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After popping onto the scene (and nearly every Godfather's Pizza restaurant I’ve ever been to) in the 80’s, Gauntlet has managed to find its way into numerous Arcade compilations and has even seen a healthy number of remakes and reboots, including a brand-new DS version coming later this year from Backbone Entertainment.
Even though the latest version of the game takes place on two screens rather than one, it is still immediately recognizable and just as fun as the first time you played it. All four of the game’s heroes are back, though with a few updates. Some are merely cosmetic, such as the Warrior’s new Mohawk, while others are a little more drastic. Apparently the Wizard had some issues to work out between games and is now a woman. However, despite some changes, each still has their trademark skills such as the Elf’s speedy arrows and the Valkyrie’s toughness. As characters hack their way through enemies, they’ll gain experience points, eventually unlocking new abilities and other stat upgrades.
Even after a few minutes with Gauntlet, it’s clear that Backbone is really trying to appeal to nostalgic players and at the same time trying to make the most of the hardware. Gauntlet is done completely in 3D and though there were a few minor framerate drops in the preview version, it runs incredibly smooth. Everything is still viewed from a top-down perspective, though the levels are a little more complex. In one dungeon, I had to loop around to an area and drop a bridge before continuing on my way through the maze. Backbone has also included the original booming voice and four-player co-op play.
Few games have managed to stand the test of time better than Gauntlet and Backbone’s version looks poised to extend its life further. |
