Gauntlet's dungeons are comprised of a mix between fixed areas and randomly generated pieces. Although I realize that an armor system that provides gameplay bonuses might interfere with the Mastery and Relic systems that are already in place, a part of me can't help wishing that the rather expensive options did more than make my Elf look a little different. Gold can also be used to purchase new weapon styles and outfits, but these changes appear to be completely aesthetic. It would be nice to import my character to play in a couch co-op match.
Everyone playing locally levels up the host's characters, which is too bad. The concept becomes more amusing during local games, since no matter who survives and gets the gold, it's the owner of the game that wins.
On the bright side, destroying food unlocks a Mastery. However, a stray shot can destroy the food and make things harder for the group. and who wants to do that when a Gauntlet party is going on?Ĭompetition can also heat up over food, since (apart from specific Relics and Masteries) it's the most effective and direct way to regain health. There's no way to know for sure what's happening or how it happens without reviewing the Masteries menu. The Valkyrie gains a pair of glowing wings that probably relates to a reduced revival timer after dying. How do I do that?" For example, the Elf has the ability to transform into a ball of light just before it dies so that it can relocate with one hit point. So, I often found myself saying, "Oh, I can do that now.
Masteries can be a bit tricky, since they unlock as soon as you hit a milestone, but you can't read up on how to use them. So, in a way, your allies could be doing you a favor by betraying you. Masteries range from improved speed to more skills abilities like firing an explosive arrow, and there's a whole set of them that are unlocked by dying in numerous and various ways. By achieving milestones (killing X number of enemies, eating food, getting gold, etc.), players unlock different abilities called Masteries. The mix of trollish and cooperative behavior is precisely what makes Gauntlet work so well, and to top it off, there are benefits to dying. To this end, players try to race forward to grab up as much gold as they can, and some may take opportunities to let fellow players die so that they can grab up some extra gold.
Players are mostly fighting to be the first to pick up gold, which can be used to purchase and upgrade Relics - objects that grant users special abilities like leaving a trail of fire behind you or creating duplicates. Although Gauntlet is technically a cooperative multiplayer game, there is a strong element of competition involved. Despite the ability to do more damage and take more hits, they're the ones that have to run headlong into combat, and consequently are usually the first ones to die.ĭying is all part of the game, and caring friends will quickly loot your corpse of all the money you've dropped. Each character has a unique set of abilities to help mow down enemies, but it often seems like the melee characters often get the short end of the stick. The four characters include (my favorite) the Elf, who specializes in ranged attacks and can drop explosives the Warrior, who swings a big axe the Valkyrie with a spear and shield (which can be thrown Captain America style) and the Wizard, who has a selection of different spells. Up to four players come together to traverse the dungeons in search of action, loot and cooked turkeys.
People are needed for a real party, and the more the better, because some of the bosses are very hard to beat. Although it might be worthwhile to do an occasional solo run to hoard all the loot, it's kind of dull when going it alone. This is the kind of game that comes to life when others are involved. I strongly advise playing Gauntlet with at least one other person.