Gauntlet is an arcade classic and one of the most influential games in history. Many action RPGs such as Diablo and Victor Vran can trace their lineage to this Midway classic, and its excellent gameplay. When Gauntlet was released on the NES, it received new music, revamped gameplay and an actual ending, all things that made it stand out. But this wasn’t the best port of the arcade game, as there was one that took things much further.
Gauntlet IV was a remake of the arcade game for the Sega Genesis/Mega Drive and has an interesting history behind it. A group of programmers decided to port Gauntlet to the X68000 computer, almost as a test to see if they could. After doing so, and without having access to the source code, they showed the product to Tengen who suggested they port it to the Sega Genesis.
From here the story gets more interesting, as a prototype of the Genesis port was given to Chris Tang, a champion Tetris player. Chris thought it was neat but needed more than just a port of the arcade game. After all, the NES version was a better than arcade port, so why not use what the Genesis had to offer. The result was a game that greatly expanded on the original.
The new game became Gauntlet IV, the definitive console version for a long time. This version was greatly expanded and included new story parts, as well as RPG elements. The game became much more immersive, and it is this version that stands out as having influenced later ARPGs.
In addition to these new features, the game had even more. There was a Quest Mode where players could fight through multiple towers of enemies. There was also a Battle Mode where two players ( or even more) would compete against each other to survive in various battles. The last new mode was Record Mode which essentially turned the game into a speedrun race.
Gauntlet IV had an amazing soundtrack, and the voicework was far superior to that of the arcade version. The developers knew they had to get this right and produce a masterpiece, and they succeeded beyond their wildest dreams. The developers are still working in gaming to this day, and are now known as M2, who have gained a reputation as masters of emulation and porting. They have been behind the Sega 3D classics for 3DS, Sega Ages for Switch and more. Gauntlet IV left behind a legacy in many ways, and it was just the start of a legendary team. It is a game definitely worth tracking down.