Gauntlet, Atari's 1985 dungeon-looting arcade game, came long after the heyday of its successful home console. But CDS Games has managed to pack a playable version of the complex action RPG into the primitive Atari VCS. [via]
The four characters—Warrior, Wizard, Valkyrie and Elf—are in there, as are the endless foes and a labyrinthine maze to get overwhelmed by them in.
Each character starts with a special ability:
Warrior: shot power
Valkyrie: shield
Wizard: extra magic power
Elf: shot speed
* Fight ghosts, grunts, wizards, and death as well as generators and bones
* collect magic and upgrade potions
* 80 different levels
There's even a certain irony to the production, as it's a hack of the Atari game Dark Chambers, which was built upon an early noncommercial effort Dandy, which was itself the inspiration for Gauntlet. Atari, according to legend, ultimately gave credit, and a stand-up Gauntlet machine, to Dandy creator John Palevich after he threatened to sue the company.
So finally we've come full circle!
…Overall, I know we're still a ways from Ed Logg's arcade masterpiece, but if you are craving a Gauntlet experience on your VCS, or just want a new take on Dark Chambers, here's hoping this can tide you over.
Alas, some of the console's limitations prevail: you will have to provide your own booming, sarcastic narration.
Note that there was a game called "Gauntlet" released on the VCS, but it has nothing to do with Atari's later hit.
