The player takes control of a squad of four troops serving in the British Special Air Service or the American Delta Force during the first Gulf War in the first-person/third-person shooter game Conflict: Desert Storm. The perspective can be switched between first-person and third-person by pressing a button. It incorporates concepts taken from the book Bravo Two Zero and other actual missions that took place throughout the conflict.
Another entry in the long-running hack-and-slash action game series known as the Gauntlet, Gauntlet: Dark Legacy is a conversion of the original arcade game and the sequel to the previous entry, Gauntlet: Legends. In every Gauntlet game, you take on the role of a medieval fantasy figure who, alongside companions, if you have any, and in the never-ending pursuit of more gold and sometimes even a final objective, battles their way through hordes of wicked creatures.
This version includes all of the characters and stages from the Gauntlet: Legends video game, all of the new characters and levels from the Dark Legacy arcade game, and a few stories that were added specifically for this edition.
There are eight playable characters to select from when the game first begins: the great Warrior, the lethal Valkyrie, the quick-footed Archer, the mighty Wizard, the spell-casting Sorceress, the stalwart Knight, the heroic Dwarf, and the anarchic Jester. Each character in the two games has a unique appearance and way of playing, even though some of the game’s characters share commonalities. In addition, each of these characters can unlock one of eight other alternative modes, and there are dozens of hidden characters to discover. Up to four people can compete against one another using a multi-tap, and there are limits on how severely they can damage one another. In contrast to the first version of Gauntlets, the levels you have to completely take place in various environments, such as volcanic plains, forests, and mountains. Older fans of the series will recognize a good number of the monsters, but there is also fresh blood among the ranks of the bad, including some formidable adversaries.
In contrast to the early Gauntlet arcade games, the camera’s perspective changes from one place to the next, ranging from a bird’s eye view to almost ground level. The world, its inhabitants, and its heroes are all depicted in three dimensions. Although the aesthetics have been improved, the gameplay has remained essentially unchanged. You will primarily move from level to level, cutting away at what appears to be an infinite number of armies of monsters while looking for riches, keys, and food that will restore your health… as well as an exit from the level. The repetitive nature of the originals is alleviated somewhat by the presence of bosses and other programmed events.
Gauntlet: Dark Legacy is an action game with some RPG trappings and should not be confused with the more authentic varieties from that genre. Levels can be earned, and characters can be saved, but the game is still primarily action.
