[iPhone] Review - Dungeon Hunter 2

[This is an opinion piece on "Dungeon Hunter 2", by Gameloft. The official website is here.]

I vaguely remember the first Dungeon Hunter. I really enjoyed it for a few play sessions, then it got insanely boring and I never touched it again.

So let's give the sequel a chance.

Ah, the classic "Choose a Class" screen. That old chestnut. Never gets old, does it?

Gameplay - Well, it's more of the same. But with better graphics and more wide-open and detailed environments.

If you've played "Diablo" on PC you'll know what to expect here. Of course, in Diablo you actually had to move your mouse pointer over the enemy you want to hit, before clicking. In Dungeon Hunter 2, you just click the attack button. Or hold it down until everything on the screen has been terminated. Then you walk a bit further on, find a new batch of enemies, and sit still again while auto-attack takes them out.

Poor Trungus, living in a swamp, an outcast ... and now a strange Wizard wanders along and blows him up.

It's actually not quite as boring as I just made it sound. There are plenty of flashy visuals to keep you entertained. All the levels and areas I've been in so far look incredible and quite varied. Monsters (somewhat inexplicably) drop all sorts of items, which you can auto-equip, or auto-transmute which means you automatically cash them in for gold as soon as you collect them. But you can set it to hang on to the really good shit.

You will gain levels pretty much every 5 to 10 minutes, so this kind of strings you along. You're always trying to get a few more points into one of your stats, so that you can equip that awesome piece of gear. Unfortunately, no sooner have you grown strong enough to equip it than you'll find something even better that you want to use. It never ends. It's been the staple drawcard of "action RPGs" since the original Diablo, and it works just as well here. Ahh, many evenings has my little fish been fed late, because I just wanted to clear out this final level of the area I was on.

But anyway, essentially, all you're doing is holding your thumb down on the attack button. And clicking on the occasional spell button to mix things up a bit. Meh.

Worship that "Auto-Equip" button. Caress it, make sweet love to it ... It simplifies everything.

Graphics - Like I said, awesome.

Sound - Hmm it's OK. Music is pretty generic fantasy RPG-type stuff. Sound effects are decent.

CSI: Dungeon Hunter ... "I guess they...<removes sunglasses> ...made it to the barbeque." <music starts>

Value - Pretty good. I look at it this way -- let's say you spend $1.19 on this game. Maybe you play it in short bursts, two or three times per week. After a few weeks, you've probably spent 3 or 4 hours on the game. That works out to about 29 cents per hour. Outside of Bangkok, where else are you going to get entertained for that kind of money?

Dungeon Hunter 2 - 4 out of 5
Does exactly what it says on the tin. Barely engages your brain, but it's not supposed to.

Yay I'm a SHADOWMANCER! It sounds a bit gay, but it's not ... No, really.

-Gray