As a long-time fan of action-packed Metroidvania games, I was both excited and curious to revisit Frontier Hunter: Erza’s Wheel of Fortune for its 1.0 release. It’s been over a year since I first checked out the early access version, and I must admit, it feels good to see the game finally come together with a complete story and polished gameplay.
It’s surprising to me that I played the early access version of Frontier Hunter: Erza’s Wheel of Fortune over 18 months ago, and now returning for the full release, I struggle to identify significant modifications or enhancements in the gameplay. There have been numerous patches addressing minor aspects like buff durations and an extra voice option has been added. However, the core gameplay that appeared complete earlier has merely undergone some refining – which is a positive sign of continuous improvement.
Title character Erza functions as a renowned bounty hunter and explorer in an intriguing sci-fi-fantasy realm, similar to today’s professional streamers. Her dedicated fanbase eagerly follows her adventures, making Erza one of the elite in her line of work. However, misfortune strikes as Erza’s spaceship crashes on a hostile alien planet filled with dangerous plants and creatures. With only her friends Ciara and Nia by her side, Erza must gather the essential components to repair the ship and continue her spacefaring journey.
By manipulating the right joystick, you can switch between controlling Erza, Ciara, and Nia in sequence. This results in exploring diverse landscapes, enhancing your characters’ abilities through leveling up, unlocking new ways to navigate, and defeating formidable enemies to collect essential pieces for mending the vessel. Each character offers unique gameplay experiences: Erza is proficient with two-handed swords, Ciara boasts lethal feet and an enormous auto-cannon, while Nia inflicts significant damage using her fists.
As a gamer, I’d describe combat in Frontier Hunter: Erza’s Wheel of Fortune as a dance of combos. But it’s not just about mashing buttons; each character offers unique ranged attacks that can be used strategically. And when the heat is on, there’s an agile evasive dodge to help me escape from danger. What sets Frontier Hunter apart from other Metroidvanias, though, is the innovative use of abilities with my ranged attacks. Instead of learning new skills like an air-dash or double-jump, I discover how my attacks interact with specific doors and obstacles. It’s a fresh take on the genre that keeps me engaged and excited to explore further!
During the exploration, which is typical for this type of game, there are some variations. Every so often, you’ll have to protect the temporary camp your team has set up near the spaceship. In these instances, you can switch between controlling characters manning the turrets to repel attacking monsters, and those on foot fighting in close quarters. Although these scenes seem unusual, they do add some excitement by introducing changes to the gameplay.
In this game, you earn a substantial amount of cores from various activities, which can be placed in restricted slots on your weapons and accessories. These cores enhance specific stats and offer perks such as higher critical hit chance or faster attack speed. While not revolutionary, these bonuses prove useful during challenging boss encounters. The battles against these foes can be particularly daunting due to their formidable strength and somewhat unwieldy character control. Adding to the difficulty is the fact that most bosses have multiple health bars, requiring you to carefully deplete each one while they progressively introduce new attack patterns.
Despite its questionable elements, Fortune Hunter: Erza’s Wheel of Fortune has an undeniable charm. The characters are endearingly cute, albeit shamelessly enticing for fans, with Ciara being particularly smitten with Erza and experiencing nosebleeds at inopportune moments. Even more intriguing is the presence of Diablos, a spirit residing in Erza’s hairpin, who frequently makes lewd remarks towards women.
The character in question adds to the disorder and forgettable nature of an already complex plot, similar to the inclusion of Erza’s streaming career. While the story isn’t terrible, its muddled elements – such as anthropomorphic animal characters – make it a challenge to keep up with and seem insignificant compared to the engaging action sequences.
Frontier Hunter’s visual appeal is a significant plus. The game puts great effort into crafting attractive main characters whose appearances can be customized through numerous options for outfits, dresses, ensembles, and hairstyles. Additionally, the vibrant, intricately designed backgrounds add to the allure. Regarding enemies, they offer a diverse range of creatures to face, including giant bugs, carnivorous plants, and zombies. However, their designs do not follow distinct themes based on the specific biome, making the encounters feel somewhat random and disconnected from their environments.
Revisiting Frontier Hunter: Erza’s Wheel of Fortune post-early access release was a delightful journey. The game is now fully developed, offering a captivating storyline (albeit complex at times). The developers have meticulously refined the movement, combat, and balance through numerous updates, ensuring a more cohesive gaming experience. Although it doesn’t bring anything groundbreaking or revolutionary to the table, Metroidvania enthusiasts will find this title a worthwhile investment.
Read More
- SOL PREDICTION. SOL cryptocurrency
- USD ZAR PREDICTION
- BTC PREDICTION. BTC cryptocurrency
- LUNC PREDICTION. LUNC cryptocurrency
- EUR ILS PREDICTION
- CKB PREDICTION. CKB cryptocurrency
- USD COP PREDICTION
- MDT PREDICTION. MDT cryptocurrency
- UFO PREDICTION. UFO cryptocurrency
- WELL PREDICTION. WELL cryptocurrency
2024-07-29 12:10