Play Gauntlet Legends (e) Online

Gauntlet Legends came out for the Nintendo 64 in 1999, developed and published by Midway Games. It was part of that era on the N64 where you saw a lot of attempts to bring arcade style action into a home console adventure. This one stood out for taking the old Gauntlet formula and building a full 3D world around it.

You pick from a few fantasy characters like a warrior, valkyrie, wizard, or archer, and then you venture through a series of themed dungeons. Your main goal is to defeat the evil wizard Garm and his minions by clearing rooms of monsters, solving simple puzzles, and hunting for keys and runes. The game is built on screen by screen exploration; you fight your way through one enclosed area before the exit to the next one opens up. You are constantly managing your health, which ticks down over time, and your magic meter, which you build by smashing pots and barrels. The combat is straightforward hack and slash or ranged attacks, and the pacing is relentless as enemies spawn continuously. It feels like a race against your own dwindling life bar while you fend off waves of skeletons and ghosts. Playing it is a constant, hectic scramble for survival and treasure.