Guantlet Legends is the ultimate party game.
Guantlet Legends is way more fun than it should be.
It's really just a bare bones action RPG stripped down to the arcade level. Players each choose one of four characters and four colors and run through a... well... guantlet of stages. Enemies spawn endlessly from generators scattered about the stage. As you battle monsters and navigate the mazes, you level up and collect gold, which is used to buy items and stat boosts.
The game looks decent enough, but the sound is terrible. The voice clips are timeless, though. "Blue Valkyrie has gained a level!" is one of the most satisfying things to hear. This game is prone to slowdown and freezing when the action gets particularly dense, so be sure to save often. I recommend using an N64 with the expansion pack installed to help keep things running smooth.
The controls are of the simple pick-up-and-play sort. Your character moves about with the stick and attacks nearby foes automatically. Pressing buttons unleashes potions (the equivelent of a bomb), a ranged shot, or a powerful turbo attack which depletes your energy. Energy slowly recovers over time.
Run through it... defeat the bosses... and level up. That's about it.
Verdict:
The game has little depth or strategy, and is mindless fun for you and your buddies. To be fair, Guantlet Legends for N64 is the definitive home version of the game. The newer ones just don't hold a candle. Scoop this one up from the used game bin for a night or two of wholesale slaughter.
+Mindless RPG fun for 4 players
+Decent graphics
-Crappy sound
-Terribly shallow and repetitive
-Prone to slowdown and freezing.