Once all players make their choices, the characters appear in the central castle. Each tower of the castle provides portals to one of the worlds conquered by Skorne. Upon passing through a portal, the players are immediately attacked by monsters. The characters have short and long-range attacks of varying effectiveness as well as special attacks awarded from items they pick up along the way. The bad guys have various attacks based on their type, ranging from biting at the players' ankles to breathing fire to exploding.
Characters win a level by finding the exit portal.
To get there they must avoid traps, manipulate keys and doors, turn switches, and find secret areas. Experience points and gold are awarded to each character at the end of a level, the amount depending on that character's actions. Gold can be spent between levels to improve a character's skills or to provide specific items for the next level. Fast, furious and quirky Gauntlet 's light tone permeates every aspect of the design. Heroes and monsters alike are garishly colored and ridiculously proportioned.