As seen in: The Tower of Druaga (Arcade)
Also in: The Nightmare of Druaga: Fushigino Dungeon (PlayStation 2)
Distinguishing feature: Golden armor.
Strengths: A versatile user of weapons and equipment.
Weaknesses: Impossibly obscure riddles.
Profile by Jeremy Parish | March 12, 2010
There are many kinds of madness, but perhaps none so heartbreaking as the wild-eyed insanity of a man pushed to his absolute limits. Such was the madness of Gilgamesh, once a royal prince entrusted by the goddess with the safety of a kingdom and its princess. Though the young noble took up his responsibilities with all the serious-minded enthusiasm of an aspiring hero, he soon discovered the insurmountable impossibility of the task laid before him.
Gilgamesh's mission was to ascend the imposing Tower of Druaga, an ancient structure that had long loomed over the nation of Sumeria -- a feat none before him had ever accomplished. The layout of each of the tower's floors shifted each time one laid eyes on it, and each level was patrolled by terrible monsters. To further complicate matters, the tools necessary for survival were contained within the tower's confines, but each was hidden under an increasingly oblique puzzle. And finally, there were countless traps and setbacks to be faced, including straight-up lies and deceptions set by the demon king himself at the tower's peak.
Looking at such long odds of survival, let alone success, Gilgamesh did what any young man would do: He snapped. His wild-eyed expression was the sign of a driving madness that fueled his journey up the tower and into impossible dungeons, heedless of the danger to himself. Gilgamesh was triumphant, but broken; bent by madness, he was deemed unfit to rule the kingdom he had saved many times over and soon became a wanderer, journeying through foreign lands in search of ever-more-powerful weapons with which to defeat evil, sowing exaggerated tales of his own deeds.
Though he was never again seen in his home of Sumeria, many through the years and dimensions claim to have encountered him: A mad nomad in ragged red clothing, his eyes burning with a fevered obsession to find weapons. Legendary weapons! Bigger, more powerful weapons! All the weapons he could find! "They've gotta be around somewhere," he would giggle to himself. "I just need to find the clue." Rumor has it he once even killed a Norse god.
Legend has it he never did find those jetboots, though.
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