Back in August, mobile publishing giant Gameloft announced a big batch of games for Windows Phone 8 and Windows 8. The first of those titles, Asphalt 8 arrived on both mobile Windows platforms just a couple of weeks ago. Disappointingly, it lacked Xbox features. That’s the status quo for Gameloft, the latest publisher to ditch Xbox Live on mobile platforms. We all need to make peace with the trend, because it will likely happen with Electronic Arts and Ubisoft eventually as well.
Gameloft still has several high-profile titles planned for the next couple of months. Their latest release is Dungeon Hunter 4, which just popped up on Windows Phone 8 and Windows 8. The bad news is it’s a hefty download on Windows Phone, meaning you’ll need about four gigabytes of free space to install it. The good news is Dungeon Hunter 4 is free to play on both platforms, so it won’t gamers cost a thing to try it out. Head past the break for Store links and more details!
Be vewy quiet. I’m hunting dungeons
Why should mobile Windows gamers be excited about Dungeon Hunter 4? Because it’s the closest thing Windows Phone 8 and Windows RT have to Diablo III, that’s why!
The game’s story involves two warring factions: one good, the other evil. Just as the heroes approach victory, a horde of demons and nearly wipes them out. You’ll take on the roles of amnesiac warrior who survives the initial invasion.
At the outset, players can choose from four playable classes and a male or female character. After that, it’s off to the battlefield. A virtual d-pad controls movement, while another virtual stick attacks in any direction.
Being a dungeon crawling action-RPG, the game involves exploring expansive areas and mazes and slaying any unfriendly creatures you encounter along the way. Defeated enemies drop gold and loot, providing an incentive to keep on killing.
Speaking of which, one of the most fun aspects of Diablo III and similar games is undoubtedly hunting for loot with friends. Dungeon Hunter 4 supports both online co-op and PVP. Let's hope Gameloft's Windows Phone servers are up to the task.
Impressions and unanswered questions
In our short time with the Windows Phone version of the game, it appears to play great. The frame rate is a little sluggish on the Lumia 920, though I imagine it probably runs much better on the 1520. And of course, playing on a Surface Pro or stronger Windows 8 system will likely provide an even flashier experience.
We haven’t had time to test two important features yet: whether Dungeon Hunter 4 supports cloud saves, and if those saves are shared between Windows Phone and Windows 8. If the answer to both questions is yes, it will be easy for action-RPG fans to hop back and forth between platforms and give the game their all.
Oh, and being a free to play game, the question of monetization comes up. Will this game be benevolent or constantly reach for players’ purse strings? We’ll certainly give that aspect a close look in the weeks ahead.
Come for the dungeons, stay for the hunting
Remember, the phone version of Dungeon Hunter 4 needs at least four times the size of the download in free space in order to install it. The game also requires 1 GB of RAM, so 512 MB devices can’t run it. If your specs are up to the task, grab it now and let us know what you think!
- Dungeon Hunter 4 – Windows Phone 8 with 1 GB of RAM or higher – 947 MB – Free – Store Link
- Dungeon Hunter 4 – Windows 8 and RT – 1,066 MB – Free – Store Link
Thanks to "Maximum" Mark Tepper and "Groovy" Guilherme da Silva Manso for the tips!
