Dungeon Hunter

Developer: Gameloft
Category: Games
Version: 1.4.0
Release Date: September 14, 2009
Size: 227 MB
Price: $6.99
Rating 10/10

At this point, we're entering the phase of iPhone game development where nearly every game that comes out has a corollary on the Macintosh circa ten years ago. It's actually impressive when you think about it: we're enjoying the same level of sophistication with something that can slip into your pocket, and you can relive all your favorite games. And if you liked Diablo, you'll love Dungeon Hunter.

I'm getting embarrassed from giving great reviews to Gameloft games, because they've clearly got resources beyond many other developers and can deploy whatever they want whenever they want it. I feel better about myself when I love indie developers.

But darned if Dungeon Hunter isn't a pretty good game.

It's Diablo. If you've played Diablo, Blizzard's precursor to Warcraft, you've played this game. You're a resurrected prince, fighting your way through dungeons in search of treasure and experience, leveling up and fighting increasingly dangerous monsters. The gameplay is not breakthrough. You have the thumb controller on the lower left, and a series of abilities on the right. You can attack with a weapon, special attack with a weapon, or use your sidekick fairy's magic ability. On the upper left is your character abilities, where you can access inventory, adjust your skills, and so on. You can play your own music, or listen to the atmospheric background.

You roam around the dungeon in search of treasure, accumulating magic items that make you stronger and faster. A series of quests keeps the game moving forward, and keeps the dungeons from getting boring. The dungeons and monsters get repetitive, so the quests help to break up what can be monotonous gameplay. But there's a sense of progression as your character levels up, and there's still a primal satisfaction in smashing open barrels and treasure chests.

As a hack-and-slash role playing game that appeals to the fantasy-minded, Dungeon Hunter is both an example of what kind of games work well on the iPhone, and pushes the envelope to raise our expectations. A solid game, and well worth the semi-premium price point.