Dungeon Explorer
Reviewed by Michael LoCascio
NEC did a very clever thing way back in 1989. They took the
basic play elements of an already successful adventure game
(Gauntlet), and created an entirely new title that took
advantage of the TurboGrafx-16's superior capabilities. The
final product was Dungeon Explorer, and although this
Gauntlet clone had a few flaws of its own, it was still a
very deep and enjoyable game - one of the better TurboChip
titles to ever appear in the States.
While Gauntlet was a classic game in its own right, it's
shortcomings seem all the more obvious when compared with
NEC's 16-bit modernization. Although the arcade version of
Gauntlet allowed four people to participate in the fun, the
NES version of the game could only allow two gamers to get
in on the action. Dungeon Explorer, on the other hand, went
way beyond the call of duty by letting five players jump
into the fray. Granted, the action can become a bit
confusing at times with five on-screen warriors running
around and combating villains, but the adventure is far more
enjoyable (and manageable) when you bring a few friends
along for the ride. Your main concern will be getting every
player to cooperate and advance forward as a team, as the
added firepower will mean very little if you can't all agree
on a single path to take en route to your destination.
Gauntlet was considered innovative because it gave players
the opportunity to select from four distinct characters (you
have to remember that this was at a time when it was
considered miraculous that Mario and Luigi wore
different-colored clothes in Super Mario Bros.). Dungeon
Explorer goes the extra mile, however, by giving you eight
different types of warriors to choose from: fighter, thief,
warlock, witch, bard, bishop, elf and knome. There's also
one secret character that you can gain access to upon
completing a specific task during your quest (she's an
excellent character, too). And while the characters in
Gauntlet only had their standard weapons and simple bomb
potions to work with, the warriors in Dungeon Explorer have
various types of white magic (defensive) and black magic
(attacking) at their disposal.
Although many people considered Gauntlet to be a role
playing game, it really didn't have much of a plot. Dungeon
Explorer, on the other hand, features an excellent
storyline, one that becomes far more involving as you delve
deeper into your quest. To summarize: the land of Oddesia is
currently under the rule of a hostile alien race. To make
matters worse, the aliens have decided to conduct a thorough
search for the sacred 'ORA Stone', a mystical object that
stands as the last remaining hope for the peaceful citizens
of Oddesia. The plot contains a number of surprising twists
and turns; things (and people) usually aren't what they seem to be.
A common complaint leveled at Gauntlet was that the game
play simply consisted of exiting one maze and entering
another. Dungeon Explorer is an entirely different story:
while most of the action is contained within the
labyrinthine dungeons, castles and caves, there are numerous
forests and towns that you can explore, along with dozens of
people to meet and interact with. While there is a certain,
specific order in which you must complete your objectives,
the expansiveness of Oddesia and the secrets contained
throughout the land make Dungeon Explorer feel much more
like an authentic adventure title than did its 8-bit
predecessor.
But while this is all well and good, Dungeon Explorer did
contain its fair share of flaws. Every aspect of the game
was designed with five-player simultaneous play in mind, so
certain segments of the adventure can be a real nuisance to
get through if you're trying to conquer the game by
yourself. The swift, powerful enemy creatures can surround
and destroy a lone adventurer in no time at all. Also, while
the graphics in Dungeon Explorer are much improved over the
crude visuals in Gauntlet, they're still not very impressive
for a 16-bit title. Characters are rather small, animation
is minimal, and many of the labyrinths are rather simple and
bland in appearance.
But while you may not find Dungeon Explorer all that
pleasing to look at, you probably won't mind listening to
it. I'd go as far as to say that Dungeon Explorer has some
of the best music that I've ever heard in a 16-bit video
game (the track that plays in the second dungeon is
especially impressive). The boss theme borders on silly, but
most every other tune in the game is dynamic and exciting.
The fast-paced music fits the relentless action perfectly.
Not surprisingly, if you're a fan of Gauntlet you'll
probably be enamored with this game. Even if you were one of
the few who didn't enjoy the old arcade favorite, you might
find a lot to like in Dungeon Explorer - especially the
five-player cooperative mode. You'll have to be brave if you
want to tackle this game all by yourself (you'll run into
some very difficult spots), but it's of such high quality
that, in all likelihood, you'll keep coming back for more
until you finally get through it.
Overall: 8 out of 10
OR
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