I think we can all agree this recent resurgence of the hero shooter trend, particularly of the F2P variety, brought about by Overwatch 2 has been having quite a rough go of it in 2024 up to this point. Foamstars (which you now have to pay for) was severely underwhelming, XDefiant downright loathsome, and there are plenty getting shutdown before they can even make it out of early access. I certainly wouldn’t have guessed that Hunters, a game who’s announcement trailer left me with a general feeling of “ew no” a couple years or so back, would end up being an unexpected bright spot during this time. It’s genuinely superb!
To be fair, this isn’t doing anything new for the genre. Rather relying exclusively on the strength of the license and the merits of its own excellent execution to seal the deal. One aspect that’s really helped it hook me though, is how it calls to mind quirky retro Star Wars titles like Chess, Super Bombad Racing, and most notably Demolition due to it’s goofy arena gladiatorial combat sports theme and roster of entirely original characters. Effectively making it the first thing anyone has done with the property, upcoming or otherwise, that’s had me even remotely interested since the third season of The Mandalorian.
If there’s a single, somewhat unavoidable fact those aforementioned oddities have proved however, it’s how an unconventional concept alone is not enough to guarantee success. So it’s lucky that impeccable balance is there to elevate the experience from charming peculiarity only truly suitable for the fanbase, into something wholly worthwhile for a much larger audience. This is the first instance in these types of shooters where I’ve found myself able to have fun regardless of who I’m playing as thus far. Don’t get me wrong, I definitely have my favorites, but should I ever find myself without the ability to select one of my typical preferred choices I’m still capable of contributing to my team’s victory in a meaningful way.
From more nimble, yet fragile support classes that can dish out respectable damage from a distance to hulking tanks that trade fast weapon/skill reload times for meaty health bars that allow the player to stay in the heat of the action, each hero comes with their own pros and cons to ensure that they excel in certain situations while keeping everyone on equal footing provided they’re using whoever they choose correctly. There is definitely already a meta more likely to guarantee a win, although I’ve managed to come out on top with less favorable squad compositions in multiple instances strictly as a result of the intelligent efforts of myself and the proficient individuals I was partnered with. It also blows my mind how they managed to make the small handful of melee attackers a legitimately viable option in a package where every other choice uses guns!
Honestly, the closest thing we have to a flaw here outside of the mildly irritating amount of bot battles you have to sit through before real matches open up as part of the dev’s way of easing you into the mechanics is that there are a very limited number of modes right now. Four in total. Fortunately, the regular events add needed variety by introducing unique spins for brief periods. Admittedly, “Boulder Bash” which sees both sides throwing giant, well, boulders to get their kills as the Wookie Grozz was awful, but I would love for the prior one that put you in the shoes of a randomly selected hero, whether you’ve unlocked them or not, to cycle back around since it forced me to get comfortable stepping into the shoes of those I probably wouldn’t have gone with of my own accord.
Of course, this is also a free-to-play release, meaning there are microtransactions and your usual battle pass woes. As irritating as it is to have that cool Fett knockoff featured so heavily in all the marketing be locked behind the latter, it nonetheless seems a bit strange to me that this is the element professional critics have honed their cavil in on the most. All the while largely continuing to turn a blind eye towards Fortnite and Blizzard’s undeniable standout referenced at the start of this review that are arguably no better than this in that area. Ultimately, whatever Hunters’ future holds in regards to monetization, right now it’s great at handing out plenty of free skins and other goodies to ensure I’ve personally not felt pressured to buy anything, therefore leaving me with nothing to complain about on this front.
Overall, this has hit all of the notes necessary to keep me invested for what currently looks to be the long haul. The brief nature of the showdowns always puts me in that “just one more round” mentality upon discovering how close I am to completing another challenge/quest and despite being primarily designed for smartphones it feels right at home on the Switch. Not to mention it strikes the perfect balance of carrying appeal to both the casual and serious hardcore crowds across its ranked and unranked playlists. Traits that combine with the rest of the positives I’ve listed to create a gem I’m totally happy to add to my regular multiplayer rotation and can recommend to anybody without hesitation, longtime devotees to the “galaxy far, far away” or otherwise. Odds are when midnight rolls around on New Year’s I’ll still be looking back at this as 2024’s biggest pleasant surprise for me.
