Gauntlet: Seven Sorrows

Watching these heroes pirouette amidst the violence is surprisingly entertaining, and while Seven Sorrows doesn't deliver fully on the promise and longevity of its progenitor, it does provide a fleeting good time.

It may not be revolutionary or technically stunning, but it is a lot of fun; and that's what games are all about.

Nothing beats running around cramped dungeons seeking treasure and revenge while hacking, arrow-ing, and spell-casting your way through hordes of Lord of the Rings rejects.

While it is a solid hack and slash action title, Seven Sorrows has to be seen as a disappointment for many fans of the series expecting a deeper, longer experience.

A nice way to kill a few hours when guests are over, but I wouldn't have paid full price for it.

Gauntlet fans will be disappointed and the game won’t win any new converts to Gauntlet fandom.

Sorrows nails the controls, making the repetitive hack-n-slash action enjoyable in a Dynasty Warriors kinda way, and multiplayer is mostly successful. Unfortunately, the graphics fail to impress, the story isn't anything memorable, banging buttons is as effective as making use of the combos, and what should have been an epic quest can be completed by a novice gamer in around eight hours, with not much reason for replay.

If you're looking for a Gauntlet game in the tradition of the original, you can find "Midway Arcade Treasures" for cheap. If you want one more like the recent N64 releases or Dark Legacy, this is the only game in town.

Seven Sorrows baits you with a role-playing-game-style character development system, but the game's short length (easily clocking in under six hours) makes leveling up unrewarding.

The game's one noteable feat - online, cooperative multiplayer. This, I am delighted to say, works swimmingly. [Feb 2006, p.102]

A decent romp when playing with others, even if it does get old after a while. [Feb 2006, p.80]

It's a bite-size nugget of nostalgia and mindless fun. [Feb 2006, p.77]

Retro purists will like it but most will find the gameplay too basic. The graphics and technology behind the game have obviously improved and grown over the years; it's just a pity the same can't be said of the actual gameplay. [PSW]

The hack n’ slash genre has evolved quite a bit over the years, so people have come to expect more out of a game like this.

Enjoyably frantic, brief and basic. Gauntlet is showing its age but still offers a decent few hours of mindless maiming. [Mar 2006, p.94]

The plot is inconsequential, the characters are less than one dimensional and the game is radically overbalanced, amongst other issues.

While mind-numbingly boring in single-player, the game does inch closer to being fun when other players pick up a controller.

Whether you play it alone or with friends, this uninspired update to the '80s swords-and-sorcery arcade dungeon crawl misses the mark with its boring, mindless action and short, forgettable quest.

Fundamentally unchanged since 1985, the Gauntlet experience remains fun, but the latest incarnation doesn't really take the franchise to the proverbial next level. It's a great way to kill an afternoon with friends, but nothing more.

While fun once through, the broken online component and repetitive design means this'll soon be consigned to a dusty game shelf never to be played again.