Gauntlet: Seven Sorrows

BonusStage

The minimalist twist to Gauntlet: Seven Sorrows may turn of those gamers looking for depth, but the game really does pull you in with some great visuals and slick combo moves.

Next Level Gaming

It keeps the classic feel, but has enough new gameplay to make it solid. And it's the first real console-based Gauntlet game ever, which adds a new element to the 4 player co-op play that was a cornerstone of the series.

TeamXbox

Intuitive combat system is smooth and offers many attack options for each character. Lack of camera movement hurts in areas. Gauntlet: Seven Sorrows honors the origin coin-op in many instances- a nice touch.

Stuff

It'll make you all warm and nostalgic at first, but don't' be surprised if by your second hour of gameplay an unfortunate sense of "didn't I play this back in 1989?" sets in.

Play Magazine

It's Gauntlet through and through, packed with switches to be thrown, puzzles to solve and medievil overtures that compel you to gnaw on large turkey legs...only polished to a glistening sheen. [Jan 2006, p.47]

Cheat Code Central

If your parents have run the Gauntlet back in the day, nothing would be better than firing this up and having at it with them by your side.

Game Chronicles

With a whole new look, updated characters, RPG elements, and a simple but compelling story, Seven Sorrows is truly a futuristic retelling of a classic franchise that will delight veterans of the series and attract a whole new following of would-be adventures.

Kombo

I whole-heartedly endorse the rental of the title, as it's multiplayer will be fun for a week or so before it starts to grow old.

Official Xbox Magazine

It's a damn good hack'-n'-slash game based on and sharing a name with the game that spawned the genre. Elf may be about to die, but let's hope this series doesn't. [Feb 2006, p.78]

ZTGameDomain

While it is a solid hack and slash action title, Seven Sorrows has to be seen as a disappointment for many fans of the series expecting a deeper, longer experience.

Official Xbox Magazine UK

Respectable though its faith to the old-skool way is, it's not going to satisfy the modern gamer. If you and your three mates still adore the original arcade game you'll get a kick out of playing this prettier version, but everyone else will be snoozing within the hour.

GamePro

Watching these heroes pirouette amidst the violence is surprisingly entertaining, and while Seven Sorrows doesn't deliver fully on the promise and longevity of its progenitor, it does provide a fleeting good time.

GameZone

With solid action, decent levels and loads of monsters, the game is still fun enough for new fans as well as those who fondly remember the original.

GamerFeed

The action is fun enough to endure for a few hours, alone or with friends, and the presentation is actually pretty good. But there's some moments of cheese that reek the overall product when they didn't need to, especially when the storyline is concerned.

Maxim Online

Nothing beats running around cramped dungeons seeking treasure and revenge while hacking, arrow-ing, and spell-casting your way through hordes of Lord of the Rings rejects.

GameSpy

It may not be revolutionary or technically stunning, but it is a lot of fun; and that's what games are all about.

IGN

Hack and slash was awesome in the '80s, when the best game out was Pac-Man. While there is a certain satisfaction to be had at unleashing 50-hit combos in Seven Sorrows, many people will find the game just too shallow in this day and age.

Gamer's Hell

With no real differentiating qualities other than a half-baked outline for what could have been an original take on the Gauntlet mythos, Seven Sorrows is purely a by-the-numbers exercise in keeping a franchise alive, albeit in questionable health.

1UP

Sorrows nails the controls, making the repetitive hack-n-slash action enjoyable in a Dynasty Warriors kinda way, and multiplayer is mostly successful. Unfortunately, the graphics fail to impress, the story isn't anything memorable, banging buttons is as effective as making use of the combos, and what should have been an epic quest can be completed by a novice gamer in around eight hours, with not much reason for replay.

Talk Xbox

So short it hurts, especially in the wallet area. Had the game done something revolutionary I may not be so concerned with the length, but it doesn’t. It’s just the same old Gauntlet with a shiny new exterior.

Electronic Gaming Monthly

Seven Sorrows baits you with a role-playing-game-style character development system, but the game's short length (easily clocking in under six hours) makes leveling up unrewarding.

Game Informer

The game's one noteable feat - online, cooperative multiplayer. This, I am delighted to say, works swimmingly. [Feb 2006, p.102]

DarkStation

The classic hack and slasher makes a comeback on modern consoles and provides pretty decent gameplay, if only it featured much more.

Extreme Gamer

Gauntlet: Seven Sorrows is decent hack and slash adventure that can keep you occupied for a while, although giving its nature this is only for fans of the hack and slash games, or if you're in need of a good co-op game.

Game Over Online

Although it’s a good idea to revisit the older Gauntlet franchise, this isn’t exactly the way to do it. The plot is inconsequential, the characters are less than one dimensional and the game is radically overbalanced, amongst other issues.

Gaming Horizon

If it weren’t for the enjoyment you get from playing with the people you’ve gathered around you or hopping online to meet up with other Live users, this would be a game that I’d recommend you stay far away from considering its repetitive mindless gameplay and rather lackluster presentation.

eToychest

While mind-numbingly boring in single-player, the game does inch closer to being fun when other players pick up a controller.

GameSpot

Whether you play it alone or with friends, this uninspired update to the '80s swords-and-sorcery arcade dungeon crawl misses the mark with its boring, mindless action and short, forgettable quest.

The Onion (A.V. Club)

Fundamentally unchanged since 1985, the Gauntlet experience remains fun, but the latest incarnation doesn't really take the franchise to the proverbial next level. It's a great way to kill an afternoon with friends, but nothing more.

Detroit Free Press

A terrific rental title, a vastly overpriced game to buy, an entertaining romp for an afternoon and a sure disappointment for longtime fans of the series.

Gaming Age

Seven Sorrows succeeded in bringing back the nostalgia of the arcade franchise, but the game just feels all too familiar for a present day purchase.

Game Revolution

The winding dungeon crawl the franchise defined long ago has been replaced with a lifeless linear action game's dash, one which will hopefully get back on the track its forefathers fought so hard to gain.

netjak

It does too good of a job in simplifying the game to the point where it’s barely worth playing.

Edge Magazine

Sorrows is a hollow experience, misinterpreting the original as a sheer numbers game rather than one of constant risk and reward. It’s an issue made more glaring by an unsatisfying combat system, paying lip service to counters, juggles and combo strikes even though endlessly repeating the same moves is just as effective. [Feb 2006, p.88]

Computer Games Magazine

Ironically, the real sorrow of Seven Sorrows is how laughably, arrogantly short it is: two players can easily finish the entire campaign on the hardest setting in a night. [Mar 2006, p.91]

Pro-G

At least in terms of being faithful to the source material, it retains a similar level of simplicity, except that in 2006 that just isn't enough.