When Star Wars: Hunters was first announced, excitement swirled through the fandom. Finally, there was a new Star Wars shooter where players could experience the action through the eyes of unique characters. But delays pushed the release date further into the distance, until anticipation turned to impatience. Now the game has arrived, but does it live up to the hype?
Hunters separates itself from peers in the hero shooter genre only through its Star Wars skin. Underneath lies a relatively shallow experience that offers little new for veterans or personality for newcomers. Players control one of 12 characters across familiar game modes on small, cluttered maps. Match pacing feels chaotic as all converge on objectives. Objectives themselves offer only minor variations on deathmatch and domination templates.
Character abilities and weapons lack punch compared to competitors. Damage fails to feel impactful, despite flashy animations. No character truly shines above the rest. Uneven balancing leaves some sitting banthas while others wipe out entire teams. Progression progresses at a slow enough pace to incentivize shortcut purchases. A handsome reward leaves battle-pass tiers feeling paltry.
Technical issues like stutters, texture pop-in, and missing audio cues undermine the action. Switch performance in particular brings little glory to the empire. Menus lack clarity for navigation, from unlocking paths to starting matches. Hunters borrows heavily from its inspirations but injects none of the personality or polish that elevates titles in a crowded genre.
With its delays and lackluster launch, Hunters proves the saga is better left untold. It stands as yet another example of an IP alone not being enough to form the heart of a great game. While the license may excite some to look past flaws, Hunters offers few reasons for most to linger long in this distant Outer Rim territory. For fans hoping to fill the Star Wars shooter-sized hole in their gaming lives, the search must continue elsewhere.
Battles in the Outer Rim
So Hunters drops you into 4v4 team battles as you choose from an eclectic cast of characters. Each sports unique weapons and abilities tailored to dealing damage, tanking hits, or supporting allies. On the surface, it follows a simple formula that fans of the genre will recognize.
But below, things feel more half-baked. Combat lacks impact despite flashes. Blasters and punches pack less of a punch than they should. Melee masters struggle to take hits too. Some find their abilities underpowered for the role they’re meant to play. It makes skirmishes feel loose and volatile instead of tactical and tight.
Moving about the battlefield presents its own issues. Characters can feel sluggish getting where they need to go. Maps emphasize cramming everyone in one spot for messy fights. It’s easy to get swept up in the chaos and lose sense of the action unfolding around you.
Visually, the Switch struts don’t do Hunters any favors. Frames regularly slip below the hoped-for thirty, blurring battles further. Pop-ins break immersion, like enemies materializing from thin air. Audio cues too often fail to play, leaving you clueless to flankers.
These technical troubles translate to a cheaper feel during play. Moments that should thrill, like a perfect grenade stick, can fall flat. Tactics matter less when reactions feel unbalanced and haphazard.
Now the modes provide a decent variety with objectives to capture or items to collect. But map and mode design don’t fully leverage the characters. Everyone just winds up in one big mash with little room to leverage roles. More open spaces and objectives could see supports shine by keeping damage safe or tanks open routes.
There remains fun to be had in Hunters for those willing to look past flaws. Battling as fan favorites in iconic settings provides moments to savor. But these issues hold the experience back from achieving what its potential promised. With some polish and tuning, future battles in the Outer Rim could inspire true, passionate rivalry. For now, they entertain but fail to fully engage.
The denizens of Vespaara
Hunters gives you a rogues gallery of 12 unique mercenaries to choose from. Each reflects the wild diversity seen across the Star Wars galaxy. There’s the towering Trandoshan tank, Grozz, wielding his massive shield and hammer. Or Quarrior, the insectoid support, rains healing wings on allies. Fans will smile seeing Bantha Rider’s agile charger trample foes too.
While abilities stick closely to archetypes like damage-dealing or tanking, characters showcase fun personalities. The Jawa twins, housed in a single coat, crack me up. It turns out even scavengers find profit in the Outer Rim’s shadows. And who doesn’t love 0-0-0, the optimistic astromech who thinks he’s a Jedi?
Progressing moves your favorites towards hidden potentials too. Playing matches nets Hunter Fame, leveling characters with new perks. Some unlock cosmetics like emotes or poses to customize your hero’s style. It proves a rewarding incentive to learn each role and character’s nuances.
Things start limited, but openings advance fairly quickly. A few hours later, I unlocked a good spread for me to sample. There’s an incentive to try all the films, not obsess over a select few. While some crave instant options, I appreciated learning at my own pace. A balance respects newcomers and casual players alike.
Deeper customization exists, too. Beyond physical traits, crystals slot into weapons, granting stat boosts. Experimenting blends tactical advantages with your strategy. It makes returning to tweak loadouts continuously engaging.
Overall progression feels respectful of time. No daily grinds or microtransactions push spoiled enjoyment. The heroes of Vespaara welcome all to join the fray at their own pace.
Charging into the Crystal Caves
Progression in Hunters relies partially on purchasing crystals, the game’s premium currency. Zynga wants you to know about crystals too, constantly flashing tempting “deals” during matches. It can break engagement when skirmishes are interrupted to upsell the latest bundle.
Players unlock characters and modes at different rates. Completing tutorials and a handful of matches grants a starting roster. But dedicated players still found only a few available after extensive sessions. Locking in full access encourages crystal spending. Meanwhile, daily quests and leveling reward caches of cosmetics or fame to strengthen current hunters.
