Gauntlet II
| Industry | Video games |
|---|---|
| Headquarters | United States |
Gauntlet II is an arcade title released in 1986 by Atari Games, acting as the direct follow-up to the original Gauntlet. Retaining the fantasy-themed top-down dungeon crawl style, it was launched both as a dedicated arcade cabinet and as a conversion kit, available in versions supporting two or four players.
Gameplay
Building upon its predecessor, Gauntlet II features four playable classes: Warrior, Valkyrie, Wizard, and Elf. A significant upgrade allows multiple participants to choose the same character class, differentiated by distinct color schemes—red and blue across all editions, with yellow and green added in the four-player variant. Voice samples announce players by their color and class (for example, "Yellow Elf" or "Red Wizard").
The game introduces fresh level layouts, including maps rotated at 90-degree intervals. A unique gameplay mechanic involves an enemy known as "It," which tags a player upon contact, making them the focus of enemy attacks until they pass the "It" status to another player or exit the level, adding a strategic tag component. Additional features include power-ups that enable shots to bounce off walls, hazardous acid pools that cause damage, and a multi-tile dragon enemy requiring several hits to defeat.
New environmental elements enhance variety: invisible barriers, "magic walls" that transform into monsters or items when struck, stun tiles that temporarily immobilize characters, and deceptive fake exits. Secret chambers become accessible through specific achievements—such as locating the true exit first—and contain valuable resources like food and magic potions that improve shot power, movement speed, magical ability, armor rating, and combat strength.
Development
After the original Gauntlet debuted, Atari Games organized a contest running until March 31, 1986, inviting players to submit level designs and ideas for a sequel. Winners were announced in April 1986, with some of their contributions integrated into Gauntlet II. Concurrently with Gauntlet II's launch, Atari initiated a second contest challenging players to discover secret rooms within the game. Participants completing specific objectives received codes to submit for prizes including a $5,000 U.S. government savings bond and commemorative t-shirts awarded to the first 500 entries. This competition remained open until December 19.
Releases
In 1987, Gauntlet II was ported to several home platforms such as the ZX Spectrum, Amstrad CPC, Commodore 64, Amiga, Atari ST, and MS-DOS. Mindscape handled distribution in North America while U.S. Gold managed European markets. Most versions supported two-player gameplay; however, the Atari ST edition allowed up to four players using an adapter connected through its parallel port. Subsequent ports for Nintendo Entertainment System (1990) and Game Boy (1991) were also released by Mindscape. The NES version was among the earliest titles supporting four players via NES Four Score and NES Satellite adapters. Unlike the original NES Gauntlet, this iteration closely followed the arcade gameplay without adding narrative elements or an ending.
Gauntlet II has appeared in compilation releases such as Midway Arcade Treasures 2 (2004) for PlayStation 2, Xbox, and GameCube, as well as Midway Arcade Origins (2012) for PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360. Additionally, Sony Online Entertainment offered a standalone downloadable PlayStation 3 version in 2007 via the PlayStation Store; this release has since been removed.
Reception
The Game Boy adaptation earned commendation from German magazine Play Time for its technical achievements including eight-directional scrolling and faithful graphical reproduction complemented by nostalgic sound effects. Criticism was directed at hard-to-distinguish sprites and underwhelming musical themes.
The ZX Spectrum edition garnered positive reviews; Sinclair User described it as "a corker," praising its fast-paced action and excellent gameplay while referring to it as "probably the first sequel worth the cash." Your Sinclair recommended it as essential for enthusiasts. Both publications noted minor issues concerning sound quality and close resemblance to the original game.
In 1997, Electronic Gaming Monthly ranked Gauntlet II third among all-time greatest arcade games.
External links
- Gauntlet II on Arcade History
- Gauntlet II Atari ST version at Atari Mania
- Articles with short description
- 1986 video games
- Amiga games
- Amstrad CPC games
- Arcade video games
- Atari arcade games
- Atari ST games
- Cancelled Master System 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
- Multiplayer and single-player video games