Midway has revived a legend in the realm of arcade history with Gauntlet: Seven Sorrows. Previous titles in the series released in the mid-to-late 1990s as well as Dark Legacy, released in 2002, preserved some of the original arcade feel, but the modern twists Midway gave to the series took away from the nostalgia. With Seven Sorrows, the four original heroes from the 1980s return into the storyline and look incredibly similar, inviting the original fans back to enjoy another classic adventure. With online play available, this makes the multiplayer enjoyment of a neo-classic even more possible.
This addition to the Gauntlet saga has a rather unusual beginning due to the fact that the Four Immortal heroes (the Warrior, the Wizard, the Elf, and the Valkyrie) were betrayed by their king and crucified on a tree at the bottom of the world. Feeling awful about what he had done, the king released them so that they could to rest. Most of them had been his advisors whose advice had ruined his kingdom. He wasn?t able to handle his problems, so he got the Immortals to do it, which is in rather bad taste considering he wanted their immortality for himself in the first place.
Gauntlet: Seven Sorrows begins with the same fast-paced dungeon crawl-style action that has made this saga so famous. Massive amounts of enemies will charge players from beginning to end, with increasing difficulty. Confusing puzzles will make trouble for players, while having to fight off endless droves of enemies. The game?s bosses will also make quick work of players unless they find an effective strategy, such as one player tanking, blocking all of the hits, while another stands back using long-range attacks.
Some of the modern touches added to this game include a customizable level system, which allows players to put points into a character?s damage-dealing capability, mana regeneration, or overall health. Each character has its own template, but there is no right or wrong way to build a character. In addition to the level system, players can use gold that they acquire over the course of the adventure to buy attack combos and special moves, similar to that of the more recent Lord of the Rings console games. A player can max his character out in terms of bought moves before the game is halfway over, but having all of the specials doesn?t necessarily mean that the game will be any easier. Weapon and armor upgrades can be found throughout the levels to further enhance each character?s looks and performance as well.
The game is rather short compared to other Gauntlet titles, and can be completed with two players in less than five hours. However, the replay value of wanting to test out all four characters can redeem the short play length. Graphics are a little underpowered for a title like this - they could have been a little crisper, but they do look good enough that they won?t detract from overall gameplay. Sound is also an issue, but not nearly as much as the graphics. The music is very well done and adds to the suspense of the title. Cutscenes are illustrated instead of animated and while the art is beautiful, the story progressing via narration and image fades, it would?ve been nice to see some pre-rendered inter-level cutscenes. Even so, the images were very well-drawn and keep with the tradition of the original Gauntlet art.
Any fan of the classic Gauntlet games should think about trying this one out. With the action just as fast-paced as any previous title in the series and a return to the nostalgic storyline, gamers who may not have played a Gauntlet game since the original was released can come back and be reminded of the favorite.
With Gauntlet being set in a mythical fantasy world, it is expected to see things that mystical in nature including spirits of good and evil. Most of the bosses themselves are horribly warped by their wickedness displayed in their dialogue and actions. Seven Sorrows is a very violent title with a battlefield full of corpses; however, there?s surprisingly no blood or gore.
Some of the characters start the game with little clothing. The Warrior fits the archetype of the classic barbarian, wearing not much more than leg coverings. The Valkyrie wears leather to cover herself, but is more clad than most female video game heroes of recent note. The wizard is also shirtless at the start. Armor upgrades do further cover the characters as the game progresses, though weapon upgrades tend to make players focus on how awesome the character looks as a warrior than an object of lust.
Seven Sorrows carries with it a dark story of a king who betrayed the Four Immortal heroes and crucified them on a tree at the bottom of the world before changing his mind and releasing them to put an end to all of the problems he started. The havoc caused by the Seven Sorrows involves unleashing horrible fiends upon the world by way of ?enemy generators? that look like occult shrines.
Gauntlet: Seven Sorrows captures much of the nostalgic air that this saga had in previous releases and the gameplay has been greatly enhanced with some more modern features added, such as the level system and the special moves available for purchase. Seven Sorrows is a little on the short side and the plot is lacking with a king who can?t take care of his old problems, but the game plays very well. The game?s music is crisp, though the graphics leave something to be desired, but overall Gauntlet: Seven Sorrows is a solid title.
» By Dave Herbert, Plain Games. Published 1/10/2006 10:47:41 PM.
