Gauntlet (1985 video game): Difference between revisions

*'''[[Gauntlet (2014 video game)]]''', another [[Continuity Reboot]], this one released for Microsoft Windows, then later re-released for Windows and PS4 as '''Gauntlet: Slayer Edition'''. The game's plot was simple, but serviceable: the heroes are tasked by Morak, the creator of the Gauntlet, with finding three shards of the cursed sword Tyrfing in exchange for riches and power unimaginable. Along with this campaign, there was an "Endless" mode similar to the arcade Gauntlet.

* [[Wizard Needs Food Badly]]: Also overlaps with [[Hyperactive Metabolism]]. It would even be an [[Ear Worm]], but doesn't qualify since it isn't a song. The Duloks [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rp3PNeKx19w beg to differ]. [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8Rp9XvD5kXg As would] [[Five Iron Frenzy]].

* [[An Axe to Grind]]

* [[Announcer Chatter]]: "Red Warrior needs food badly!"

* [[Armor Is Useless]]: Zigzagged. Thyra wears plate armor, and she resists 40% of damage. On the other hand, Thor [[Walking Shirtless Scene|wears no armor at all]], and still resists 30% damage.

* [[Boss-Only Level]]: Exaggerated in ''Gauntlet Dark Legacy'': every boss has its own level.

* [[Bottomless Magazines]]: Basically all versions of the ''Gauntlet'' game series succumbs to this trope.

* [[Button Mashing]]: The point of the game. On the PS2 ports, you can switch it to ''[[Robotron: 2084]]''-style strafing controls, which really helps your thumbs.

* [[Captain Obvious]]: Pick up food in the later games in the series and listen to what the characters say. The Wizard's is best: "Food is good!" Honorable Mentions go to the Knight: "Sweet nutrients!" and the Jester: "Down the hatch!"

* [[Class and Level System]]: ''Gauntlet Legends''.

* [[Colour Coded Multiplayer]]: From left to right, player colors were red, blue, yellow and green. This is very handy if the players chose the same class in ''Gauntlet II'' and later games.

* [[Damage Over Time]]: In the original game, the players' HP decreased at a constant rate throughout the game. The only means to replenish HP? [[Wizard Needs Food Badly|Food items]] in various levels, or [[Crack is Cheaper|putting more coins in the machine]].

* [[Deadly Rotary Fan]]: One of the Nightmare Realm levels in ''Gauntlet Dark Legacy'' has several huge fans blocking your way. You can hit the "slow down" switch to make it past them.

* [[Destroyable Items]]:

** It is possible to accidentally shoot your food. Blue potions can also be shot; in ''Gauntlet II'', shooting poison caused monsters to slow down for a few seconds.

** ''Gauntlet Legends'' and ''Gauntlet Dark Legacy'' had green posion-gas releasing barrels (which turned food poisonous and green as well as hurt players), as well as red explosive barrels (which hurt players if they got detonated as well as turn every item around them into ash). Barrels can be broken open as well. Potions could be shot as well in which they had a lesser effect of elemental magic than if a character used one from inventory.

* [[Distaff Counterpart]]: For the most part, each character type (Strength, Armor, Speed and Magic) in ''Gauntlet Dark Legacy'' has a character of each gender. The only man's club is the Strength type, with the male Warrior and Dwarf.

* [[Drop-In Drop-Out Multiplayer]]

* [[Dynamic Difficulty]]: As you gain points, monsters appear more quickly and less food becomes available. At 2.1 million points, you hit the first [[Cap]] where you get maximum food, and at 4.2 million points, the difficulty resets to as if you just started the game.

* [[Elemental Powers]]: These applied to the potions and the shot power-ups as well. Some of the final bosses had elemental weaknesses, so going to the store and stocking up on the right element for your shot power before the boss fight could give you more damaging attacks against that particular boss until the power-ups ran out.

** Red: Fire.

** Yellow: Light.

** Green: Acid.

* [[Endless Game]]: The arcade game and most of the console ports simply produced new dungeons indefinitely until the player gave up, whereas the NES port had an ending. As did ''Gauntlet Legends'' and ''Gauntlet Dark Legacy'', when Skorne and Garm were defeated... though you could bring out other characters by starting over with them, especially the ones you unlocked.

* [[Fire and Brimstone Hell]]

* [[Forest Ranger]]: The Elf Ranger.

* [[Friendly Fireproof]]: In ''Gauntlet'', shooting other players initially carries no penalty, but after enough levels, they will start to stun other players. Woe unto you if your allies are griefers.

* [[Hot Amazon]]: The Archer, depending upon the costume.

* [[Hot Chick with a Sword]]: Thyra the Valkyrie.

* [[Hyperactive Metabolism]]: Possibly one of the earliest versions of the trope, given the above iconic quote. It really was a way to keep players pumping quarters.

* [[Lady of War]]: The Valkyrie. Different costumes in ''Gauntlet Legend'' and ''Gauntlet Dark Legacy'' can lead to [[Hot Amazon]] though. YMMV, but the Falconess might appeal to those with [[Furry Fandom]] (Valkyrie with wings and head of falcon).

* [[Large Ham]]: The narrator. Would it really be ''Gauntlet'' without him?

