Dungeon Hunter by Gameloft
The chances of us seeing a new version of Diablo this year are well, slim. We’ve waited this long, what’s a couple more years, right? Recently however, Gameloft has filled the void with Dungeon Hunter. It’s as close as we’re going to get for awhile, but that aside it’s a great game in it’s own right. It has a very similar top down view, three separate classes to choose from (Barbarian, Rogue, Sorcerer), plenty of quests, lots of loot and magical items to find and even skills based character building. It’s every bit as fun as playing the PC version of Diablo except this has a whole new look and all new quests. I especially like the part of smashing barrels and kicking open chests looking for loot.
Dungeon Hunter has all the features of other D&D style games. You gain experience for all the monsters you defeat and when you level up you get points to use for your characters abilities and skill points. You can put points in Strength, Dexterity, Energy and Endurance. There is also a full skill tree of both Active and Passive skills. The more points you add, the better you are in that skill. And it’s not just a couple of skills, but a full assortment of nearly 20. Gameloft really thought this panel out.
Along with skills and character points you get to completely outfit your hero with weapons and armor. You get to pick what he wears from head to toe and as you would expect each one of the items has different attributes. Of course some items are basic, some have one magic attribute, some have two, and others have three. It’s pick and choose to make your character as devastating as possible.
Like Diablo there are waypoints which let you jump around on the map to get to different places. When you’re in a location a small portal will transport you to the next section. It’s really well done and follows the same style you’re used to on the PC.
I actually bought Dungeon Hunter nearly two months ago before I had to sent in the Touch to be repaired. It’s actually one of the games that proved the device had a problem. With this long break I’ve finally been able to play and the game is great. I’ve already invested multiple hours in this one and I’m sure there’s plenty more to go. I only wish I could have been playing it sooner.
The only setback is the cheesy dialog of the characters. Considering how sophisticated everything else is, this just comes across as amateurish. It’s easily ignored, but clearly it could be better.
It’s a hell of a game for $4.99, and considering Diablo 3 will easily set you back $49.99 it’s a steal. There’s hours of entertainment to be had with the three different characters (and who knows if Gameloft will add an expansion) and the skill tree. Once you finish with one character I have no doubt you’ll start over with a different one.
Gameloft really raised the bar on this one. I wouldn’t be surprised if this is the launch of a whole new generation of D&D styled games for the iPod Touch.
