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Well CGR viewers, this is Gabe from Undertow, and today’s review marks my final day at
Classic Game Room before I head off to college. I decided to do a game that, like my upcoming
experience, is completely new to me. The Gauntlet series has become a classic hack and slasher
with tons of pop-culture references in both movies and television shows, and I thought
that it would be great to give this one a try before I head out. I was pleasantly surprised
to find that this game is a difficult but rewarding experience that has a great old-school
feel to it. This is Gauntlet: Dark Legacy for the GameCube.
Gauntlet: Dark Legacy was originally an arcade game before getting ported to different home
consoles, and it feels like it. You start off by choosing any color of a variety of
character classes like archer and a dwarf who looks like Mr. T in junior high. You’re
then sent into a level as you progress through waves of enemies and collect items like keys
to help you make it to the end. Unlike more modern western RPG’s, Dark Legacy is a game
that really feels like it wants you to play it in short spurts, emphasized by its sort
of “drop in” gameplay style, instead of trying to play it for hours and hours at a
time. Throughout each level, there are also little scrolls of paper that give you vague
hints of what’s to come, and this adds a fun tension to the experience.
Along with a sort of stripped down RPG style that Dark Legacy uses, it also features a
fairly simple control scheme. The A button is for a weaker attack and the Y button uses
a stronger attack, while X is for magic and B is for a block that’s really hard to use.
Different abilities can be earned by moving through levels, and choosing where and when
to use each one is easily the best part of the combat. The game can get a tad button-mashy
at times, but boss fights, especially when you’re using the sorceress like I was, usually
require you to do some kiting so you don’t get absolutely destroyed.
In addition, pieces of food are scattered throughout the level to raise your health
in tough situations. The game can go from being fairly easy to extremely tough in a
matter of seconds, and busting up barrels and opening chests to find a piece of fruit
or a steak also adds to the excitement. However, poison food items and explosives are also
available and these can be a pretty big middle finger to you if you’re desperate for some
health. But hey, that’s kind of what old school games are about.
For a GameCube game, Gauntlet: Dark Legacy doesn’t exactly amaze with its visuals.
The camera angle it uses doesn’t really allow for too much detail to be shown, but
the graphics still do the job. Audio is a little, um, suggestive, especially with a
specific character, and the music is excellent. It also features some classic lines that fans
of the series, and even some who aren’t, will recognize.
Gauntlet: Dark Legacy shows that you don’t need to make a hack and slash game super-complex
to make it entertaining. I expected to enjoy the game, but I didn’t expect for it to
be just as addictive as it was. It’s always nice to find an older gaming gem that you
missed from the last generation. Well, that’s it for me, guys. This is Gabe from Classic
Game Room. Take care.