Warner Bros has announced that Arrowhead Game Studios is developing Gauntlet , a "completely modernized" action-RPG version of the classic dungeon crawler.

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"With Gauntlet we combined the arcade style of the original game with a completely new look and feature set that includes emergent, local and online four-player gameplay," says Warner Bros senior VP of games David Haddad.Players will be able to choose from four characters: warrior, wizard, valkyrie, or elf, each with its own strengths and weaknesses. Gameplay is set within procedurally generated dungeons where players will complete challenges and slay all sorts of fantasy-based monsters, such as ghosts, demons, spiders, and skeleton warriors.A new art style will reportedly "keep the gameplay fresh."Gauntlet will be available mid-year on PC via Steam, with support for SteamOS and the upcoming Steam Machines shipping in the second half of the year. More information will be available at the Gauntlet website The news confirms rumours of a new Gauntlet that emerged following the discovery of a new Twitter account, @playgauntlet . The original Gauntlet, developed by Atari in 1985, was one of the first multiplayer dungeon-crawl arcade games.The reboot's developer, Arrowhead, is known best for its work on 2011's Magicka.

Katie Williams is a freelance writer and games journalist. She tweets at @desensitisation and hopes that one day, a bird will tweet back.