Sumner, a benevolent mage, has crafted a number of great towers to celebrate his prowess in the art of magic. Within these towers are portals to the different Gauntlet realms. Sumner's vile brother, Garm, using the portals for his own selfish purposes, has accidentally released the powerful demon lord Skorne. And now Skorne, along with his army of undead warriors, is planning to wreak havoc in the mortal world. Sumner needs you and the other heroes of the Gauntlet Legends to fight the undead warriors, weaken Skorne's power, and help send Skorne back to the dark netherworld where he belongs.
Gauntlet Legends still hosts the original Gauntlet characters--Warrior, Valkyrie, Archer, and Wizard--as well as new costars Minotaur, Tigress, Jackal, and Falconess. You'll slash and gobble through seven different kingdoms that contain all-new enemies, traps, rune stones, and power-ups.
Gauntlet Legends could've been a fun, mindless, fantasy-themed "hack-'n'-slash" game if Midway had done anything to take advantage of the Dreamcast's hardware. Instead, they've created a game that relies a bit too heavily on the arcade version--that is to say, it looks mediocre, sounds terrible, and ultimately isn't very fun to play in solo mode.
Gauntlet Legends is a 3-D update of the classic Gauntlet arcade series. Gauntlet was famous for its hordes of enemies and the fact that up to four players could play cooperatively. The move to 3-D means there are far fewer enemies to fight (they take up too much processing horsepower), although the visuals have taken a turn for the better. If you've seen this game in the arcade, you'll know exactly what to expect when it loads on your Dreamcast; the translation is practically perfect. Unfortunately, the game didn't contain cutting-edge graphics in its arcade incarnation--so, don't expect too much in this home translation. The sound also deserves special mention, because it's awful. Everything sounds like it was recorded underwater with a cheap microphone--some actions aren't accompanied by sound effects at all.
Gauntlet Legends' gameplay is all action, but the lack of special moves makes it extremely repetitive. Solo players will be bored almost immediately, but the fun factor increases considerably when other players join the game. Four players blasting everything on the screen at once and fighting over power-ups make for some intense moments. If you're looking for a fun single-player game with a fantasy setting, you'd be better off with something like Draconus: Cult of the Wyrm--for dorm-room fun and parties, however, Gauntlet Legends is a sure bet. --T. Byrl Baker
Pros:
Multiplayer action is fast and furious
An arcade-perfect conversion Cons:Horrible audio
Single-player game is boring