''Gauntlet II'' is a
1986
The year 1986 was designated as the International Year of Peace by the United Nations.
Events January
* January 1
**Aruba gains increased autonomy from the Netherlands by separating from the Netherlands Antilles.
**Spain and Portugal enter ...
arcade game produced by
Atari Games that serves as the immediate sequel to the original ''
Gauntlet'', which was released the previous year. Like its predecessor, ''Gauntlet II'' is a
fantasy
Fantasy is a genre of speculative fiction involving magical elements, typically set in a fictional universe and sometimes inspired by mythology and folklore. Its roots are in oral traditions, which then became fantasy literature and d ...
-themed top down
dungeon crawler game and was released as a dedicated cabinet, as well as a conversion kit, both available in 2-player and 4-player versions.
Gameplay
''Gauntlet II'' is essentially an expanded version of the original ''
Gauntlet''. Like in the original game, there are four character classes to play as, with the choices being Warrior, Valkyrie, Wizard and Elf. The main difference from the original game is that multiple players can now choose to play as the same character class. Because of this each player is now distinguished by the palette of their character, with red and blue being in all versions of the game, while yellow and green are featured in the 4-player version. New voice samples were added in ''Gauntlet II'', identifying each player by their color and class (e.g. "Yellow Elf", "Red Wizard").
New level designs were added, including the possibility of encountering them in altered ways by having the play-field turned in steps of 90°. Other new features include the enemy "It", which upon contact made a player "It" and drew all enemies towards them. The only way to release this curse is by
touching another player or entering the exit, turning any level containing "It" into a fantasy filled game of tag. Other notable additions include the ability to ricochet shots off walls by means of a special
pick-up, acid puddles that caused large, predetermined amounts of damage and a large dragon which occupied multiple squares and required multiple hits to destroy.
New level elements were also added, adding more variety to the original game. These included "all walls are invisible", "magic walls" which changed into monsters or items when hit, "stun tiles" which stunned the player, and fake exits.
Another challenge in the game is the possibility to find a "secret room". This can be found by completing specific achievements within the level (e.g., "don't be fooled", means that you must find the real exit first). The secret room contains items such as food and magic potions (extra shot power, extra shot speed, extra magic power, extra speed, extra armor and extra fight power).
Development
Shortly after the release of the original ''Gauntlet'', until March 31, 1986, Atari Games held a contest where players submitted level designs, game ideas, and other suggestions for a potential ''Gauntlet'' sequel.
The winners of the contest were announced in the April 1986 issue of Atari Games' newsletter,
and the developers implemented some of those submissions in ''Gauntlet II''. During the release of ''Gauntlet II'', Atari Games held a second contest where players were tasked to find the secret rooms in the game itself. After fulfilling a certain task, the players were given a code, which they submitted to Atari Games via an entry form; the grand prize was a U.S. government saving bond valued at $5000, and the first 500 entries received a t-shirt. The contest was held until December 19.
Releases
''Gauntlet II'' was ported to the ZX Spectrum
The ZX Spectrum () is an 8-bit home computer that was developed by Sinclair Research. It was released in the United Kingdom on 23 April 1982, and became Britain's best-selling microcomputer.
Referred to during development as the ''ZX81 Colou ...
, Amstrad CPC
The Amstrad CPC (short for ''Colour Personal Computer'') is a series of 8-bit home computers produced by Amstrad between 1984 and 1990. It was designed to compete in the mid-1980s home computer market dominated by the Commodore 64 and the Si ...
, Commodore 64, Amiga, Atari ST and MS-DOS
MS-DOS ( ; acronym for Microsoft Disk Operating System, also known as Microsoft DOS) is an operating system for x86-based personal computers mostly developed by Microsoft. Collectively, MS-DOS, its rebranding as IBM PC DOS, and a few ope ...
in 1987. These versions of the game were released in North America by Mindscape and in Europe by U.S. Gold
U.S. Gold Limited was a British video game publisher based in Witton, Birmingham, England. The company was founded in 1984 by Anne and Geoff Brown in parallel to their distributor firm, CentreSoft, both of which became part of Woodward Brown Ho ...
