Gauntlet: Seven Sorrows Update

LAS VEGAS--Midway Reps, as well as members of Midway's San Diego development studio, were on hand today at Midway's press event to extol the virtues of the upcoming Gauntlet game currently in development at the Southern California studio. The presentation offered a closer look at the upcoming third-person action title that breathes new life into the well-worn Gauntlet premise. While it wasn't playable at today's event, creative director John Romero and lead designer Josh Sawyer offered those in attendance a good look at the upcoming game.

Sawyer kicked things off with an overview of the game's story and a look at the characters. While we've already covered the game's tale of failure and potential world-saving redemption, Sawyer gave up more details on the game's setting. As evidenced by the new look of the main quartet of characters, Gauntlet: Seven Sorrows is taking the franchise in a new direction that is reimagining every aspect of it. All the characters in the game will hail from different ethnic groups that are based, at least in part, on real-life cultures. For example, the warrior and valkyrie hail from a land based on Scandinavian culture, while the wizard hails from a land of cannibals based on the Celts. The international flavor to the game is complemented by its globe-spanning scope, as the action will span different continents and even bring your fighters back to their homelands.

The game's rich narrative appears to work on two different levels. The main tale will obviously revolve around the heroes in the game trying to save the land, or, given their recent track record, trying to do so anyway. At the same time, in keeping with the game's theme of redemption, each character will have his or her own minidrama (which is tied to a troubled past) to sort through as well. If you're not big on story and would rather have an old-school experience, the game's advanced gameplay mode lets you plow through the game, alone or with a friend, without having to deal with the game's story.

When Romero started talking, the presentation shed some more light on Gauntlet's gameplay, which is headed down a Diablo-esque action RPG path that we're totally fine with. While the core mechanics are still the same, there are quite a few new things going on under the hood. Potions are out in this new Gauntlet, so you'll now rely on energy absorption to fuel yourself. Basically, all enemies will drop energy when they're slain, which you can absorb. However, one of the really nice touches is that in group settings you won't have to worry about anyone sucking up precious energy and leaving everyone else high and dry, because the amount of energy you can absorb is determined by the number of enemies you've personally killed.

Your death dealing will be facilitated by the game's leveling and inventory systems that will let you customize a number of aspects on your fighter. You'll be able to specialize in one type of weapon, which will affect your effectiveness with it, and you'll be able to know two others. Your main attacks will fall into two categories: a powerful attack designed to wound a single enemy with a hefty chunk of damage or a less-powerful one that's good for pushing back mobs that surround you.

The quick inventory system will let you equip different items on your character that affect his or her stats. The inventory system is especially impressive thanks to its smart design, which lets every player--even in four-player games--go through his or her inventory at the same time, as well as leave a portion of the screen open to keep track of enemies around you.

The junction skill system lets you combine special attacks with your friends by placing seals on the ground. When you combine your seal with those laid down by your fellow players, you'll be able to unleash powerful attacks that inflict all sorts of damage. During the segment of the junction demo, we got a look at how some of the characters' attacks will play out. The valkyrie's flock attack will actually play out like a minigame, with enemies around you sporting icons above their heads that correspond to the buttons on the controller. Pressing the correct button will unleash the valkyrie's feathered friends.

Finally, the presentation covered the game's co-op modes. The single-player story mode can be played by two people cooperatively, as can the story-free advanced mode. The interesting aspect to both game modes regards their options. The story mode actually rotates the characters you play to offer you a solid feel for how each of the heroes differs. The online multiplayer support will let you play games with up to four players online. In addition, you can barter and trade unique items with friends online.

All told, we have to say we're intrigued and more than a little excited by what we've seen so far. There appears to be a good number of user-friendly mechanics that are complemented by the game's rich story and design. If you've been fiending for another Gauntlet game, especially one with online play, Gauntlet: Seven Sorrows will most definitely be worth keeping tabs on. The game is currently slated to ship this fall for the PlayStation and Xbox, while a PC version will follow. Look for more on the game in the coming months.