Play Gauntlet II on GB Online

Gauntlet II on the Game Boy, released in 1990 by Tengen, was one of the many attempts to bring a complex arcade experience to the handheld. In an era dominated by simpler platformers and puzzle games, it stood out for its ambition, even if the hardware struggled to keep up. You could tell they tried to pack a lot into that little cartridge, and for better or worse, it was a unique offering for Game Boy owners at the time.

You control one of four fantasy characters—Warrior, Valkyrie, Wizard, or Elf—each with their own strengths, navigating a top-down maze one screen at a time. The goal is straightforward: survive the dungeon, find the exit, and move on to the next level. Your health constantly ticks down, so grabbing food items becomes a frantic necessity. You fight endless waves of ghosts, grunts, and demons with your basic attack, and the screen quickly fills with enemies, making movement and positioning crucial. The pacing is relentless, and the difficulty can feel punishing due to the limited view and constant resource pressure. It feels like a race against your own life bar, a tense and claustrophobic struggle for every pixel of progress.