Overview and Gameplay
Morak steals the Sacred Orb of Rendar and hides it inside the Gauntlet. Thor, Thyra, Merlin, or Questor must cross 100 dungeon rooms divided among five worlds, collect eight clues to the final combination, defeat the Guardian, and recover the Orb.
Rooms contain branching paths, hidden exits, monster generators, locked doors, treasure chambers, transporters, traps, and secret passages. Passwords preserve the current room, selected hero, maximum power, keys, bombs, and permanent upgrades.
Controls And Mechanics
Each hero has different armor, movement, ranged attack, magic, and hand-to-hand strength. Projectiles attack from a distance, while moving directly into an enemy starts close combat. Bomb potions damage visible monsters and generators.
Power functions as health and is restored by food. Treasure milestones permanently raise maximum power, while potions improve character attributes. Temporary items can grant invisibility, invulnerability, reflective shots, stronger projectiles, or enemy repulsion. Two players can explore simultaneously, sharing dungeon progress while maintaining separate health and equipment.
Version Notes
This Nintendo-licensed NES edition restructures the arcade concept into a finite five-world quest with passwords, clue rooms, a combination-locked finale, and a final Guardian.
Release And Credits
- Release year: 1988
- Developer: Tengen
- Publisher: Tengen
- Original platform: Arcade
