Gauntlet Reviews
Gauntlet is good and fun, but I don't think about it much between sessions. And that's about it. I feel like I've said more than is necessary at this point, really. It's competently made and enjoyable and you might forget you have it if you don't play it for a week.
Gauntlet pays faithful homage to the '85 original, but doesn't bring the replay value expected in the post-coin-op era.
As gamers, we've certainly become a lot more demanding for original and varied content across the stretch of a game, and while repetition and score-beating held up well 30 years ago, it's not the case anymore. For series fans looking for a temporary time machine this'll do the trick, for most other gamers, it's a simple reminder of gaming's brilliant, but dated, past.
Sadly, the biggest problem with this whole package may be that Arrowhead has already made a truly great Gauntlet tribute anyway, and it was Magicka. There was a game with the freedom to choose its own first principles, while still having Gauntlet's mean-spirited playfulness baked into it. The difference, I suspect, is between being creatively inspired by the spirit and ethos of a legendary design, and being cast as a kind of well-intentioned caretaker.
An old-fashioned game in a newfangled era, Gauntlet does too much and too little all at once.
There are moments in Gauntlet: Slayer Edition that shine. Whether it's successfully taking out a room full of enemies with your three co-op partners or, even better, single-handedly, because your friends already died and now they owe you a debt. These are the moments that people will play for despite its repetitive nature, but that repetition is ultimately the deal-breaker and the other issues only serve to reinforce that there are other games in the genre that do it better.
Gauntlet: Slayer Edition on the PS4 is great fun with some friends, but the end-game consists of too much repetition and endlessly grinding for gold coins.
Personally, I was happy to have finished the game because I was so worn out by the monotony that I just wanted to stop. If I didn't feel compelled to finish every single level in the campaign for review purposes, I probably wouldn't have bothered seeing the ending. Yet despite everything I've just said, I will say that Gauntlet: Slayer Edition does suffice as a multiplayer experience. It's serviceable enough that, if you and a couple of friends want to get together to play games over some drinks, you're not going to have too bad of a time with this title. It's still a such mindless button masher that I actually preferred playing as the Elf because it's a lot less taxing on the fingers. It's also really not all that fulfilling, especially with the particularly lackluster boss battles, but that doesn't mean that it's an awful title. If all you're looking for is an arcade-styled experience, then Gauntlet: Slayer Edition will fill that void. There's even an Endless mode that you can run through for a mostly uninterrupted experience, and you can head online if you don't mind matchmaking. However, only the most die-hard fans will probably keep playing long after the credits roll, and it's a really short game.
This could have been much better if it had made a few more modern day concessions like random loot drops and a proper XP system. Still, if you're a retro gamer who fancies a change to Diablo III, it's undeniably fun for an evening session while you catch up with friends or even with randomers online.
It's certainly not the worst Gauntlet revamp there's ever been, but there's too little substance or variety to satisfy either new fans or old.
There are some neat little deviations from the formula here, but it's far too safe to linger in your memory once you've had your fill of slaying monsters.
If you're going to get it do so now, because there won't be anyone around to play with by Christmas. Gauntlet needs fun, badly.
There is a lot of customization in terms of the various equipment you can outfit each character with, but it doesn't come close to the variety of builds that would have been available had the game employed a traditional loot system. Alas, Gauntlet isn't that game.
With a party of four, it's an enjoyable diversion and the four classes are well balanced and complementary, but the traps, layouts and enemies aren't quite disruptive enough, and even on higher difficulties the routine of combat tests endurance rather than creative solutions.
Don't spend the $20 asking price, but consider it for a weekend jaunt if you can get a sale price on a four-pack.