Dungeon Hunter Alliance (PS Vita) Review

Originally released as a mobile game, Dungeon Hunter Alliance has received a lot of reiterations between platforms. With mostly positive reviews, Gameloft hopes to have similar success on the Playstation Vita and reach a new audience. With improved graphics and utilization of the Vita’s touch screens, will Dungeon Hunter Alliance be a worthy launch title for Sony’s new handheld?

Let’s take a look what’s HOT and what’s NOT in our review of Dungeon Hunter Alliance for the PlayStation Vita.

HOT

Classic Dungeon Crawler RPG Feel
It’s been a while since we’ve seen a classic dungeon crawler on a portable system. If you’re a gamer who loves games like Diablo then Dungeon Hunter Alliance should appeal to you. Throughout the game, you will find yourself in various dungeons taking out enemies and doing various quests. The dungeons hold a lot of enemies and depending on how well you develop your character, you can survive the hordes of monsters waiting for you in the dungeon. With every dungeon and monsters you defeat, there will various types of loot that you can pick up including cash, weapons and even armor.

Another highlight in Dungeon Hunter Alliance is how you customize your character. Depending on which of the three classes you select, you can start working on your character’s build every time that you level. There is a Skill Tree for each character and depending on how you spend your skill points, your character can become so powerful that most dungeons are a breeze.

Online Multiplayer Co-Op
When it comes to games like this, I always appreciate multiplayer especially when it’s online. With Dungeon Hunter: Alliance, the online portion helps to make the game more accessible. If you have friends that play, you can form a team with up to four players and pursue a common quest. If you’re the host, anyone in the world who have access online can jump in at any time. In my multiplayer sessions, the online portion was not laggy and connected successfully to the host without any problems. Finally, I had no problem finding games, so you shouldn’t have a problem when you pick it up at launch.

Lengthy Adventure Awaits
From the library of Vita launch titles, most of them will not last longer than ten hours, but with Dungeon Hunter Alliance you expect to spend several hours playing it. If you love RPGs and grinding, you can expect to finish Dungeon Hunter Alliance in around 20-40 hours depending on how you play it. The game also has a lot of quests that you can take, in addition to a deep customization system which extends gameplay.

NOT

Steep Price for the Same PSN Version
For those who didn’t know, Dungeon Hunter Alliance Vita is simply a port. With this being said, the game was released at $12.99 where as the PlayStation Vita is $39.99. This is a huge leap in price for the limited enhancements added. If the game’s price point was around $19.99 to $29.99, I would consider it fair. ALthough for something that is currently being sold at $12.99, I would rather go and purchase the PSN version instead.

Touch Screen Controls Aren’t Innovative
As with all Vita games, touch controls are involved regardless of genre. With Dungeon Hunter Alliance, there are times you can use the front and rear touch panels, but ultimately I found it to be dull and worthless. One of the things I don’t like is when it comes to touch controls, is how you can control the fairy using the rear touch pad and tap the front screen to launch a lightning attack from the fairy. While it may take some time to get used to, I found it easier to control the fairy by simply using the right analog stick. Tapping the front panel works just fine, but with the rear touch panel, it’s too gimmicky for this type of game.

Story is Unoriginal
Don’t expect too much of a story in Dungeon Hunter Alliance. The game starts with your character in a royal tomb after being killed by your wife who has been resurrected through dark magic. With no idea on what happens in the 25 years you were dead, you set out on a journey to stop your evil wife and bring peace to the land. Sounds like a story you’ve heard countless of times right?

Dungeon Designs Are Dull
Since you’re most likely spend hours raiding a dungeon, it would be nice if there was something unique and special for each dungeon. However in Dungeon Hunter Alliance, I found the designs and layouts to be a bit dull. If the map doesn’t exist in the game, I would get lost quite easily as there are too many similar textures being used in one dungeon. The majority of the halls look the same and to those who play for hours will find it dull and repetitive; this goes the same with the gameplay after a while.

In addition to the dull dungeon designs, the camera leaves a lot to be desired. Even though there’s an ability to zoom in or out by pinching the screen, the camera angle ruins the gameplay expereince as it’s fixed and can’t be moved.

Verdict

In the end, Dungeon Hunter: Alliance is a hard title to recommend for the Vita as there’s a far cheaper version on the PlayStation Network with basically the same features. However, if you’re into this genre, it might make up for the hefty price difference. Otherwise, you will be much better off getting the PS3 version over the Vita. Just don’t forget that gameplay and dungeon designs will get repetitive over time.

[Editor’s Note: Dungeon Hunter: Alliance was reviewed on the PlayStation Vita. The game was provided to us by the publisher for review purposes.]