Gauntlet IV

From Sega Retro

For the Sega Master System game, see Gauntlet.

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GauntletIV MDTitleScreen.png

Gauntlet IV
System(s): Sega Mega Drive
Publisher: Tengen
Developer:
Peripherals supported: 4 Way Play
Genre: Action, RPG (JP box says both; Sega of Japan master list only says Action)

















Release Date RRP Code

Gauntlet (ガントレット) is a 1985 arcade game by Atari Games. In 1993, subsidiary Tengen created an expanded reamke on the Sega Mega Drive, calling it Gauntlet in Japan and Gauntlet IV elsewhere.

Gauntlet IV contains the original up-to-four-players arcade mode as well as three new modes:

  • Quest Mode: where players fight through five towers full of Gauntlet gimmicks
  • Battle Mode: where two or more players compete to survive in either a Normal Battle, Equal Battle, or Password Battle
  • Record Mode: where players try to run through the original levels to see who can get through first

These new modes are accompanied by new music composed by Masaharu Iwata and Hitoshi Sakimoto.

B shoots your weapon, which will go to the edge of the screen unless it hits something.  START  will open the pause menu, which cycles between status, equipment, items, and password for continuing later with the D-pad. C uses a magic potion, collected during the course of the game. Holding A and pressing  START  "inserts a coin", adding health to the current player and decreasing the global credit (coin) count (both of which are configurable in the Options screen).

Quest Mode Storyline

In the game's world, adventurers are people who go out to solve mysteries through adventure, turning the mysteries into legends. One mystery remains, called "The mystery protected by the old castle towers." These towers — representing the elements fire, earth, wind, and water — are enchanted with a curse which you, the adventurer willing to unravel the mystery, must break to enter the castle and find the rumored treasure inside.

Production Credits

Credits are split into two screens — the first screen (presumably) has the original arcade version credits:

  • Designer/Programmer: Ed Logg
  • Game Programmer: Bob Flanagan
  • Video Graphics: Sam Comstock, Susan G. McBride, Alan Murphy, Will Norble, Dave Pettigrew
  • Engineer: Pat McCarthy
  • Technician: Sae Oh, Cris Drobny
  • Sound Design: Hal Cannon, Earl Vickers
  • Cabinet Design: Ken Hata
  • Special Thanks To: Dave Theurer, Mike Albaugh, and many others

The second screen has the Mega Drive conversion credits:

  • Programmer: Tetsuya Abe
  • Graphic Converter: Masatoshi Kawasaki, Naoki Horii
  • Music Arrange & Compose: Hitoshi Sakimoto, Masaharu Iwata
  • Test Player: Gorou Sumiyoshi
  • Adviser: Jun Amanai, Takahiro Takeda
  • Special Thanks To: Chris Ryu Tang, Kawachi, Kibu, Maruchika, and many others

Physical Scans

Sega Retro Average 
Publication Score Source
94 №13, p50/51/52/53
85 №38, p100/101
73 №48, p74/75
83 №24, p58/59
78 №5, p44/45/46
Sega Mega Drive
83
Based on
5 reviews
Sega Retro Average 
Publication Version Score
1700 igr dlya Sega (RU)
60
[1]
Aktueller Software Markt (DE)
83
[2]
Beep! MegaDrive (JP) NTSC-J
73
[3]
Dengeki Mega Drive (JP) NTSC-J
81
[4]
Electronic Gaming Monthly (US) NTSC-U
80
[5]
Entsiklopediya luchshikh igr Sega. Vypusk 1 (RU)
60
[6]
Famitsu (JP) NTSC-J
63
[7]
Freak (IL)
87
[8]
GameFan (US) NTSC-U
76
[9]
Game Players (US) NTSC-U
80
[10]
Game Power (IT) NTSC-U
74
[11]
GamePro (US) NTSC-U
78
[12]
GamesMaster (UK) PAL
74
[13]
Hippon Super (JP) NTSC-J
50
[14]
Hyper (AU)
86
[15]
Igry Sega Luchshiye iz luchshikh. Vypusk 2 (RU)
80
[16]
Joypad (FR) PAL
75
[17]
MAN!AC (DE)
80
[18]
Mega (UK) PAL
90
[19]
Mega Action (UK) PAL
88
[20]
Mega Force (FR)
82
[21]
Mega Fun (DE) PAL
68
[22]
MegaTech (UK) PAL
94
[23]
Magazina Igrushek (RU)
30
[24]
Mean Machines Sega (UK) PAL
94
[25]
Megazone (AU) PAL
72
[26]
Player One (FR)
85
[27]
Sega Magazin (DE)
71
[28]
Sega Power (UK) PAL
73
[29]
Sega Force Mega (UK) PAL
78
[30]
Sega Saturn Magazine (JP) NTSC-J
87
[31]
Sonic the Comic (UK) PAL
78
[32]
Todo Sega (ES)
79
[33]
Tricks 16 bit (RU)
73
[34]
VideoGames Shopper (UK) PAL
79
[35]
Video Games (DE) PAL
83
[36]
VideoGames (US) NTSC-U
80
[37]
Sega Mega Drive
76
Based on
37 reviews

