So the question becomes obvious - having covered so much, what could I possibly review for an occasion as momentous as this? After all, way back in 2015 when I did my 100th review, I reviewed a game very close to my heart - Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind. Despite having basically gone off to do a bunch of other things as well, such as television and movie reviews (which I'm sure you've all been diligently reading every last one of them), reviewing games is the reason that I started this blog back in 2011, so it feels important that I don't ignore such a milestone as this.
Hmmm...what to review?
...
...y'know what? I'm not gonna drag this bit out any more. You know I have to give an answer eventually and I've typed this entire thing out, and it's Gauntlet: Dark Legacy.
t's time for MadCap to make a confession to you all - I've never played the original Gauntlet. For one, the original came out in 1985 when I was negative six years old. When the NES version came out in 1988 I was negative three years old...you get the picture. And yes, I've played NES games before and even owned one at one point (and do now, in fact), but Gauntlet was never among that number. No, instead, I got Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles.
...might be the 300th review in another nine years. Provided I haven't been committed after trying to play it.
However, a game I did play was this one, Gauntlet: Dark Legacy. And, as you can tell from the box cover I've chosen here, I played it on the Playstation 2 back in that long forgotten time of the early 2000s. This review covers the Nintendo Gamecube version, however, as I no longer own a Playstation 2 or the game disc and even if I did, the Playstation 4 is sadly not backwards compatible.
Seriously, what is it with game developers and console manufacturers and not allowing that? Particularly for games that aren't getting a re-release of some kind? Games like Neverwinter Nights or Halo are getting remasters or re-releases. But alas, who mourns the loss of Gauntlet: Dark Legacy? Not Sony, it would seem.
The plot of Dark Legacy is a stock fantasy one. The wizard Sumner, a generally kindly type who also serves as the Zordon-esque voice assaulting your ears at pretty much every opportunity when you need food badly, has a not so kindly brother named Garm. Garm gathers twelve magical Runestones in the hopes of binding a demon named Skorne and gaining the ultimate power in the universe or something akin to that. Unfortunately for Garm, he doesn't get the thirteenth Runestone and Skorne decides to kill him and unleash hell upon the Realms. Sumner then calls to him the eight heroes of legend with the aim of stopping Skorne and defeating him ones and for all!
So, basically, think of this game as Mario but with swords, magic, and the occasional bit of anachronistic technology in a clearly otherwise medieval fantasy world.
Also an announcer that tells you when your character "NEEDS FOOD BADLY!".
I'll go ahead and say I'm playing on the GameCube version, but having looked up a Playstation 2 play through of it, the graphics haven't aged well. While graphics are not a deal breaker for me by any means, it's really surreal to look back at previous games and think "Dear God, this was cutting edge five minutes ago!".
And then realizing that this was about eighteen years ago.
...I'm old is the takeaway here.
That said, it's not so bad that I find myself unable to play it, which was something I was worried about.
The game play is as fun now as it was eighteen years ago. You have the options of the traditional Gauntlet heroes - the Warrior, the Valkyrie, the Wizard, and the Archer (Elf), but that's not all! Just like the cover art shows, there are some new kids in town - namely the Dwarf, the Knight, the Sorceress, and the Jester. With eight heroes, they're paired pretty well by stats. The Warrior and the Dwarf have better Strength, the Valkyrie and the Knight have better Armor, the Wizard and the Sorceress have better Magic, and the Archer and the Jester have better Speed.
Yeah, Strength, Armor, Magic, and Speed are your four stats along with maximum health. There's really not any choices you get to make concerning that - depending on which hero you pick, you'll level up and points will go where their pre-determined to go. You can buy upgrades for them from the store between missions, but they only come in increments of 10 and I've found they're just really not worth it unless you grind extensively...which this game is catered to, so maybe you will. Besides just my fondness of the motley, I decided to play a Jester when I started replaying for this review, though I originally played a Wizard in ages past.
Also, you can choose between red, blue, yellow, and green for the color of your hero, and Sumner will announce them as such: in my case "GREEN JESTER!" Besides allegedly making a difference in your magic potions, this really doesn't have too much different about it beyond aesthetics.
