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Gladiator (arcade game)
Encyclopedia
Gladiator, known in Japan
as , was a arcade game
developed by Allumer
and published by Taito
. It was followed by a sequel titled Blandia
.
/knight
named Great Guaranos as he walks through a castle. Moving the joystick left and right moves Great Guaranos left and right, and up and down is used to position Great Guaranos's shield. The game's three buttons correspond to a high, medium, and low attack with Great Guaranos's sword. Gladiator consists of 4 Stages. The first level is the 'Underground Chamber', 2nd is the 'Brick Corridor', 3rd is the 'Roof Top' stage, and the 4th stage is called the 'Mysterious 4-D World'. Your reward for completing the game is to enter the "Treasure Place".
Gameplay is split between two modes; in the "obstacle" mode, Great Guaranos walks forward, and the player must use the sword and shield to defend him from bats, fireballs, arrows, shuriken, and other flying hazards. The "obstacle" mode is broken up by a "fight" mode, in which Great Guaranos must fight against another, similarly-armored knight. In both modes, an un-defended hit to Great Guaranos knocks off part of his armor (his helmet for a high hit, his breastplate for a medium hit, and his leggings for a low hit), and a subsequent hit to the same area kills him.
Your warrior "Great Guaranos" can generate a temporary force field during the obstacle course phases (when weapons and bats fly at him) by rapidly moving the shield up and down. This can only be done once per level.
During the combat phases, Great Guaranos can become invincible (flashing golden) for a short time. To do this, you must gather 4 swords in the obstacle course phase by striking them and then bending to pick them up from the floor. This will turn his sword red. Then, during the combat phase, strike the opponent's shield several times. After the invincibility has ended, Great Guaranos' armor will be repaired also. This can only be done once per level.
On the third level during the obstacle course, Great Guaranos can jump up onto the railing behind him and avoid all the flying weapons.
To do this, press and hold the shield up when there is a break in the railing. Shuriken
s thrown during the obstacle course (level 1) are worth bonus points if they are struck just after they appear, as opposed to when they circle back towards Great Guaranos. Most enemy warriors will stop fighting and "jump for joy" when they remove your chest plate. You can defeat a difficult enemy by letting him remove your chestplate, and then strike him twice in the same spot while he's dancing.
The third green axe knight on the third level will often freeze up (cease moving) after some time. If you are having trouble beating him, stay out of range and strike at his weapon and shield until this happens. You may then attack without the knight attacking or defending. Some enemies swords may be broken, rendering them helpless. Simply strike the weapons about 25 times to break them. The following enemies weapons can be broken.. (Stage 1) Solon, Irene (Stage 2) Zaid, White Armored Giant You can pick up the mace of the White Armored Giant in stage 2. The mace has a much stronger attack than the sword, but cannot break other weapons.
In the First stage your first fight is with Solon. Solon fights with a standard Sword and Shield. You fight Solon 3 times before facing Irene. In the original Japanese version of the game, and in the first U.S. release (entitled "Golden Castle"), the female enemy Irene's bare breasts were exposed when her breastplate
was removed. In the final U.S. release, a bikini top was added to obscure them. The game is also notable because the main character's sprite is half the height of the screen, which is much larger than the sprites in most arcade games released at the time. Gurianos is also a playable character in Allumer
's 1992 game Blandia
. The final battle for the first stage is with the "Red Demon". The "Red Demon" uses a Spiked shield and attacks you with projectiles (fire balls) instead of a weapon like the previous opponents.
In the Second stage your first fight is with Zaid. Zaid is armed with a sword and Spiked Shield. You fight Zaid 3 times before facing Zenon. Zenon fights with a stronger weapon; a Mace. He also has a spiked shield. The final battle for the 2nd stage is with the "Amazon Archer"; a projectile opponent that shoots arrows.
For the Third stage your first opponent is the "Green Knight". The "Green Knight" fights with a standard Shield and the stronger Axe. You fight him 3 times before facing the "Red Knight". This opponent fights with a shield and Mace. The final opponent for the 3rd Stage is Agathon. He fights with 2 extending swords. But only one is used for attacking while the other is used to guard. For a shield -this cannot be broken. But the sword he uses is the easiest weapon to break in the game (provided you have the sword only). If you have any other weapon (i.e. the 'mace') you cannot break it and will have to move in close for the kill.
The fourth and final stage you are met by the Gold Knight 'Gaius'. He has a nearly unbreakable sword (although it is possible to break it) and a standard shield. After defeating his mortal form he arises as a skeleton armed with the same sword but this time bearing a spiked shield.
