Gauntlet Legends (PlayStation)

GameSpot editors' review

• CNET editors' rating: 1.5 stars Poor
  Detailed editors' rating
  Overall score: 3.9 (1.5 stars)

• Reviewed by:
  Ben Stahl
• Reviewed on: 03/16/2000
• Updated on: 04/28/2000
• Released on: 02/29/2000
• Originally published on GameSpot: Gauntlet Legends (PlayStation) Review

You remember Gauntlet, don't you? Between bites of pizza or slurps of soda, you played as a warrior of light slapped into an endless series of randomly generated dungeon levels, where you fought a slew of evil denizens. Not too long ago, Gauntlet suffered the fate of many classic games: It was given a major facelift and reinvented for the '90s. Unfortunately, Gauntlet Legends wasn't a particularly good arcade game, and it's just as bad on the PlayStation.

Those of you unfamiliar with the arcade version of the remake will at least be familiar with the unchanged premise. You still act as one of four characters (warrior, valkyrie, wizard, or archer) who make a stand against a seemingly bottomless reservoir of baddies. All the while you'll collect treasure, play with magic, and dish out the hurt. However, there have been some additions to the formula: You'll now be able to buy stuff with that treasure; levels now have themes; and you'll have to go up against bosses at the end of certain stages. And now our little elven archer buddy is a she.

The clean graphics found in the arcade version aren't present here. It seems as though there was a polygon shortage around the time of this game's development, as everything has a real flat look to it. Minor details such as your characters necks are gone, and the textures are drab. Gauntlet Legends tried to take the birds-eye-view concept of the original and transfer it into a 3D environment, but this simply doesn't work, and you end up playing essentially the same old game with prettier looking backgrounds. The camera does its best to make the levels seem like they've got depth, but the way it sways around some levels looks extremely unrealistic, and induces a good amount of motion sickness. The game does feature short CG cutscenes that introduce you to your enemies, but the clips are short and forgettable. Even though my character was now climbing volcanic mountains, exploring temples, and trekking through the East, I still would have preferred the basic, randomly generated 2D dungeon. Maybe there was just something special about the carbon-copy levels contained in the original that made Gauntlet so enjoyable. (Or maybe it was because I was twelve. Who knows?)

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