me. Me friends and I wanted to rent a game we could all play to kill the weekend, all of us being Gauntlet fans went with the then newly released Gauntlet: Seven Sorrows. We were pretty angry, but this waste of a rental.

Sound:5/10
The audio is really half-way decent at best. At many points in the game it sounded really well done. However, you will repeatedly hear the same stuff over and over again it'll drive you nuts. Luckily the quality of the constant dribble is good enough to keep me from pressing the mute button.

Controls:6.5/10
The controls are not too bad, but they are nothing special. Your character starts off the game with a very limited amount of moves, and they are all simple one button attacks. You can of coarse buy combos later on in the game, when you collect money but doing them is just a waste of energy and time, because most enemies will die with just one or two regular attacks. Also when facing bosses it is real easy to get backed up into a corner, and you will be unable to get out.

Graphics: 6.5/10
There is nothing terrible to say about the graphics, and there is nothing great to say about them. The characters are for the most part a pleasure to look at, same goes for the enemies/bosses and everything. But, the levels aren't much to look at, and there are way to many rough edges, and places you can't get to, it's a real pain in the neck.

Game Play: 2/10
The game is just really boring. If you think playing with a bunch of friends would make it any more bearable then you are wrong. First of all there are only, i think 4-5, characters to choose from with no unlock-ables. Also the movies are so bland its not even funny. In the moves defence however, it doesn't matter, really all that you have to do is repeatedly press one attack button and you can kill almost any enemy. Thats right people, this game is a button smasher, one of the biggest button smashers that I have ever played. The game is also ridiculously easy. You don't need keys to open chests, Death can be killed by the press of one button, and of coarse like most button smashers, enemies can be killed quickly. You will rarely ever die unless you are playing with friends and them being in one spot gets you stuck on a trap or obstacle, (fire, spikes, acid). This time Gauntlet really didn't deliver, which saddens me because I LOVED all their previous games.

Longevity: 1.5/10
This game is so easy to beat. Me, my one brother, and my best friend not only completed all off the levels in three and a half hours, but we also unlocked all the secret moves for EVERY character. We just went through every level without having to get game over once, and there aren't that many levels so that adds to the shortness of the game. One of the most disappointing games I've played yet, this is probably because i came into it with real high expectations. But hey, I don't think every video game series out there has had at least one stinker.

Replay Factor: 3/10
I'm giving it a 3 out of ten, which it should get lower, because I know there are many die-hard Gauntlet fans out there who could care less, and will play this game over and over. So if you are extremely obsessed with the Gauntlet franchise, then go ahead and replay as much as you want and you'll enjoy it. The only other people who would enjoy replaying this would be someone who just wants to feel good about themselves, because they'd be able to beat it over and over.

Sound:5/10
Controls:6.5/10
Graphics: 6.5/10
Game Play: 2/10
Longevity: 1.5/10
Replay Factor: 3/10
Overall: 4/10

Reviewer's Score: 4/10, Originally Posted: 04/26/06