For those seeking every edge, premium battle passes sell experience boosters and unique loot. Yet one pass exclusively holds the fan-favorite Mandalorian—a feel-bad move isolating free players. His tactical skillset, remaining inaccessible, sours the fun.
Granted, none impact winning inherently. However, optional investments shouldn’t dictate core parts of the gameplay loop. Hunters could avoid paywalls while monetizing cosmetics and quality-of-life upgrades instead. Regular free rotations of heroes would maintain hype and testing opportunities.
With patience and perseverance, the masters of the crystal caves eventually wield full rosters. But constant ads disrupt matches in a frustrating fashion. Hopefully, future focus shifts from pressuring purchases to enhancing enjoyment for all pilots in the galaxy’s skirmishes. The Crystal Caves offer much to discover if players can avoid getting lost in their promotion caverns.
The Hidden Sound and the Elusive Image
Hunters presents a colorful cartoon galaxy. Vibrant characters pop against detailed maps, invoking iconic Star Wars locales. However, visual polish proves elusive at times.
During matches, texture pop-ins can break immersion. Approaching a corner, unclear details momentarily distract. More concerning, missing animation audio leaves players vulnerable. Launching a grenade with no sound allows opponents to surprise unknowing targets.
In heated fights, maintaining awareness proves challenging. With no cues, players depend on sight alone to avoid ambushes. Yet disorienting visual clutter compounds the issue. Frenzied skirmishes devolve into indistinct flashes, formless as the battle droids of the Trade Federation. Without discernible signals, focus falters.
Performance perpetuates presentation problems. On Switch, sluggish framerates further muddy intense moments. Struggling to maintain image clarity, visual fluidity suffers. Hesitations pull the player away from engagement, severing connection to the authentic Star Wars combat experience.
Packing colorful characters into the living world helps bring the galaxy to life. But missing audio leaves baffling voids, while unstable performance and stubborn glitches undermine immersion. With polish, Hunters could transport players seamlessly into pulse-pounding Star Wars action. For now, enticing environments remain veiled, locked behind an elusive image and a hidden sound.
The Outer Rim’s Shallow Shores
Despite flashy Star Wars skins, Hunters offers little beneath the surface. Short matches and meager rewards fail to build lasting engagement. While fans may manage to run through challenge lists, most will soon feel content dry up.
What drew players in proves too shallow to retain their interest for long. New heroes prove mere reskins of others, lacking innovative hooks. Battles splutter in an unbalanced soup, and abilities fall limp. Wins and unlocks provide fleeting fulfillment where deep mechanics could have rooted fun.
When novelty fades, only a clunky core remains. Unpolished visuals and audio fray already laborious fighting. Cryptic menus and restrictions further estrange instead of inviting exploration. Such minor yet pervasive irritants accumulate into frustration.
Compare Hunters to Titans owning this genre. Deep lore, balanced fights, and constant updates nurture voracious communities. Teamwork, outplays, and epic stakes feed ever-evolving mastery. Innovation inspires loyalty through seasons, not mere weeks.
For dedicated completionists, hunters may occupy the remaining quiet moments. However, others see clear alternatives that reward their endless passion. In an overpopulated market, forgettable experiences like this one struggle to survive, let alone thrive. While its skin draws initial interest, verdicts remain predictable for a game with so little beneath the surface. Only the most devoted fans may continue their hunt, as most seek fuller, deeper shores elsewhere.
No Force to Be Reckoned With
Sadly, Hunters proves no match for genre juggernauts. Its borrowed bones lack vision to entice beyond novelty’s wear. While Star Wars skinnings excite, familiar foundations fail to fire imaginations.
Under the hood rumbles an engine seen in shooters past. The third-person scoring system remains rote, with absent mechanics lending suspense. Characters lack flair for separating roles. Identikit abilities activate on cue, minus flair, hooking audiences. Map designers stay station, cranking corridors between covers sans surprises.
More damning, unfinished feel betrays beginnings as a mobile money spinner. Janky seams show where craft fell cursory. Stiff shooting sits poorly. Targeting troubles spot enemies adept already know by heart. Rewards dish out sparingly for repetitive tasks. Grinds grow tiresome quickly without any incentive to improve.
Of course, tie-ins alone can’t redeem wares below standards. While preexisting properties prop open doors, quality retains king. Sadly, Zynga’s shooter brings innovation none, charm little, to a distinguished field. Hardly optimized for any platform, failures frustrate at each turn.
Without refinement or reasons returning, Hunters risks becoming forgotten footnotes. Its universe proves too immense to carry forgettable fare alone. For genre devotees, bigger worlds elsewhere invite longer plays. Only the most devoted fans may continue hunting here while selection stands vast and reception proves lukewarm. With the missing magic of vision and execution, this venture fails to launch with lasting relevance.
The Review
Star Wars: Hunters
Though sporting a prominent license, Hunters brings a few fresh ideas of its own to the overpopulated hero-shooter sphere. Workmanlike foundations and an unrefined feel fail to compellingly extend engagement.
PROS
- Colorful cartoon visuals have charm.
- Distinct Star Wars characters to choose from
- Fast-paced matches for mobile-style gameplay
CONS
- derivative of other hero shooters with little uniqueness
- Shallow gameplay that lacks depth and mechanics
- Unrefined feel with technical issues and an unbalanced experience
- Grindy and microtransaction-focused progression