Gauntlet IV

Mega Drive, US
Gauntlet4 MD US Box.jpg
Cover
Gauntletiv md us cart.jpg
Cart
Mega Drive, US (cardboard)

Gauntletiv md us cart.jpg
Cart
Mega Drive, EU
Gauntlet4 MD EU Box.jpg
Cover
GauntletIV MD EU Cart.jpg
Cart
Mega Drive, JP
Gauntlet4 MD JP Box.jpg
Cover
Gauntlet4 MD JP Cart.jpg
Cart
Gauntlet md jp manual.pdf
Manual
  1. 1700 igr dlya Sega, "" (RU; 2001-xx-xx), page 85
  2. Aktueller Software Markt, "März 1994" (DE; 1994-02-07), page 27
  3. Beep! MegaDrive, "October 1993" (JP; 1993-09-08), page 23
  4. Dengeki Mega Drive, "August 1993" (JP; 1993-07-08), page 37
  5. Electronic Gaming Monthly, "November 1993" (US; 1993-xx-xx), page 46
  6. Entsiklopediya luchshikh igr Sega. Vypusk 1, "" (RU; 1999-xx-xx), page 54
  7. Famitsu, "1993-09-24" (JP; 1993-09-10), page 38
  8. Freak, "1/94" (IL; 1994-xx-xx), page 1
  9. GameFan, "Volume 1, Issue 10: September 1993" (US; 1993-xx-xx), page 14
  10. Game Players, "Vol. 7 No. 1 January 1994" (US; 199x-xx-xx), page 94
  11. Game Power, "Gennaio 1994" (IT; 199x-xx-xx), page 74
  12. GamePro, "October 1993" (US; 1993-xx-xx), page 74
  13. GamesMaster, "November 1993" (UK; 1993-10-21), page 48
  14. Hippon Super, "October 1993" (JP; 1993-09-03), page 42
  15. Hyper, "January 1994" (AU; 199x-xx-xx), page 65
  16. Igry Sega Luchshiye iz luchshikh. Vypusk 2, "" (RU; 2001-08-27), page 157
  17. Joypad, "Novembre 1993" (FR; 1993-1x-xx), page 76
  18. MAN!AC, "12/93" (DE; 1993-11-10), page 50
  19. Mega, "October 1993" (UK; 1993-09-16), page 32
  20. Mega Action, "December 1993" (UK; 1993-11-04), page 22
  21. Mega Force, "Novembre 1993" (FR; 1993-11-10), page 126
  22. Mega Fun, "11/93" (DE; 1993-10-20), page 73
  23. MegaTech, "October 1993" (UK; 1993-09-20), page 76
  24. Magazina Igrushek, "4/1995" (RU; 1995-xx-xx), page 58
  25. Mean Machines Sega, "November 1993" (UK; 1993-09-28), page 50
  26. Megazone, "December 1993" (AU; 1993-12-01), page 30
  27. Player One, "Janvier 1994" (FR; 199x-xx-xx), page 100
  28. Sega Magazin, "November/Dezember 1993" (DE; 1993-11-03), page 26
  29. Sega Power, "November 1993" (UK; 1993-10-07), page 74
  30. Sega Force Mega, "November 1993" (UK; 1993-10-14), page 44
  31. Sega Saturn Magazine, "September 1995" (JP; 1995-08-08), page 85
  32. Sonic the Comic, "December 11th 1993" (UK; 1993-12-11), page 12
  33. Todo Sega, "Noviembre 1993" (ES; 1993-1x-xx), page 80
  34. Tricks 16 bit, "Tricks Sega Gold 800 igr" (RU; 1998-03-20), page 15
  35. VideoGames Shopper, "January 1994" (UK; 1993-xx-xx), page 40
  36. Video Games, "12/93" (DE; 1993-11-22), page 100
  37. VideoGames, "January 1994" (US; 199x-xx-xx), page 82