Character Descriptions from the game are as follows:
Solon: A Sword Man. A Blockhead Fencer! (Stage 1)
Irene: Woman Soldier. A Mighty Lady. (Stage 1)
Zaid: A Club Giant. A Big Good for Nothing Fellow. (Stage 2)
Agathon: Two Swords Man. A Clumsy Fighter. (Stage 3)
The following Characters have been named from Flyers and the Operators Manual.
Zenon (Stage 2), and Gaius (Stage 4). Also in the Operators manual there is a character named "Princess Maitreya" but there is no 'Princess' to save in the game. However, there does appear to be a 'statue' of a woman in the "Treasure Place" at the end of the game. This could be her.
Character names such as "Red Demon", "Amazon Archer", "Green Knight" and "Red Knight" are only TITLES and their true names are not verified.
, Amstrad CPC
and Commodore 64
as "Great Gurianos".
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
as , was a arcade game
Arcade game
An arcade game is a coin-operated entertainment machine, usually installed in public businesses such as restaurants, bars, and amusement arcades. Most arcade games are video games, pinball machines, electro-mechanical games, redemption games, and merchandisers...
developed by Allumer
Allumer
, was a video game production company founded and headquartered in Meguro, Tokyo, Japan. The company suspended business in October 5, .-Arcade:* Blandia * Great Swordsman * Joshi Volleyball * Mad Shark...
and published by Taito
Taito Corporation
The is a Japanese publisher of video game software and arcade hardware wholly owned by publisher Square Enix. Taito has their headquarters in the Shinjuku Bunka Quint Building in Yoyogi, Shibuya, Tokyo, sharing the facility with its parent company....
. It was followed by a sequel titled Blandia
Blandia
is a one-on-one, weapon-based fighting arcade game developed and published by Allumer. It is the sequel to the arcade game, Gladiator. Along with Strata's Time Killers, Blandia is one of the earliest weapon-based fighting games modeled after its competitor Capcom's arcade hit Street Fighter II,...
.
Gameplay
The player controls a gladiatorGladiator
A gladiator was an armed combatant who entertained audiences in the Roman Republic and Roman Empire in violent confrontations with other gladiators, wild animals, and condemned criminals. Some gladiators were volunteers who risked their legal and social standing and their lives by appearing in the...
/knight
Knight
A knight was a member of a class of lower nobility in the High Middle Ages.By the Late Middle Ages, the rank had become associated with the ideals of chivalry, a code of conduct for the perfect courtly Christian warrior....
named Great Guaranos as he walks through a castle. Moving the joystick left and right moves Great Guaranos left and right, and up and down is used to position Great Guaranos's shield. The game's three buttons correspond to a high, medium, and low attack with Great Guaranos's sword. Gladiator consists of 4 Stages. The first level is the 'Underground Chamber', 2nd is the 'Brick Corridor', 3rd is the 'Roof Top' stage, and the 4th stage is called the 'Mysterious 4-D World'. Your reward for completing the game is to enter the "Treasure Place".
Gameplay is split between two modes; in the "obstacle" mode, Great Guaranos walks forward, and the player must use the sword and shield to defend him from bats, fireballs, arrows, shuriken, and other flying hazards. The "obstacle" mode is broken up by a "fight" mode, in which Great Guaranos must fight against another, similarly-armored knight. In both modes, an un-defended hit to Great Guaranos knocks off part of his armor (his helmet for a high hit, his breastplate for a medium hit, and his leggings for a low hit), and a subsequent hit to the same area kills him.
Your warrior "Great Guaranos" can generate a temporary force field during the obstacle course phases (when weapons and bats fly at him) by rapidly moving the shield up and down. This can only be done once per level.
During the combat phases, Great Guaranos can become invincible (flashing golden) for a short time. To do this, you must gather 4 swords in the obstacle course phase by striking them and then bending to pick them up from the floor. This will turn his sword red. Then, during the combat phase, strike the opponent's shield several times. After the invincibility has ended, Great Guaranos' armor will be repaired also. This can only be done once per level.
On the third level during the obstacle course, Great Guaranos can jump up onto the railing behind him and avoid all the flying weapons.
Shuriken
A shuriken is a traditional Japanese concealed weapon that was generally used for throwing, and sometimes stabbing or slashing...
s thrown during the obstacle course (level 1) are worth bonus points if they are struck just after they appear, as opposed to when they circle back towards Great Guaranos. Most enemy warriors will stop fighting and "jump for joy" when they remove your chest plate. You can defeat a difficult enemy by letting him remove your chestplate, and then strike him twice in the same spot while he's dancing.
