NCS Game Notes
* Trumpets blare in the intro to the game and prelude a deep-voiced narrator who tells a convoluted tale of betrayal, four loyal heroes, and a journey that takes them on a quest to right a wrong in order to save the world.

* Four heroes are selectable - Warrior, Valkyrie, Elf, and Wizard. In the character select screen, each hero shakes and moves in rhythmic fashion but the elf looks like he's performing a step-in-place dance while the Valkyrie thinks she's Aguilera's Genie in a Bottle.

* The action-adventure starts in a ruined city which has been devastated by the evil SIX. Fireballs arch across the sky and smash into walls and buildings to wreak devastation. At the outset, a clue reads, "A key can be found at the feet of a giant. Use the key to open a passage through the mountain." In a particularly ludicrous situation, the hero will later push a multi-ton statue all by himself/herself in order to locate a key.

* The L-analog controls the character while "X" slashes the sword in an arc in front of the hero. Pressing SQUARE performs a forward hack/thrust attack, and TRIANGLE blows out a pirouette spinning upward slice. In the case of an Elf, hit the O to shoot an arrow (secondary weapon). The R-analog doesn't shift the camera but it does shift the hero into a berserker-like leap where his arms and legs flail and knock out crowds of foes in one dashing attack. The R-analog induced attacks may be used to chain combos together but they aren't as effective as normal attacks to destroy foes.

* Random enemies will leave big wedges of cheese behind when they're killed. Stare at the cheese and notice the pungent white mist that appears over it - stinky cheese. Gobble them up to regain health. Ham from a slain orc or human would have made more sense. When treasure chests are opened, steaming turkeys are unveiled. Hunks of ham may be located in barrels later on in the game.

* When a hero is killed and slumps to the ground like a sack of onions, the narrator speaks the obvious when he claims, "Red Elf has died."

* When the shadowy spectre of Death appears, hit the R2 trigger to perform a mana blast to dissipate it. If you don't have enough Mana to perform the attack, vamoose... When Death dissipiates, it changes into a mass of bats followed by a skull shortly afterwards.

* After each level, new skill points may be allocated and new moves may be purchased with gold. For example, there's a Backhand attack which costs 200g and is activated by L1+TRIANGLE and a Chisel which allows weapons to stun enemies and shatter blocks - its activated by pressing X, SQUARE.

* In the third level, "Plague Town," the first Guardian is met - a wicked scarecrow creature with a pumpkin head who slashes scythes in both straw-filled hands. In addition to melee attacks, it can lance purple colored energy blasts across the ground to knock a player off its feet. If the scarecrow swings and connects, it'll toss a player up in the air for significant damage. When the scarecrow is defeated, it'll scream something fierce and then crumble to the ground in a painful theatrical show.

* Gauntlet Seven Sorrows is a marginally enjoyable action game for fans of the franchise - many classic sound effects return and the gameplay sort of evokes the wandering wonder of the original coin-op. However, one can't help but mutter that more could have been done with a new and original Gauntlet title. As it is, there isn't any originality or evolution here. It's almost as if the developers were given a script of what was in the previous Gauntlet games and then charged with making something based on a well-known property with elements linking it to the original. Tried and true (read: safe) themes such as bosses and a far-ranging quest are then thrown in to make a "complete" product.