Dungeon Hunter 6, the new installment in the long-running RPG series, offers heaps of fantasy-themed battle. It’s a mix of real-time fighting and strategy, and offers a fun look to its characters and many, many monsters.
It’s a free to play game for iPhone and iPad, with in-app purchases.
Dungeon Hunter 6 brings the action
I started playing the original Dungeon Hunter on my iPad in 2010. I enjoyed the heck out of it, and it was a big enough success that it was the beginning of a series.
The sixth iteration launched recently, and I’ve played some of it, too. Not long enough to finish it — there’s way too much game content for that.
Unlike that original version, the new iteration is not really a dungeon crawler. There’s some walking around, but mostly gameplay is about fighting one big bad boss after another. But that’s what many players prefer — why waste time walking around killing small fry when you could be in an epic battle?
Gameplay in Dungeon Hunter 6 starts with picking one of six characters types: Warrior, Assassin, Archer, Mage and the Boon Sister. Then you’re given a mission to save the world from chaotic forces of darkness.
Fighting is in real time, which I prefer. (Turn-based combat requires more thought than I really like when I’m playing.) But strategy is required. Your character recruits lieutenants to help you fight, and picking the right team is important. There’s also loads of loot to manage to be sure you and your lieutenants are wearing the best gear.
Screenshot: Ed Hardy/Cult of Mac
If it’s not obvious, there’s a lot going on in Dungeon Hunter 6. Through the various iterations, more and more features have been added. Experienced RPG players won’t have a problem but newbies might feel overwhelmed. That means this probably isn’t the best introduction to the genre.
The app is completely playable on an iPhone, but I found it more enjoyable on an iPad. It’s easier to see what’s going on.
Dungeon Hunter 6 doesn’t go for photorealistic effects. Instead, everything has a stylized, animated look that fits the fantasy theme of the game. The character voices are a bit over the top, but it’s not too egregious.
You can watch the trailer but it’s 100% cutscene:
Free to play isn’t really free
Dungeon Hunter 6 is free to download and play, with in-app purchases. That’s the method a huge number of games use to make money these days, so it would be unfair to criticize this one for using the system even though I prefer to buy my games upfront.
But be prepared for the usual nagging requests to upgrade to for-pay features scattered throughout. And if you truly love the game and put hours into it, eventually you’re going to have to make in-app purchases to keep playing. I don’t consider that unreasonable — the developer wants money for their work.
There’s one aspect of Dungeon Hunter 6 that I absolutely do not like: there’s no game controller support. You must play with on-screen controls, which is not particularly well suited for an action RPG like this one. Many people do fine controlling their character with virtual d-pads and buttons, but it’s not as easy as using a well-designed external controller. I’ve been spoiled by Apple Arcade, as so many this service’s games do support controllers.
Final thoughts on Dungeon Hunter 6
Screenshot: Ed Hardy/Cult of Mac
While I enjoy playing the sixth game in this series, it’s not flawless. But the only real advantage of “free” games like this one is that you can try it for yourself without putting any money down. Only if you get into it will you need to start paying.
Dungeon Hunter 6 from Gameloft and Goat Games is now in the App Store. As noted previously, it’s playable on iPhone and iPad, and does not support external game controllers.
The game is free to download and play, with quite few in app-purchases available. Prices range from $2.99 to $49.99.
