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Summary
Star Wars: Huntersis a new free-to-play multiplayer online battle arena (MOBA) game which provides a quality approach to team battling, with a heavy emphasis on itsStar Warstheme.The game offers fast-paced matches in different game modes with teams fighting against each otherin pretty traditional methods for the genre. Sadly, although it is aStar Warsexperience, there does not appear to be any type of force powers used by any of the hunters (playable hero characters) but the skills that are there feel solid and fun to use.
In The Arena,PvP battles reign supreme with teams of 4 players battling it out for victory, without regard to what side of the Galactic Civil War the hunters originated from.Star Wars: Huntersbenefits greatly from its franchise theme, with the recognizable characters and locations being used to full advantage. This use of the iconic theme will easily catch the attention of fans ofStar Wars, but the game itself is a solid, and fun, form of entertainment in its own right. Unfortunately, the genre has become heavily saturated with titles in recent years, making it difficult to vie for the attention of its players, somethingHuntersmight ultimately struggle to do over time.
Star Wars: Hunters
Star Wars: Hunters is an action game from Zynga and NaturalMotion. The game is a squad-based arena shooter featuring many types of Star Wars characters in arena combat, where players will choose from several classic franchise weapons.
Star Wars: Hunters Is A Good Arena Shooter
Gameplay Mechanics And Design
As is the case with most MOBA games, there are three classes of hunters that players can choose from: tank, support, and damage. Essentially,players pick their hunter and then, when the match starts, both teams rush in to take out as many opponents as they can and work towards any map objectivesif the game mode is not simply a team vs. team brawl. The use of colors helps to denote which players are good or bad to shoot at, although friendly fire appears to be turned off, thankfully.
Star Wars: Huntershas a 7-week long Season which is ranked, allowing players to work their way up through divisions and leagues while they compete. Each ranked match can be either aSquad Brawl, Trophy Chase (only available after Level 11), Power Control, or Dynamic Control.
These modes are cycled randomlyand, unfortunately, there does not appear to be a way to select a preferred style of gameplay.
The Story Is Simple But Feels True To The Franchise
Plenty Of Star Wars Vibes With Maps And Characters
Star Wars: Huntersis set just after the end of the Galactic Civil War, where The Arena becomes a way for heroes to rise up and make a name for themselves. This arena is located in Vespaara in the Outer Rim and isbroadcast across the galaxy on the HoloNet, offering gladiatorial entertainment to audiences. These contenders who step forward to test their skills in the arena come from a wide range of backgrounds, with everything from Imperial stormtroopers to bounty hunters.
It is a rather simple story that is not discussed much in-game, but it doesn’t really need to be anything more than it is. The focus ofStar Wars: Huntersis on the fighting, andthis rather basic backdrop provides just enough explanation for thevariety of charactersthat players can choosefrom. Moreover, the arena hasseveral different maps that, while perfectly practical for the battle that ensues there, capture the feel of recognizable areas from theStar Warsfranchise. Ewok Village is my personal favorite, but the Death Star, Mos Espa Podrace, and many others are included, with more anticipated.
Every Character In Star Wars: Hunters, Ranked
13 characters are playable in Star Wars: Hunters so far, including bounty hunters, rebel war heroes, Jawas, droids, Sith assassins, and more.
Matches Are A Lot Of Fun And It’s Quick To Play A Round Or Two
Perfect For On The Go, Fitting For Its Limited Platform Availability
Matches inStar Wars: Hunterslast for only a few minutes each, making it easy to hop in and play a quick round or two when on a break at work or even while waiting in line. This makes the game a great fit for being on mobile devices, as well as taking the Switch in handheld mode. It is unfortunate that the game is not available on PlayStation or Xbox consoles or PC, and hopefully this will be addressed in the future. Having a wider range of players being able to enjoy the game would strengthen the player base, helping to make up for the inevitable drop once the initial hype of the game falls off.
In many ways,Star Wars: Huntersfeels like a reskin of other arena combat games.
The quick pace of arena matches in the game makes up for the fact that there is no easy way to communicate with others in a team about long-term strategy or planning. Thelack of in-game chat on the Nintendo Switchmakes it difficult to coordinate strategies with teammates, but also makes it a safer place without being able to hear insults or blame. This can help those who are uncomfortable with the negativity that can arise in team-based competitive games. If matches were longer than just a couple of minutes, however, it could become much more frustrating to not talk with a team on strategies, and friends playing together would gain a distinct advantage.
Star Wars: Hunters Platforms & Differences Explained
Star Wars: Hunters is a new hero shooter developed by Zynga but what platforms can it be played on and what are the differences between versions?
Tempting Microtransactions Run Rampant In This Free-To-Play Game
Of Course, Star Wars: Hunters Has To Make Money Somehow
A free-to-play game has to have some way to make money, so it really isn’t all that surprising thatStar Wars: Huntershas a plethora of microtransactions available.The items in the in-game store do not offer any competitive advantage, although the impressive-looking cosmetics are certainly tempting to purchase. Players can spend money to purchase new hunters, but nearly all of them can be unlocked by simply playing the game.
There are numerous ways to get rewards in the game, even unlocking new characters or cosmetics, besides the in-game store. There is aHunter’s Path progression path which is freeand levels up as players compete in matches. This path unlocks new Hunters to play, but after the first couple of characters are unlocked, it becomes a grind to reach more.
Is Star Wars Hunters F2P Or Pay-To-Win?
Star Wars: Hunters has been marketed as free-to-play, but with its currency packs and in-game purchases, some are skeptical it may become pay-to-win.
Star Wars: Huntersalso allows players to upgrade individual hunters through playing with them. Each match awardsHunter Fame to the specific hero played as, which will upgrade abilities or cosmetics. This means that the more a person wants to focus on playing their favorite character, such as Grozz for example, the more cosmetics and skills they will get for that character, simply by playing the game.
Our Review Score & Final Thoughts
3.5/5 Stars - “Very Good” By Screen Rant’s Review Metric
There are numerous arena battle games available to choose from currently, and althoughStar Wars: Huntershas the benefit of using a beloved and recognizable franchise,there isn’t much to set it apart from the rest. In many ways,Star Wars: Huntersfeels like a reskin of other arena combat games, with many of the same game mechanics, techniques, and more - though theStar Warsmaps involvedhelp separate it some.
The gameplay is solid, andeverything feels as though it is polished and fun, but without much to truly capture the attention of the community, there is a concern that after the initial hype dies off, the matches could begin to struggle with maintaining an active player base. That said, this game does have a lot to offer, particularly forStar Warsfans, being a well-crafted entry into the genre of competitive arena combat battles. Especially being free-to-play,Star Wars: Huntersis a fun game that is absolutely worth a try.