The combat is pretty straight forward. You have the standard light and heavy attacks of your hack n' slash as well as a turbo boosted attack that is actually unique to each hero (such as the Knight flinging a giant flail of doom at opponents or the Jester clapping out a sonic boom on his enemies). When you get going, you'll rarely use the light attack, although it does come in handy for boss battles, of which there are a few - one for each world and then two more to close things off.
No spoilers on those, though.
The reason I chose the Jester, however, comes from a special feature of the game - namely that there are hidden characters. Each of the eight heroes has a Beast form that are unlocked by finding hidden stages within several of the levels and collecting Midway coins from a maze in a certain amount of time.
Needless to say, like a certain blue hedgehog - you gotta go fast!
Just keep in mind that these new heroes, like any other heroes you don't play, will be starting at Level 1. Meaning you will have none of your crystal to unlock the worlds, the items that you've collected, and that you'll be going back to that first world and grinding for levels. A lot.
It's actually a lot easier if you have a buddy with you at a higher level, but that's a whole other can of worms.
Oh, you can also apparently unlock Sumner, but his coin stage is ridiculous. Plus, he's essentially just a reskinned yellow wizard, so there's little point.
Within the world you find varieties of enemies that all boil down to essentially the same thing - hit them until they poof out of existence. There are some that bite your ankles, others that will swarm you with monster economy, but your standard grunts are pretty standard throughout. Up above them are generals, which take a few more hits, and then beasts that will drop golden claws or fangs upon death but are significantly hardier than even generals.
And then...there's Death.
Unlike in Castlevania, where Death flings scythes like a man who just snorted several pounds of Columbian bam-bam, Death comes in two varieties: red and black. Red death takes away 100 health and then leaves. Black, however, is far worse and will take away an entire character level before leaving. Both can be gotten rid of with a potion and, if you have the correct item equipped (the anti-death halo), Black death will actually grant you a level provided you're not already at the cap.
Oh yeah, there's several items, too. Some of them are quest-related and show up for use against the boss characters. Others can be found scattered through the worlds to be used in various ways. In a big difference from the PS2 version, the Gamecube one does not automatically equip these to your character upon pick up. Instead, there's a menu within the HUD where you select and equip them. Fairly simple, but it threw me off for a while. The PS2 version saw you immediately equipped with whatever you picked up - be it acid breath or 3-D glasses.
Yeah, 3-D glasses to see into barrels and chests. I told you it was a bit anachronistic in spots.
Also, fruits and meats, for that food you need badly.
That all said and put to record, this game is every bit as fun as I remember it being from my younger youth. It can get grindy, sure, but that's how it is with this game having its roots in the arcades of yesteryear (something which we've touched on before) so I'm inclined to be a bit more charitable to it. It does, at the very least, never get grindy to the point of being boring.
It supports up to four players, but I've only ever played with two, namely as player two to EpicApathy (that handsome devil) in my youth. Part of the reason why I don't like multiplayer games stems from this, though not for the reason you think. You see, a little truth in MadCap time - I was kind of an ass when I was younger, as you do when you're a kid. Going around, snatching up all the items...yeah, I was that guy. Ever since then, I really have tried to not be that guy.
Sorry, Epic.
That said, most of my criticisms of multiplayer still apply, so don't think that 200 episodes have changed my tune entirely on them. Just a little time and introspection might have let me understand better why besides...y'know a general disdain of most people.
As for Gauntlet: Dark Legacy, I've said all I can really say on the matter. If you have a Gamecube, Xbox, or PS2 handy and want to give this a shot...good luck finding a disc, because it took me a while to get a hold of one specifically for this review. If you do, however, then you have your hands on a pretty good time.
And with that, my Madmen (and women), I have completed my 200th game review. Thank you, whether you started with this review or were with me way, way back when I didn't know jack squat about editing and mused on the ugly duckling of the Dragon Age franchise nine years ago, you were the ones who got me this far.
I thank you all! Seriously, thank you all, so, so much!
Here's to the next 200! Who knows? You might not even have to wait another nine years for them!
Gauntlet: Dark Legacy is brought to us by Midway Games for Xbox, Playstation 2, and Gamecube.
(And yes, originally for arcade and later a port for the Game Boy Advanced)
For the latest from the MadCapMunchkin, be sure to follow him on Twitter @MadCapMunchkin.
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