One of the more ‘under the radar’ PS Vita launch games on store shelves is Ubisoft’s “Dungeon Hunter: Alliance”. Not having played the previous Dungeon Hunter game or any of the other Dungeon Hunter: Alliance games already available on the PlayStation Network and on the Mac, I was curious to see how this hack and slash RPG game that has over 30-levels would play out on Sony’s brand new shiny handheld machine. Fortunately, I find myself not too excited about this game on the Vita as frankly I was disappointed. Coming off some stellar RPG’s like Skyrim and Kingdoms’ of Amalur, Dungeon Hunter: Alliance simply felt cheap and dated. This being said, it did have a few redeeming qualities.
Much like the PSN and Mac ports, Dungeon Hunter: Alliance is a hack and slash RPG game, and I use the term RPG very loosely as you cannot expect “Skyrim” or “Kindoms of Amalur” depth or quality by any extent. If anything, you can expect something much more significantly stripped down. Sure, Dungeon Hunter plays out like many ‘hack and slasher’ RPG games we have played over the last decade, just do not expect anything incredibly unique, innovative, or ground breaking. It is unfortunate because if Gameloft could have thrown a few new wrinkles in the mix and Dungeon Hunter: Alliance could have been a solid launch title, but instead it comes across as more of a bargain bin throw-away game.
When you jump into a game, you start out by choosing one of three characters much like we have seen in other RPG’s of a similar ilk. There is the Warrior who is all about blunt force trauma (aka. melee attacks). He can fight many opponents at once and has the best armour. There is the Mage, who is all about using magic. Finally, there is the Rogue, who specializes in one on one quick attacks. The Rogue is swift, agile, and able to avoid heavy attacks. As you progress in the game each character can upgrade their abilities which spices things up a bit; however, for the most part you will be spending a great deal of time mashing your enemy and moving on.
The controls are very easy to pick up and will not take you any length of time to get used too. Your special abilities are mapped to the triangle, circle and square buttons, while the X button is used for your regular attacks. Despite the game being rated “T for Teen” my nine year old daughter had mastered the controls within a matter of seconds. Yes, I know the Teen rating is for content, but I was curious to see if the controls were as simple as I thought they were. As I mentioned, you will be spending a great deal of time mashing where every once in a while you will unleash magic or suck back some health potions in order stave off the swarms of enemies. It becomes quite challenging towards the second half of the game, but make no bones about it you should be able to breeze through the single player campaign. Of course that is if you decide to bite the 40-dollar bullet.
Similar to other RPG’s, defeating enemies will result in loot that you can pick up, and Dungeon Hunter has lots of it. Weapons, armour, treasure and other miscellaneous items are all collected when you defeat the enemy. Your character also collects XP in the game. Taking on the seemingly endless stream of enemies is mildly entertaining in the early going but it does tend to get stale after a while. I actually found myself getting sleepy and my mind was wandering quite often when playing the game. It got to the point where I was skipping the text dialogue (yes, Dungeon Hunter features no voice narrator) and in no time flat I found that I became uninterested in the games plotline. I guess I just expected something a little more captivating. Sadly, I did not get it.
I was however impressed with the size of the game. The Dungeon Hunter world centers around a town where you encounter various NPC’s and take the time to organize your characters load-out. Here you can jump into any dungeon or forest, take on a side quest, or jump into a new area littered with enemies. Each level contains numerous enemies and an inevitable boss fight. This same pattern occurs over and over in Dungeon Hunter.
Visually, Dungeon Hunter is a very basic looking game and barely pushes the power of the Vita. Its unfortunate, but the game barely holds a candle to games like Uncharted and Rayman Origins. Sure the levels are large, the menus are easy to navigate, and the colours in the game are somewhat sharp, but otherwise Dungeon Hunter is a basic looking game and a one you likely will not be using to show off how visually stunning games on your Vita can look. Much like the visuals, the sound is also lackluster. More consistent voice acting and a steady voice narrator would be have kept the game more entertaining, but instead you have a fair share of reading on your hands which is something I would expect more from a PSP or even 3DS game. Music wise, Dungeon Hunter delivers, but much like the rest of the game it is nothing we have not heard before.
Dungeon Hunter does feature an online component that is somewhat enjoyable but feels more like an add-on. I just question why it is even included as I do not envision many people jumping online and spending any significant amount of time with games multiplayer component. The question that kept nagging at me was “In a month from now will anyone be playing it online?” I believe that more focus should have been spent on delivering a more refined RPG experience and strengthening the single player experience.
When everything is said and done, Dungeon Hunter Alliance will likely be one of the more forgettable Vita launch tittles. While the game does offer up some mild enjoyment in small spurts, the reality is this game could have been so much better. Not to mention when you can get the game on PSN for a cheaper price you really have to question why anyone would make the $39.99 plunge to get the game for the Vita. Overall, this is a game is simply below average and best left for a rainy day weekend rental.
