Gauntlet (NES)/Gameplay

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Controls

The controls are the same for both players.

•  : navigate menus, move character
•  : use magic (bomb)
•  : fire weapon
•  : open menu
•  : choose number of players (has no use during gameplay)
• +  : resume game using password on the single or multiplayer screen

Characters

Thor, the Warrior

	Starting health	980	Thor is the brute-force character. With unrivaled shot strength and fighting ability he can smash his way through most enemies. He has very slow speed, however, meaning it is more difficult to escape. His magic strength is also very weak. By far the worst character, with low magic, low speed, and inability to shoot through cracks. Requires lots of luck to survive world 5.
	Armor strength	4
	Shot strength	5
	Magic strength	1
	Fighting ability	5
	Player speed	2

Thyra, the Valkyrie

	Starting health	900	Thyra is the most balanced character. Her strong armor largely makes up for her weaknesses in other areas. Lack of magic, lackof speed, and lack of shot strength all hurt her a LOT in the endgame. Second worst character.
	Armor strength	5
	Shot strength	3
	Magic strength	2
	Fighting ability	3
	Player speed	3

Merlin, the Wizard

	Starting health	800	Merlin has the best magic and very strong shot strength, but virtually no armor or fighting ability. He is also very slow. With extra shot power, one-shots all enemies, can shoot through cracks, and can clear the enitre screen with magic. A good character, but is too slow to check every exit in the world 5 treasure rooms. Second best. Lack of fight power is not really much of a handicap late game, because the enemies destroy ANY character quickly. A team of two wizards can beat the game reliably.
	Armor strength	1
	Shot strength	3
	Magic strength	5
	Fighting ability	1
	Player speed	3

Questor, the Elf

	Starting health	820	Questor's arrows are weak, but he makes up for this with his immense speed. He can circle the other players as well as almost all enemies. Fully powered up, has the best speed, armor equal to warrior, magic and shot power equal to wizard, and the ability to shoot through cracks. Can ALWAYS clear the world 5 treasure rooms, and also fights suprizingly well before the fast enemies show up, because the movement speed lets him close distance between enemy swings and take very little damage. Mowing down a whole line of grunts is not uncommon. Best character bar none, and the easiest to beat the game solo with.
	Armor strength	2
	Shot strength	3
	Magic strength	3
	Fighting ability	1
	Player speed	5

HP Leveling

Starting HP:	listed under character
50 Treasures HP  :	+80 for warrior, +100 for wizard and valkyrie, +120 for elf
100 Treasures HP :	same as above
200 Treasures HP :	same as above
400 Treasures HP :	same as above
800 Treasures HP :	same as above
1600 Treasures HP:	same as above

Basics

One of the between-level maps. The white lines between blocks indicate your route.

• The objective of Gauntlet is to make your way through the floors of a dungeon, fighting enemies and collecting treasures as well as hunting for pieces of the password required to reach Morak's lair. You can move in any direction, but most levels have only a few paths available. Each path will lead to different exit.
• You are shown a map between levels. Using this you can work out what exits to take to reach treasure rooms (indicated by a $) or pieces of the password (represented by a ?). As a general rule, the outside wall an exit is closest to determines which direction you will move in to reach the next floor.
• Your health (represented by ♥) constantly depletes at the rate of one point per second, so the faster you complete each floor the more health you will have. Physical contact with projectiles and some enemies will deplete it even faster. Eat food items to replenish your health.
• While each character has a ranged attack (fired with ) you can also attack enemies by bumping into them.
• You cannot move while firing, but you can turn in any direction while is held. You cannot fire another projectile until the current one is gone.

• In each level you will find several monster generators. These look like squares (for ghosts) or cubes (for all other enemies). They will produce a steady stream of new enemies any time they are visible on the screen, so be sure to eliminate them when you see them. You can also use magic () to weaken or destroy them from afar. See Enemies for more information.
• Unlike the original Gauntlet, killing enemies does not contribute to your score. Your score is instead boosted by collecting treasure (each counts as one point). When your score reaches certain levels you will receive a bonus to your maximum health.

Exits

These squares take you to other floors in the dungeon. Some will skip you further ahead, while others may even take you back to a previous floor.

It's not necessary to find the exit of treasure floors before time runs out. However if you managed to, the reward is a full power refill.

Walls Walls vary in color, but all serve the same purpose: blocking your path. Darker-colored walls can be shot and destroyed, while lighter-colored ones can't. Blast your way through the darker ones to find alternate paths. If during your travels you step on pulsating tiles some solid walls may disappear elsewhere in the floor, opening new paths. Doors Doors are big bars across openings. They provide alternate routes through floors, but only if you have a key. Touching any part of the door will open up that entire section of door. Keys Keys unlock doors. You can only hold nine at any one time, so use them wisely.