* [[Lemony Narrator]]: The guy in the first game who gives you the [[Wizard Needs Food Badly]] warning is a pretty snarky commenter.

* [[Level Drain]]: [[The Grim Reaper|Death]] in ''Gauntlet Dark Legacy'' can not only drain health if it wears red robes, he can also (if he wears black robes) drain '''[[Character Level]]s''' If you're wearing a halo when you face Death though, ''you can drain a level of health or experience from Death instead''.

* [[Mad Libs Dialogue]]: "[color] [class] is now a level [X] [title]!" Which might also lead to a bit of [[Department of Redundancy Department]] in the Warrior's case: "[color] Warrior is now [[Shaped Like Itself|a Level 10 Hero]]!"

* [[Made of Iron]]

* [[Mana Meter]]: The Turbo Meter in ''Gauntlet Dark Legacy''. It gives you a close area attack good when surrounded by enemies when yellow, and a deadly forward wave/straight-shot attack when red. Otherwise, it gives a "laughable" one (such as the Jester dropping a crate of chickens).

* [[Mook Debut Cutscene]]: Done in [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ewTjygaoCMc ''Gauntlet Legends''].

* [[Mook Maker]]

* [[Obvious Beta]]: ''Gauntlet: Seven Sorrows''. All the touted new features were left on the cutting room floor.

* [[Our Dragons Are Different]]: The NES version had a three-headed dragon as the final boss. In the arcade version of ''Gauntlet II'', the dragon is a rare enemy that guards various areas by shooting fire for a long distance (or rapidly cooking players that try getting too close).

** ''Gauntlet Dark Legacy'' had one as the boss of the Warrior's region.

* [[Pivotal Boss]]: Nine of the 11 bosses in ''Gauntlet Dark Legacy'' are like this.

* [[Red Herring]]: {{spoiler|Room 56 in the original game has what appear to be walled-off caches full of food, treasure, and items, with no visible way to enter them. in truth, there is literally ''no'' way to enter them, they were put there so players would go nuts trying to do so. Don't waste time here.}}

* [[Sarcasm Mode]]:

** The narrator in the first game tends to do this. "That was a heroic effort."

* [[Schrödinger's Player Character]]

* [[Sealed Evil in a Can]]: Death hiding in a barrel or chest: he usually didn't come out until the chest was unlocked or the barrel broken.

** Using a magic potion on Death while he was still in a chest turned him into an apple starting with ''Gauntlet Legends''.

* [[Secret Character]]: Quite a few actually.

** For the ''Gauntlet Dark Legacy'' unlockables, you had to get all the coins under a time limit in certain levels, and if you did, the unlockable characters had at least 50 points more in their stats than their "normal versions".

** There are special codes you can out in as your name in the [[PlayStation 2]] version to play as alternate alternate characters. My favorites were the waitress (complete with throwing plates!) Sorceress and the alien Wizard. In the end, you've got a total of 25 playable characters, or at least three alternate skins for the central 8.

** Also of note is the S&M Dwarf.

* [[Smash Mook]]: Grunts. As the manual puts it, "Grunts will run up to you and hit you with their clubs over and over."

* [[The Smurfette Principle]]: Thyra the Valkyrie was the only woman in the original game and all sequels up until ''Gauntlet Legends'', and it took the removal of the Elf to introduce a new female character in the form of the Archer (a female Elf). ''Gauntlet Dark Legacy'' added one more in the Sorceress. This, mind you, is not counting the numerous secret characters in those latter games.

* [[Spiritual Successor]]: Monolith Productions' ''[[wikipedia:Get Medieval|Get Medieval]]''.

* [[Squishy Wizard]]: In the original game, the Wizard takes full damage. Other characters have a reduction up to 40%. The Sorceress from ''Gauntlet Dark Legacy'' also counts as this.

* [[Stripperiffic]]: Female characters in ''Gauntlet Legends'' and ''Gauntlet Dark Legacy'', especially the {{spoiler|secret character Falconess}}. The outfits get less revealing as the character levels up, but not by much; the Sorceress gains [[Fashionable Asymmetry|a single pant leg]], for example.

* [[Throwing Your Sword Always Works]]: As Thyra the Valkyrie can attest.

* [[Trial and Error Gameplay]]: NES version, room 94. The lower left exit eventually leads to a room with no exit, making the game Unwinnable. The lower right leads to a room where the only exit sends you all the way back to room 32. The correct exit is hidden in a block on the far left. If you take a wrong exit, you'll have to start over at room 79 and work your way back. There is no indication of which exit goes where.

* [[True-Blue Femininity]]: Thyra the Valkyrie. The blue Valkyrie from ''Gauntlet Legends''/''Gauntlet Dark Legacy'' also counts as this.

* [[Überwald]]: The Forsaken Province and its hero the Sorceress.

* [["Wake-Up Call" Boss]]: The Dragon in ''Gauntlet Legends''. He's the first boss in the game and will beat down inexperienced players that easily blew through the first few levels.

* [[Zerg Rush]]: The original game perfected this Trope more than a decade before the [[Trope Namer]] ''[[Starcraft]]'' saw the light of day.