This is the first game in the Gauntlet series. For other games in the series see the Gauntlet category.
| Gauntlet | |
|---|---|
| Developer(s) | Atari Games |
| Publisher(s) | Atari Games, U.S. Gold |
| Year released | 1985 |
| System(s) | Arcade, Atari 8-bit, Atari ST, Commodore 64/128, MSX, Sinclair ZX Spectrum, Amstrad CPC, Apple II, Apple IIGS, DOS, Atari Lynx, Sega Master System, Sega Genesis, Mobile, Xbox 360 |
| Expansion pack(s) | Gauntlet: The Deeper Dungeons |
| Followed by | Gauntlet II |
| Series | Gauntlet |
| Designer(s) | Ed Logg |
|---|---|
| Genre(s) | Action |
| Players | 1-4 |
| Modes | Single player, Multiplayer |
- This guide is for the original arcade version. For the Nintendo Entertainment System and PlayChoice-10 version, see Gauntlet (NES).
Gauntlet is a 1985 arcade game by Atari Games. It runs on its own dedicated hardware (a Motorola 68000 running at 7.15909 MHz and a Motorola M6809 running at 1.789772 MHz), and it brought the theme and dungeon-crawling action of pen-and-paper role-playing games like Dungeons & Dragons to the arcade environment. A party of between one and four (or two, on the two-player-only cabinet) players fight their way through endless dungeons, both cooperating to kill enemies and competing to collect gold and upgrades. The game also employed the voice of an unseen narrator who alternately helps the players by giving tips or mocks them when they destroy food, are nearing death or begin a difficult level. The four-player action meant the cabinet was wider than standard uprights, giving it an imposing presence in the arcades at the time it was new. This addictive formula of simple gameplay and non-stop action made the game an instant hit (both in the United States and in other countries).
Just like an RPG, players can choose from four characters, who are assigned to the coinslots on the four-player cabinet, but selectable on the two-player one: Thor the Warrior (Player 1, red), Thyra the Valkyrie (Player 2, blue), Merlin the Wizard (Player 3, yellow), and Questor the Elf (Player 4, green). Each has their own unique visual appearance, and various strengths and weaknesses (for example, Merlin excels at magic on account of being a Wizard, while his hand-to-hand attacks are weak). The game was also one of the first ones to allow arcade-goers control over their progression through the levels (however, progress is still inevitably linear, on account of previous levels cannot be revisited).
This game's huge success in the arcades led to a large number of home conversions, an expansion disk (Gauntlet: The Deeper Dungeons), as well as seven sequels that continued until 2005, bringing the series' classic elements to a newer generation of players. The Nintendo Entertainment System's version later came full circle by appearing in arcades on Nintendo PlayChoice-10 hardware in 1986.
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The game's title screen.
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4-player upright cabinet.
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Screenshot of the game.
Table of Contents
- Level 1
- Level 2
- Level 3
- Level 4
- Level 5
- Level 6
- Level 7
- Level 8
- Level 9
- Level 10
- Level 11
- Level 12
- Level 13
- Level 14
- Level 15
- Level 16
- Level 17
- Level 18
- Level 19
- Level 20
- Level 21
- Level 22
- Level 23
- Level 24
- Level 25
- Level 26
- Level 27
- Level 28
- Level 29
- Level 30
- Level 31
- Level 32
- Level 33
- Level 34
- Level 35
- Level 36
- Level 37
- Level 38
- Level 39
- Level 40
- Level 41
- Level 42
- Level 43
- Level 44
- Level 45
- Level 46
- Level 47
- Level 48
- Level 49
- Level 50
- Level 51
- Level 52
- Level 53
- Level 54
- Level 55
- Level 56
- Level 57
- Level 58
- Level 59
- Level 60
- Level 61
- Level 62
- Level 63
- Level 64
- Level 65
- Level 66
- Level 67
- Level 68
- Level 69
- Level 70
- Level 71
- Level 72
- Level 73
- Level 74
- Level 75
- Level 76
- Level 77
- Level 78
- Level 79
- Level 80
- Level 81
- Level 82
- Level 83
- Level 84
- Level 85
- Level 86
- Level 87
- Level 88
- Level 89
- Level 90
- Level 91
- Level 92
- Level 93
- Level 94
- Level 95
- Level 96
- Level 97
- Level 98
- Level 99
- Level 100
- Level 101
- Level 102
- Level 103
- Level 104
- Level 105
- Level 106
- Level 107
- Level 108