This is an Early Access Review and as such opinions are based solely on the state of the game at the time of review and subject to change as development progresses leading up to final release.
Have you ever wondered what would happen if you mixed Genshin Impact with a Metroidvania style gameplay? Well look and be amazed as your wait it over with Frontier Hunter: The gameplay is standard for a Mertoidvania, but has been refined to be smooth and responsive for a 2.5D. Characters and dialogue are written well, but are nothing compared to the art of this title. Erza’s Wheel of Fortune. Frontier Hunter is an early access game with bite and a lot to come in the future; especially when it comes to story, as it is currently only 30 percent in its current state.
The story begins two years after previous game, in a new mysterious land. Players follow Ezra, the now licensed hunter, as she has taken a job from the Empire to explore the land beyond the storm. After safely navigating through the storm in their airship, they are attacked by an unknown group and are forced to crash land. It is up to Ezra and her growing group to explore the new world and learn more about it.
Visually, the game is beautifully rendered with a computer-generated anime style. In fact, the characters are very expressive, and their models are well done. There are a variety of enemies and the way they move/fight give off some great visual effects. The 2.5D style of the game looks great and gives a lot of detail. In technical terms the game moves very smoothly and precisely which is important due to the nature of its gameplay. As for audio, everything in game sounds great and breathes life into the world. The voice work is also good, giving a lot of personality to the important characters and accompanying the story scenes in a great way. However, be warned that it is all in Japanese with English subtitles for those who hate reading. In general, both the graphics and audio are a highlight to what a small developer can do with love and dedication to their craft.
The gameplay is fantastic for a Metroidvania. There are a few quick action events that add to the story, or even a nice rail shooter sprinkle on top. These are not the main attraction but do give a nice touch to spice things up. The controls feel smooth and responsive as you glide through enemies. Whether players are trying to jump platforms or dodge various enemy attacks, everything is done with ease and no frustration. For combat, players have a main weapon, a sub weapon, and magic attacks. Overall, combat is standard for a Metroidvania, but has a nice flare with character swaps and the various weapons at their disposal.
Players are able to switch between various characters. Each character has their own fighting style, health, and magic points with various stats. For example, players in the first section switch between Ezra, who is mainly a close combat fighter with swords and magic, to Ciara, her trainee who focuses on long range with her chain gun. Each has their own unique style and help bring balance to the variety of scenarios. Players eventually unlock other characters and are able to juggle each one without restriction.
The only issues worth noting are the level of difficulty and lack of marked objectives on the map. Frontier Hunter is not a particularly difficult game. Managing health between save points can be difficult at times, but once you have some good equipment and better stats, you basically become a tank with high DPS. Hopefully future sections of the game will be harder, or a difficulty option will become available. As for the marked objectives, there were a few instances where the player will have to go to a certain spot without having any way of knowing. For example, once Ezra needs to return to her room, the player has to go to the bottom left corner of the ship. Usually for most objectives, the game indicates on the map where to go. With this one, there is no marking or indication that you have to go there. This does get frustrating as players can run circles with no idea that they ran past it a few times. Otherwise, Frontier Hunter is a fantastic title with a lot to praise.
Frontier Hunter: Erza’s Wheel of Fortune is a Metroidvania experience that doesn’t break the bank and has a lot of potential. The controls are smooth and precise that fans of the genre will surely love. The story is great so far, but with only 30% being available, who knows how it will turn out. Since the title is still in Early Access, more content and work on the game is yet to come which means even more potential for being a solid game in development. If they continue in the line in which they have worked so far, it is best to believe that Frontier Hunter could become one of the best entries of the genre.
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