Gauntlet is a top-down dungeon crawler published by Atari Games for the NES in 1985. At the start of each session, up to two players each choose one of four heroes — Warrior, Valkyrie, Elf, or Wizard — rated differently for attack, armour, speed, and magic. The objective is to fight through maze-like levels, unlock doors, and reach the exit before your health runs out.
How to play
Health drains continuously over time, not only from enemy hits, so stopping is never safe. Each level is filled with enemy generators that endlessly spawn Grunts, Ghosts, Demons, and Sorcerers; destroying a generator permanently halts its spawn point, making that area manageable for the rest of the level. Keys open locked doors; food and potions restore health. Reaching the exit advances you to the next dungeon floor.
Controls
- Arrow keys — move
- Z — attack (NES B button)
- X — magic / secondary action (NES A button)
- Enter — Start / Pause
- Shift — Select
Tips
- Target generators before enemies — each one you destroy permanently cuts that spawn stream and makes the level far easier to clear.
- Pick a hero that fits your style: Warrior is slow but durable; Elf is fast with strong ranged attacks; Valkyrie balances offence and defence; Wizard hits hard with magic but has low armour.
- Keep moving toward the exit. Health drains at a fixed rate whether enemies are nearby or not, so time spent in cleared rooms costs you.
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