Dauntless’ Review-Bomb Controversy Explained

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As a seasoned gamer with over two decades of experience under my belt, I must confess that I’ve seen my fair share of gaming trends come and go. One such trend is the proliferation of games trying to emulate the success of Monster Hunter, and Dauntless was one of the earliest contenders in this field.

Over the past few years, numerous games have attempted to replicate the formula of Monster Hunter, but Dauntless, developed by Phoenix Labs, was one of the first to do so successfully. Originally released as an early access title in May 2018, Dauntless is a free-to-play action RPG that draws inspiration from Capcom’s highly successful series. The game transports players into a vibrant fantasy world devastated by an apocalyptic event, where the mission is to vanquish the fearsome creatures known as Behemoths that plague the land. Dauntless was launched on all eighth-generation consoles, including PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and Nintendo Switch, in 2019, following closely behind Monster Hunter: World’s debut.

Despite debuting on PC since its initial launch, Dauntless originally was exclusive to the Epic Games Store due to Epic being its primary funder and publisher across various systems. However, on December 5, 2024, it was introduced to Steam in tandem with the new Dauntless: Awakening update, revamping numerous aspects of the game. Regrettably, the game’s introduction to Valve’s PC storefront has not gone smoothly. As of now, it holds an overwhelmingly negative rating on Steam, indicating that a mere 15% of users have given positive reviews. To add to the woes, Dauntless’ recent update has been met with criticism from players across different platforms. Many argue that the updates have negatively impacted the game due to changes they believe make it less enjoyable.

Dauntless’s New Awakening Update is Being Heavily Criticized by Players

The New Monetization in Dauntless: Awakening Has Been Called Predatory

It seems that a common complaint among fans revolves around Dauntless’ recent approach to monetization. Originally free-to-play, Phoenix Labs’ action RPG had microtransactions integrated within its gameplay. However, the Awakening update has raised concerns as it appears to make the game more exploitative. This significant update increased the frequency of limited-time cosmetic items in the battle passes, heightening the fear of missing out (FOMO). To add fuel to the fire, they also introduced loot boxes that players can buy for a chance at obtaining unique weapons.

Initially, loot boxes were included in the early versions of the game Dauntless as a means for players to acquire in-game cosmetics. However, following criticism from fans and industry-wide opposition to this monetization method, they were taken out in an update after the initial launch, which took place around 2017. John Houston, a key developer of the RPG and co-founder of Phoenix Labs, expressed his disapproval of loot boxes in an interview with Glixel at that time, stating that their removal was aimed at providing players with a more transparent connection to the content they were purchasing. The recent reintroduction of loot boxes in Dauntless’s new update is puzzling given Houston’s past criticism of them.

Fans Are Not Happy With the Removal of Various Features in Dauntless: Awakening

In the game Dauntless: Awakening, some questionable ways the creators, Phoenix Labs, make money have caused problems for many players. A common complaint is that in the latest update, players’ progress has been rolled back, erasing the weapons they earned and their advancement through the main questline. This means players must start over, investing numerous hours to collect loot in this monster-slaying RPG, or else pay real money to obtain desired weapons.

In the revamped weapon crafting system of Dauntless: Awakening, there’s been some criticism. Previously, players could utilize Cells, items used to add special abilities to their armor sets, but these have been significantly weakened in the update. Instead of being able to customize their abilities by mixing and matching, gamers can now only get a +1 bonus when adding additional Cells to their equipment. The removal of this feature, as well as several others in Dauntless, has led some players to humorously suggest that the Awakening update actually took away more features than it added.

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2024-12-10 20:24