Janine "Iris Ophelia" Hawkins' ongoing review of gaming and virtual world style
Remember last month when I said I wouldn't buying Arrowhead Game Studios' Gauntlet on day one? After the game's release date was pushed back I was more convinced than ever that I'd be taking the wait-and-see approach, but evidently eagerness and nostalgia (and some really fun looking video coverage) got the better of me. Well, I suppose since I ended up preordering over the weekend (on day negative-three, but who's counting?) that day one thing wasn't technically a lie.
Having only completed the first section of the game I'm in no place to write a proper review, but I do want to share my early impressions for those out there in the position I would have been in (if I had slightly more self control and Gauntlet hadn't been priced so very reasonably.) Keep reading for my thoughts so far.
The Developers' Pedigree Shows (and That's Good)
Arrowhead Game Studios may be most well known for Magicka, a multiplayer wizardry game with a sense of humor in its writing that shows up early and often in Gauntlet. But that's not the only parallel, nor is it even the most significant. Magicka also featured a phenomenally cool (and complex) spellcasting system that required players to mix different elements/aspects to produce varies spell results. Gauntlet's wizard uses a powerful magic system that resembles a much more simplified version of Magicka's, but every class (as well as the enemies) benefit from some incredibly good looking attack effects too. It would have been very easy not to push the limits with these skills at all -- to just give every character exactly what a player familiar with fantasy settings would expect and nothing more -- but instead we have arrows loaded with bombs and Valkyrie shield throwing that evokes Xena, and I couldn't be happier about that.
Your Equipment is Very Limited (and That's Bad)
"Bad" may be too strong a word here, but just know what you're getting into. This is not Diablo, even when it's gesturing vaguely in Diablo's general direction. You will not be collecting a plethora of color-coded drops and changing your look up every few minutes. Most of the tweaks you'll be making to your loadout will involve the abilities (or "relics) you buy, while much of the already narrow selection of armor and weapons will be inaccessible unless you're playing on the hardest difficulty settings. In the context of the series this makes sense, but depending on the types of dungeon crawlers you play it may still come as a disappointment. It may be best to think of that gear more like special perks or higher-level upgrades rather than general equipment. Personally I'm not a fan of this system, but it's not going to drive me away either.
This is Your Parents' Gauntlet (and That's Fine)
Well in my case it is, but for many more it will just be theirs. This far from a reboot of the beloved Gauntlet Legends and much more about a return to the series' (equally beloved) roots. That means that it doesn't coddle you at all; you can and will destroy food, you can and will waste keys, you can and will get greedy and end up cornered by Death himself and then whoops, that's game. You can (but unless you're me probably won't) completely wipe on the very first level because in the past decade you have developed a false sense of security about what "Normal Mode" should be like.
Gauntlet has not exactly been kind to me or the friends I've been playing with. I swear more at this game than I've sworn at any game in a few years. It's challenging and infuriating and honestly it feels pretty damn good that way.
Thyra is a Badass Lady (but No One Else Is, and That Sucks)
Thyra looks strong as hell. She also looks like she's seen some shit in her day. She looks like she could tear a dragon's head clean off if she wanted to. In summary: She's great, and it was strangely relieving to realize that Arrowhead could have once again taken the easy route and chose not to. They could have had a buxom lady in breast-baring armor and perfect lipstick and elegantly arched combat stilettos. The original character designs would have supported a more sexually-charged approach, but they instead went with a Valkyrie design that looks a million times more believable and, unlike her Legends counterpart, doesn't even moan provocatively when injured/eating/existing.
But this return to the series' roots, including its original cast, throws out one of the absolute best things that Gauntlet Legends did, something I took for granted at the time but have since learned to appreciate. For almost every character type, Legends provided players with a male or female version to play. More than that, each class included a non-white version of that character as well. Sixteen years later and I still have to thank my lucky stars if even one of those options is available, nevermind both. In this case, Arrowhead did make the easier choice: They stuck with the original characters and didn't push the boundaries any further. While I don't necessarily that was the "wrong" choice to make, I do think it's an area where they could have done better, especially in light of how much of their own flavor they've added into almost every other aspect of the game.
All in all I'm looking forward to venturing deeper into Gauntlet. It may not be the reboot of my dreams, but that hasn't kept me from enjoying it.
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What the heck, it's PC only? What kind of crazy studio does a Gauntlet game that's PC only. That's totally whack!
That said, does it have proper voices. Gauntlet has to have voices. And I loved how GDL had the multiple character appearance options.
Posted by: CronoCloud Creeggan | Thursday, September 25, 2014 at 06:50 AM