The third green axe knight on the third level will often freeze up (cease moving) after some time. If you are having trouble beating him, stay out of range and strike at his weapon and shield until this happens. You may then attack without the knight attacking or defending. Some enemies swords may be broken, rendering them helpless. Simply strike the weapons about 25 times to break them. The following enemies weapons can be broken.. (Stage 1) Solon, Irene (Stage 2) Zaid, White Armored Giant You can pick up the mace of the White Armored Giant in stage 2. The mace has a much stronger attack than the sword, but cannot break other weapons.
Characters
The main character is Great Guaranos (also -sometimes spelled "Great Gurianos").In the First stage your first fight is with Solon. Solon fights with a standard Sword and Shield. You fight Solon 3 times before facing Irene. In the original Japanese version of the game, and in the first U.S. release (entitled "Golden Castle"), the female enemy Irene's bare breasts were exposed when her breastplate
Breastplate
A breastplate is a device worn over the torso to protect it from injury, as an item of religious significance, or as an item of status. A breastplate is sometimes worn by mythological beings as a distinctive item of clothing.- Armour :...
was removed. In the final U.S. release, a bikini top was added to obscure them. The game is also notable because the main character's sprite is half the height of the screen, which is much larger than the sprites in most arcade games released at the time. Gurianos is also a playable character in Allumer
Allumer
, was a video game production company founded and headquartered in Meguro, Tokyo, Japan. The company suspended business in October 5, .-Arcade:* Blandia * Great Swordsman * Joshi Volleyball * Mad Shark...
's 1992 game Blandia
Blandia
is a one-on-one, weapon-based fighting arcade game developed and published by Allumer. It is the sequel to the arcade game, Gladiator. Along with Strata's Time Killers, Blandia is one of the earliest weapon-based fighting games modeled after its competitor Capcom's arcade hit Street Fighter II,...
. The final battle for the first stage is with the "Red Demon". The "Red Demon" uses a Spiked shield and attacks you with projectiles (fire balls) instead of a weapon like the previous opponents.
In the Second stage your first fight is with Zaid. Zaid is armed with a sword and Spiked Shield. You fight Zaid 3 times before facing Zenon. Zenon fights with a stronger weapon; a Mace. He also has a spiked shield. The final battle for the 2nd stage is with the "Amazon Archer"; a projectile opponent that shoots arrows.
For the Third stage your first opponent is the "Green Knight". The "Green Knight" fights with a standard Shield and the stronger Axe. You fight him 3 times before facing the "Red Knight". This opponent fights with a shield and Mace. The final opponent for the 3rd Stage is Agathon. He fights with 2 extending swords. But only one is used for attacking while the other is used to guard. For a shield -this cannot be broken. But the sword he uses is the easiest weapon to break in the game (provided you have the sword only). If you have any other weapon (i.e. the 'mace') you cannot break it and will have to move in close for the kill.
The fourth and final stage you are met by the Gold Knight 'Gaius'. He has a nearly unbreakable sword (although it is possible to break it) and a standard shield. After defeating his mortal form he arises as a skeleton armed with the same sword but this time bearing a spiked shield.
Character Descriptions from the game are as follows:
Solon: A Sword Man. A Blockhead Fencer! (Stage 1)
Irene: Woman Soldier. A Mighty Lady. (Stage 1)
Zaid: A Club Giant. A Big Good for Nothing Fellow. (Stage 2)
Agathon: Two Swords Man. A Clumsy Fighter. (Stage 3)
The following Characters have been named from Flyers and the Operators Manual.
Character names such as "Red Demon", "Amazon Archer", "Green Knight" and "Red Knight" are only TITLES and their true names are not verified.
Taito Nostalgia 1 version
In Taito Nostalgia 1 for Bandai's Let's! TV play CLASSIC plug and play game system, the original Japanese version and a new Amazones version are included. In the Amazones game, player controls the warrior Amazones Sana, and fights with arrow. When the warrior carries shield, Sana can attack and defend at the same time. In addition, there are also new bosses.Ports
Gladiator was released for the ZX SpectrumZX Spectrum
The ZX Spectrum is an 8-bit personal home computer released in the United Kingdom in 1982 by Sinclair Research Ltd...
, Amstrad CPC
Amstrad CPC
The Amstrad CPC is a series of 8-bit home computers produced by Amstrad between 1984 and 1990. It was designed to compete in the mid-1980s home computer market dominated by the Commodore 64 and the Sinclair ZX Spectrum, where it successfully established itself primarily in the United Kingdom,...
and Commodore 64
Commodore 64
The Commodore 64 is an 8-bit home computer introduced by Commodore International in January 1982.Volume production started in the spring of 1982, with machines being released on to the market in August at a price of US$595...
as "Great Gurianos".