Play Gauntlet Ii Online

Gauntlet II came out for the Nintendo Entertainment System in 1990, published by Tengen. It was part of that wave of arcade ports trying to capture the same frantic energy on home consoles, a time when you could find these kinds of top down maze games in many living rooms.

You control one of four fantasy characters, like a warrior or a valkyrie, and your job is to clear out hundreds of dungeon rooms. You move screen by screen, shooting monsters with your unlimited projectile attack while smashing walls to find hidden food and treasure. The main goal is simply to survive as long as possible; your health constantly drains, and every enemy hit makes it drop faster. The game is relentless, with monsters spawning from generators you need to destroy and the pace rarely letting up. It feels like a constant, desperate scramble to stay alive just one more level.