Gauntlet is a top-down hack-and-slash dungeon crawler published by Tengen for the NES, ported from Atari’s 1985 arcade game — one of the earliest multiplayer dungeon crawlers. One or two players pick Thor the Warrior, Thyra the Valkyrie, Merlin the Wizard, or Questor the Elf, then battle through maze-like dungeons, destroying monster generators and collecting keys, food, and treasure.
How To Play Gauntlet
Control
Action
D-Pad
Move in eight directions
A Button
Attack (melee or fire a shot at enemies)
B Button
Use a potion (magic attack that clears nearby enemies)
Start
Start game / pause
About Gauntlet
Release date
NES (NA): July 1988 (arcade original: 1985; North America NES exclusive)
Developer
Tengen / Atari Games (NES port); Atari Games (arcade original)
Sheldon has spent over a decade immersed in retro gaming, from NES classics to arcade gems. He's deeply passionate about preserving gaming history and helping others rediscover these timeless titles. When he's not gaming, Shaun writes about the evolution of video games and their cultural impact.
