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Gauntlet (NES)
Gauntlet (NES)
Developer(s)	Tengen[1]
Publisher(s)	Tengen[1]
Platform(s)	Nintendo Entertainment System[1]
Release date(s)	NA 1987 [1]
Genre(s)	Action[1], Adventure
Mode(s)	One-player or Two-player
Media	Nintendo Entertainment System cartridge
Input methods	NES game controller(s)

The Nintendo Entertainment System version of Gauntlet is an original game based on the Gauntlet arcade game, with a unique storyline and 100 levels.

Story

In a land known as Rendar, Morak, a hooded devil-like creature, has stolen the Sacred Orb that protected the lands. He hid this along with other treasures he stole in the Gauntlet which is protected by his evil creatures. Of the four heroes from the original Gauntlet only two were able to enter the portal and go after the Sacred Orb.

Gameplay

As with most early Gauntlet games the player is seen from above, keys must be found to open doors, and closed treasure chests. Potions and keys can be found throughout the levels, however unlike the Arcade version the doors will not unlock on their own, after a period of time has passed. Although the Unlicensed version states "The #1 Arcade game!", there are many differences between the Arcade and NES versions, one of the biggest being the helpful hints provided from a Dungeon Master type voice are missing from the NES version; however, the grunts and "Ummm" sounds of players getting hurt or enjoying food can still be heard.

The player can choose any of the original four players that were in the arcade version, Thor, Thyra, Merlin, and Questor; each varies with respect to magic power, shot power, hand-to-hand fighting skill, armor and movement speed. Gathering gold can increase these powers like experience points, and there are also specialized potions that permanently increase these abilities slightly. Temporary abilities can also be acquired from box shaped items that grant enemy-repulsing power, invisibility, invulnerability, super shots and reflective shots.

A map of each land is shown between the stages. There are five worlds to journey through: Castle, Forest, Caverns, Water, and Volcano. In each area the walls are made to look like different kinds of blocks; trees, brick, rock, crystal rock, and invisible (water levels). A new addition to the Gauntlet style of play is that the NES version has pushable walls.

Besides the normal fighting maze levels there are also two other types of rooms. In treasure rooms, collecting treasures will build up the players' experience and allow them to have more maximum health points, stronger attacks, and greater speed. These abilities grow every 50, 100, 200, 400, 800, 1600 treasures, but if the player gets more than 2,000 treasures the password they are given won't work.^[2] No enemies are in the treasure rooms, but health is regained only when the exit is found before time runs out, thus limiting the amount of treasures that can be collected. A password will appear after exiting the treasure room if the room is exited before the timer expired. The other type of room is the Clue Room, of which there are eight throughout the game. Once inside these rooms the player must find a question mark '?' tile and exit before a timer runs out, in order to get a part of a combination that will unlock the 100th level. After finding the '?' and exiting, "Morak will appear and give you a clue."^[3] The player must navigate around stun tiles, trap floors which flash and cause walls to disappear when stepped on, and teleporters that send them to different places depending on which direction the player enters them from. The password system proved troublesome for players as some characters, such as 'h' and 'k', 'S' and '5', and 'l' and '1', looked very similar.^[4][5]

Releases

There are two different versions of Gauntlet for the NES, a licensed version and an unlicensed version. Both have the same programming code, levels, and box art, by Joseph Chiodo. The Lynx, Genesis, and handheld LCD games reused the same box art painting as their cover art.

See also

• Game Player's Strategy Guide to Nintendo Games, Vol. 1 No.2, and Vol. 1 No. 3, for reviews.
• Nintendo Power Vol. 1 July/August 1988, pages 70-73 with article art work, by Katsuya "TERRA" Terada .
• Doc's 1 Minute Encyclopedia of Nintendo Game Instructions.

References

External links

• Recorded footage of the NES version of Gauntlet being won (video available on webpage)

From StrategyWiki, the free strategy guide and walkthrough wiki

Gauntlet
Developer(s)	Atari/Tengen
Publisher(s)	Tengen
Release date(s)	1985
Genre(s)	Action
System(s)	NES, Arcade
Players	1-2
Followed by	Gauntlet II
Series	Gauntlet

The NES version of Gauntlet is a significant departure from the arcade original, keeping only the basic game formula and cast of enemies. 100 entirely new levels were constructed for this version, and the quest was given a definite goal: to retrieve a Magic Orb located in the 100th level, which could only be accessed by collecting portions of a password hidden in clue rooms scattered throughout the first 99 levels. The game includes all the items and enemies of the original and adds some of its own to the mix. A password system was also added, allowing the game to be saved.

This is one of only three Tengen titles to be released as officially-licensed Nintendo cartridges (the others being Pac-Man and RBI Baseball). The game later returned to the arcades as a title for Nintendo's PlayChoice-10 hardware. An unlicensed version was later released following Tengen's split from Nintendo; this version was functionally identical but sported a black cartridge (instead of the grey used by licensed games) and came in a gold-trimmed box.

The story of the Sacred Orb

The black clouds swirled over the heads of the chosen ones. Four has come this far, but only two would continue. The portal to their deadly challenge awaited. Foreboding screams rose up from the Gauntlet.

Morak the Evil One cackled in glee as he watched the intrepid warriors prepare to enter his most terrible Gauntlet. He knew they would never reach their goal. The Sacred Orb would remain forever imprisoned at the lowest level of the Gauntlet. Without the Sacred Orb, Morak knew the mortals that inhabited Rendar would be helpless against his evil magic.

Morak had plundered the lands and hidden his booty in the Gauntlet. He garrisoned his henchmen in the Gauntlet to guard it. There were ghosts, grunts, demons, sorcerers, and even incarnations of death itself.

But could the Sacred Orb be in the Gauntlet? No mortal knew for sure. If nothing else, the warriors could retrieve the treasures of Rendar that Morak had plundered and stored in the Gauntlet. If only all four warriors could all continue, on this, the last leg of their quest. Alas, the portal only allowed passage of two mortals.

The warriors need your help. Choose from among them the two that shall continue: Become Thor the warrior, Thyra the valkyrie, Merlin the wizard or Questor the elf.

The fate of Rendar is in your hands.

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