Gauntlet Legends on the N64- A Quick Review from a Nobody

Video game remakes and remasters aren't new to gaming. The early 3D era was an incredibly exciting time in gaming, where we witnessed developers taking popular 2D franchises and updating them for the new 3D era. This was the most exciting time in gaming, if you ask me, because we were eager to see how developers were going to translate a 2D game into one with a Z-axis. Some games presented a daunting challenge to developers in trying to figure out what characteristics of the 2D product would make it into the 3D one.

In late 1998, Midway released Gauntlet Legends in the arcades, bringing their classic arcade series beautifully into the 3D realm, even surpassing the 2D offerings, in my humble opinion. Less than a year later, on August, 31st 1999, the N64 version of Gauntlet Legends was released.

While it would probably be an easier job to just make a new IP in the 3D era than potentially ruin a popular 2D franchise, Midway smashed this one out of the park, keeping the important parts of the original but adding complex 3D level designs that were still filled with throngs of enemies and tons of secret hidden areas, and most importantly, keeping the multiplayer aspect in tact with up to 4-player similtanious support. They even surpassed the classic series by adding an RPG leveling system, fully turning it into a light hack 'n' slash RPG—a diet Diablo, if you will.

I always have a very hard time putting this game down once I start it. Throw in up to four-player multiplayer, and you have the formula for one of the best single-player and multiplayer games on the N64. Some have complained that the game is shallow and repetitive, being an arcade port, but taken as a light RPG, that's the appeal: getting a hack 'n' slash RPG without more complicated elements added. While depth is welcome and has its place in games like Diablo, sometimes you just want a simple, more accessible experience that can be enjoyed with friends, and Gauntlet Legends fills that niche excellently.

Gauntlet Legends is not just one of the best multiplayer games on the system; it's one of the best games on the N64 in general.

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