Dungeon Hunter is just what iPhone-wielding RPG fans have been waiting for, a nice bit of dungeon crawl that can be snagged for the low-low loot of $6.99.
It's surprising iPhone developers have taken so long to create a Diablo clone considering the sub-genre is known for it's point-and-click-and-click-and-click controls, a natural fit for the iPhone's touch interface. But as a play through of Dungeon Hunter peels back the game's layers and reveals a refined yet simple combat system, a crafty narrative and polished menus, it's evident that a significant amount of time and money went into this project. Maybe no one's tried to make a Diablo-clone because they're just so gosh darn expensive to produce.
But back to Dungeon Hunter. If you've played Diablo or Dungeon Siege you know what you're getting into. Dungeon crawling, hack and slashing, loot collecting, wash repeating. The template benefits the iPhone's touchy controls since most action is simply moving close to an enemy and spamming attacks.
For those unfamiliar with the format, here's the gist. Movement, possible by clicking a location, can also be controlled with a virtual d-pad. There's an attack button and a palette of three magic moves selected by swiping. The player can choose one of three classes and has ten equipment slots and there are plenty of loot drops for customization.
Gameloft adds on a few nice touches like a "Fairy System" that's akin to perks, but for the most part, it sticks to being an exceptional homage to the PC games that devoured the high school years of so many nerds that make up a healthy chunk of the iPhone population.
What might turn off this crowd is the difficulty. Dungeon Hunter's easy, very easy. This is of course something that could be patched, but for those that expect their RPGs to be controller-snappingly difficult, well, they might want to look elsewhere. This is the iPhone, after all, and not having to grind endlessly to complete a quest is a relief for this mobile gamer.
For future updates, I'd also like to see multiplayer, or perhaps a sequel with randomized dungeons; that's just some wishful thinking.
Over all, Dungeon Hunter is more than competent, a loving wink that for $6.99 is a must-own.