. Most versions only supported two players, but the Atari ST version supported an adaptor that allowed two further joysticks (totalling four) to be connected via that machine's parallel port. Mindscape later ported the game to the Nintendo Entertainment System in 1990 and the Game Boy
The is an 8-bit fourth generation handheld game console developed and manufactured by Nintendo. It was first released in Japan on April 21, 1989, in North America later the same year, and in Europe in late 1990. It was designed by the same t ...
in 1991. The NES version of ''Gauntlet II'' was one of the earliest games for the console that supported up to four players, being compatible with either the NES Four Score
The NES Four Score is a multitap accessory created by Nintendo in 1990 for the Nintendo Entertainment System. Select games can utilize it to enable up to four-player gameplay. The NES Four Score is similar to the previously introduced NES Sate ...
or NES Satellite
The NES Satellite is a Nintendo Entertainment System multiplayer adaptor accessory (multitap), created by Nintendo and released in 1989 as a part of the NES Sports Set.
With select supporting games, the Satellite allows up to four players to pla ...
adapters. Unlike the NES version of the first ''Gauntlet'', ''Gauntlet II'' was a more direct conversion of the arcade original, lacking any sort of storyline or ending.
''Gauntlet II'' is also included in the compilations ''Midway Arcade Treasures 2
''Midway Arcade Treasures 2'' is the second collection of classic arcade games published by Midway Games for the PlayStation 2, Xbox (not compatible with Xbox 360), and GameCube. This compilation includes 20 games that were not in the 2003 re ...
'' (released for PlayStation 2, Xbox
Xbox is a video gaming brand created and owned by Microsoft. The brand consists of five video game consoles, as well as applications (games), streaming services, an online service by the name of Xbox network, and the development arm by the ...
and GameCube in 2004) and '' Midway Arcade Origins'' (released for PlayStation 3
The PlayStation 3 (PS3) is a home video game console developed by Sony Computer Entertainment. The successor to the PlayStation 2, it is part of the PlayStation brand of consoles. It was first released on November 11, 2006, in Japan, November ...
and Xbox 360
The Xbox 360 is a home video game console developed by Microsoft. As the successor to the original Xbox, it is the second console in the Xbox series. It competed with Sony's PlayStation 3 and Nintendo's Wii as part of the seventh generati ...
in 2012). A stand-alone port of the game was also released by Sony Online Entertainment
Daybreak Game Company LLC is an American video game developer based in San Diego. The company was founded in December 1997 as Sony Online Entertainment, a subsidiary of Sony Computer Entertainment, but was spun off to an independent investor in ...
for the PlayStation 3
The PlayStation 3 (PS3) is a home video game console developed by Sony Computer Entertainment. The successor to the PlayStation 2, it is part of the PlayStation brand of consoles. It was first released on November 11, 2006, in Japan, November ...
on May 3, 2007 as a downloadable game on the PlayStation Store
The PlayStation Store (PS Store) is a digital media store available to users of Sony's PlayStation 3, PlayStation Vita, PlayStation 4 and PlayStation 5 game consoles via the PlayStation Network.
The store offers a range of downloadable conten ...
, but has since been delisted.
Reception
The Game Boy version was praised by the German ''Play Time'' magazine for its technical implementation (including 8-directional scrolling), faithful recreation of graphics, and for evoking nostalgic feelings with similar sound effects; however, this version was criticized for difficult-to-recognize sprites and its technically weak theme music.[
The Spectrum version of the game was well received, ''Sinclair User'' said it was "a corker. Fast action and superb gameplay make ''Gauntlet II'' probably the first sequel worth the cash". ''Your Sinclair'' said it was "a 'must have' for all of you who asked for Gauntlet on your Desert Island Disks". Both ''YS'' and ''Crash'' gave the main weaknesses as the sound and the over-similarity to the original.
In 1997 '']Electronic Gaming Monthly
''Electronic Gaming Monthly'' (often abbreviated to ''EGM'') is a monthly American video game magazine. It offers video game news, coverage of industry events, interviews with gaming figures, editorial content and product reviews.
History
The m ...
'' listed ''Gauntlet II'' as the 3rd best arcade game of all time.
References
External links
*
''Gauntlet II''
at the Arcade History database
for the Atari ST at Atari Mania
*
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Gauntlet 2
1986 video games
Amiga games
Amstrad CPC games
Arcade video games
Atari arcade games
Atari ST games
Commodore 64 games
Cooperative video games
Ed Logg games
Game Boy games
Midway video games
Nintendo Entertainment System games
DOS games
U.S. Gold games
Video game sequels
Video games about valkyries
Video games about dragons
Video games scored by Ben Daglish
Video games developed in the United States
Video games featuring female protagonists
Top-down video games
ZX Spectrum games
Mindscape games