9/10
To be fair, this isn’t doing anything new for the genre. Rather relying exclusively on the strength of the license and the merits of its own excellent execution to seal the deal. One aspect that’s really helped it hook me though, is how it calls to mind quirky retro Star Wars titles like Chess, Super Bombad Racing, and most notably Demolition due to it’s goofy arena gladiatorial combat sports theme and roster of entirely original characters. Effectively making it the first thing anyone has done with the property, upcoming or otherwise, that’s had me even remotely interested since the third season of The Mandalorian.
If there’s a single, somewhat unavoidable fact those aforementioned oddities have proved however, it’s how an unconventional concept alone is not enough to guarantee success. So it’s lucky that impeccable balance is there to elevate the experience from charming peculiarity only truly suitable for the fanbase, into something wholly worthwhile for a much larger audience. This is the first instance in these types of shooters where I’ve found myself able to have fun regardless of who I’m playing as thus far. Don’t get me wrong, I definitely have my favorites, but should I ever find myself without the ability to select one of my typical preferred choices I’m still capable of contributing to my team’s victory in a meaningful way.
From more nimble, yet fragile support classes that can dish out respectable damage from a distance to hulking tanks that trade fast weapon/skill reload times for meaty health bars that allow the player to stay in the heat of the action, each hero comes with their own pros and cons to ensure that they excel in certain situations while keeping everyone on equal footing provided they’re using whoever they choose correctly. There is definitely already a meta more likely to guarantee a win, although I’ve managed to come out on top with less favorable squad compositions in multiple instances strictly as a result of the intelligent efforts of myself and the proficient individuals I was partnered with. It also blows my mind how they managed to make the small handful of melee attackers a legitimately viable option in a package where every other choice uses guns!
Honestly, the closest thing we have to a flaw here outside of the mildly irritating amount of bot battles you have to sit through before real matches open up as part of the dev’s way of easing you into the mechanics is that there are a very limited number of modes right now. Four in total. Fortunately, the regular events add needed variety by introducing unique spins for brief periods. Admittedly, “Boulder Bash” which sees both sides throwing giant, well, boulders to get their kills as the Wookie Grozz was awful, but I would love for the prior one that put you in the shoes of a randomly selected hero, whether you’ve unlocked them or not, to cycle back around since it forced me to get comfortable stepping into the shoes of those I probably wouldn’t have gone with of my own accord.
Of course, this is also a free-to-play release, meaning there are microtransactions and your usual battle pass woes. As irritating as it is to have that cool Fett knockoff featured so heavily in all the marketing be locked behind the latter, it nonetheless seems a bit strange to me that this is the element professional critics have honed their cavil in on the most. All the while largely continuing to turn a blind eye towards Fortnite and Blizzard’s undeniable standout referenced at the start of this review that are arguably no better than this in that area. Ultimately, whatever Hunters’ future holds in regards to monetization, right now it’s great at handing out plenty of free skins and other goodies to ensure I’ve personally not felt pressured to buy anything, therefore leaving me with nothing to complain about on this front.
Overall, this has hit all of the notes necessary to keep me invested for what currently looks to be the long haul. The brief nature of the showdowns always puts me in that “just one more round” mentality upon discovering how close I am to completing another challenge/quest and despite being primarily designed for smartphones it feels right at home on the Switch. Not to mention it strikes the perfect balance of carrying appeal to both the casual and serious hardcore crowds across its ranked and unranked playlists. Traits that combine with the rest of the positives I’ve listed to create a gem I’m totally happy to add to my regular multiplayer rotation and can recommend to anybody without hesitation, longtime devotees to the “galaxy far, far away” or otherwise. Odds are when midnight rolls around on New Year’s I’ll still be looking back at this as 2024’s biggest pleasant surprise for me.
9/10
2 Comments
@FallenGrace Nothing wrong with that 👍
I primarily only check one out if a lot of people are talking about it and I have a way to get it for free.
Of course, this one being Star Wars made me more willing to at least give it a shot.
I primarily only check one out if a lot of people are talking about it and I have a way to get it for free.
Of course, this one being Star Wars made me more willing to at least give it a shot.
FallenGrace
3 days ago