It's been a while since the announcement of Star Wars: Hunters, and although Nintendo Switch owners are still patiently waiting to get their hands on the interesting free competitive multiplayer produced by Zynga, on iOS and Android the game is already available in early access in several countries.
A few days ago Star Wars: Hunters was also launched in Italy, so we were able to try out this tie-in in which you take command of a selection of Hunters to face four-on-four battles in different arenas and within different modes: such as is tradition in live service games, all this content will increase over time.
Is the Force powerful in Zynga's latest project? Let's find out in Star Wars: Hunters Review.
The gameplay of Star Wars Hunters
Basically the Star Wars: Hunters gameplay It is typical of a competitive third-person shooter, although the cast of characters also includes warriors specialized in hand-to-hand combat, who therefore offer a substantial variation on the theme of these mechanics by asking us to close distances in order to inflict damage on opponents. .
the division into classes, in reality, does not take this specific attitude into account, distinguishing the current roster, made up of a total of ten Hunters (with an eleventh member arriving soon), between Damage, Support and Tank: the former are precisely the most effective fighters. For the damage dealt, the latter have abilities that allow you to heal and heal yourself, while the third absorbs hits like a sponge.
Once in the field, obviously the type of character makes a difference and we get along very well with riflemen like the Stormtrooper Sentinel or the bounty hunter Imara Vex, decidedly effective at range and equipped with special abilities that allow you to target opponents with missiles or bursts of amplified power. Not to mention its spectacular Ultimates: in this situation Star Wars: Hunters takes center stage, positioning itself as one of the best mobile shooters currently available.
Hunters specialized in close combat such as the assassin Rieve, the Jedi J-3DI drone or the gigantic Grozz, although they lend themselves to more dynamic and interesting tactics, have reported to us an annoying slippery feeling which is unfortunately typical of competitive online experiences that include melee attacks, and which is highlighted by the touch control system, although precise and very well organized thanks to automatic firing the moment a target ends up in the crosshairs.
Method and contents: an open work
As mentioned at the beginning, Star Wars: Hunters is currently available in early access and this clearly means that the developers are improving the experience based on user feedback, making the necessary balance changes and at the same time introducing new content every month, therefore characters, modes and maps that enrich the structure.
Right now, as mentioned, the roster is made up of ten Hunters while the way There are three, net training and variations on the theme: Battle equipment, which is the typical deathmatch in which the team that reaches twenty eliminations in a limited time wins; Control, a territorial stipulation in which you must conquer and maintain control of an area of the stage by scoring more points than your opponents; and finally Hutpalla, a variant of Capture the Flag.
Then there are the special events, in which the variations we just mentioned have a place, for example the Baraonda which is a deathmatch with random characters, or the Escort, in which you find yourself defending or attacking a charge that must complete a certain route. to be taken to a safe place. He unlock modes is produced based on the growth of our level of experience, this is also a traditional and well-tested solution.
With regard to the maps, at the moment there are seven and they take up some of the most famous settings of the Star Wars saga: from the Ewok Village to a mix between Endor and Hoth, from the Podrace of Mos Espa to a couple of arenas that mix these references. to support the action they will have to implement, presenting a relatively compact but effective design, which also includes energy recharges to help them stay alive longer.
Il modelo free-to-play The game also follows classic mechanics but is quite generous, allowing us to unlock a large part of the roster already in the first hours and access all the modes for free, without waiting, tickets or consumables that limit our desire. Play: we can do it as long as we want, without limitations, and this can only be good news.
Afterwards, it is also true that there is a specific progression of the Hunters, which goes far beyond aesthetic customizations (although present in abundance) and occurs through obtaining points with which to enhance their special abilities, making them more effective. In the battle. . At the moment you cannot buy these upgradesThe risk of pay-to-win diversions is therefore avoided, but it will be necessary to understand if Zynga decides to change something in the race by taking advantage of the "soft" launch.
Technical realization
On a technical level, Star Wars: Hunters stands as one of the best games currently available on the App Store and Google Play. In fact, the developers have managed to mix the charm of the Star Wars characters, represented in this case with a cartoonish style close to some of the most famous productions linked to the saga, with a really compelling visual representation.
In particular, it is surprising animation quality, often the first thing to be sacrificed on the altar of netcode, is the ability to deliver a consistent 60fps experience thanks to the numerous graphical settings present, allowing you to dynamically scale the resolution and reach compromises in terms of presets and ' antialiasing to obtain the performance we want in our terminal.
I touch controls, as already mentioned, are almost perfect and do not make you regret the lack of controller support, thanks to a design with dual virtual analog supported by a series of buttons on the right side of the screen to activate special abilities and jump. , with automatic firing when an enemy enters the crosshairs (it can be deactivated, if you are a masochist) and excellent precision.
Surprisingly, the sound sector is one of the main protagonists of the action, thanks not only to sounds that are absolutely faithful to the Star Wars imagery, but also to a selection of really attractive music, orchestral in style, decidedly authentic and capable of enriching the experience rather than accompanying it anonymously.
Conclusions
Tested version iPhone digital delivery app store, Google Play Price Free Holygamerz.com 8.5 Readers (6) 8.5 your voteStar Wars: Hunters is a traditional but very solid and well-made competitive multiplayer game, which on iOS and Android has very few rivals if we take into account the production value of the game and its ability to effectively convey the atmosphere of the saga. Equipped with an excellent touch control system, spectacular graphics and sound, in addition to a large amount of content currently available between characters, modes and maps, the game produced by Zynga takes advantage of a free-to-play model that is currently being presented decidedly. permissive and without worrying implications: let's hope that at some point he doesn't turn to the Dark Side.
PRO
- Almost perfect touch control system.
- Lots of content including characters, modes and maps.
- Graphically excellent
AGAINST
- Slippery melee, better to shoot.
- Very traditional in everything he does.
- Free-to-play model that will be tested in the long term
