While Gauntlet: The Third Encounter is an admirable effort on the Atari Lynx, it has to be said that it really isn’t Gauntlet. Not the Gauntlet that we know and love anyway…
Which isn’t a surprise when you take into account the fact that this game didn’t start out as Gauntlet – it was called “Time Quests and Treasure Chests” and was developed by Epyx, and was later turned into a Gauntlet game by Atari for “brand recognition purposes”.
I would say that Crystal Mines II – an original puzzle game released exclusively for the Atari Lynx in 1992 – is arguably one of the best games on the system.
Loosely based on the famous Bram Stoker novel, Dracula the Undead sees you taking the role of Jonathan Harker as he tries to escape from Dracula‘s castle and collect evidence to prove the vampire’s identity.
Battlezone 2000 is a conversion of the classic Atari arcade game Battle Zone, although in truth it is much more than just a conversion. The game actually has two distinctly different play modes, one of which is hidden and must be unlocked.
Toki on the Atari Lynx is a conversion of the 1989 arcade game of the same name. It features an agile ape, jumping through levels of a platform game, and is extremely challenging – just like the original.
Epyx‘s classic C64 game, California Games, was converted (by Epyx themselves) to the Atari Lynx and released in 1989.
Steel Talons is a helicopter action game that was converted to the Atari Lynx from the 1991 arcade game of the same name.
This conversion was developed by NuFX, Inc. and first came out in 1992.
The Atari Lynx is a handheld console that was developed by Epyx and manufactured by Atari Corporation from 1989 to 1995, and it features a wide variety of colourful and playable games available in cartridge format.
The Eternal Castle is a stunning platform/action indie game from Leonard Menchiari, Daniele Vicinanzo, and Giulio Perrone, and published by Playsaurus in 2019.
It is a tribute to games such as Another World, Flashback, Limbo, and INSIDE, and features a lone character, running from left to right, moving from puzzle to puzzle, trying to survive in a weird, dark world full of technology, destruction, mystery and death.
This remake of the classic Build engine shooter, Shadow Warrior, was developed by Flying Wild Hog and first released in 2013.
Like the original, it’s a hectic, balls-to-the-wall shooter that follows the exploits of a guy called Lo Wang and his fight against his boss, Orochi Zilla, and the mega corporation he commands (Zilla Industries).
I’ve played the second game extensively and really enjoyed it, so decided to buy this and see if it was any different. And it is!
