The unique PlayStation was a massively important console again when it was launched within the mid-90s. Pushing gaming even additional into the mainstream in comparison with its earlier historical past as one thing of a “youngsters” medium, the PlayStation started Sony’s ascent to changing into one of many high canine within the gaming trade, a status it continues to hold right now because the PlayStation line continues. It was loaded with an unlimited library of unbelievable video games, and in addition made a reputation for itself on this planet of RPGs, thanks in no small half to titles just like the revolutionary Remaining Fantasy VII.
Of all the nice authentic PlayStation video games that stay a frequent matter of dialog right now, one sport that by no means appears to obtain a lot discuss is Battle Hunter. It was a really small sport launched late within the PlayStation’s life cycle that didn’t appear to get an enormous push from the totally different firms who revealed it around the globe. It’s a disgrace as a result of it’s actually an excellent and distinctive sport, and one which I believe might use a contemporary revival.
What Is Battle Hunter?
Launched in 1999 as a price range sport from Japanese developer Success (although American and European avid gamers wouldn’t obtain the sport till 2001, months after the discharge of the PlayStation 2), Battle Hunter was a grid-based tactical RPG title the place gamers managed hunters tasked with amassing a relic in a randomly generated dungeon. There’s a novel mixture of cooperative and aggressive gameplay on show right here, as 4 hunters are all the time in each sport, whether or not managed by different gamers or by the pc. In conventional RPG trend, gamers transfer throughout tiles the place motion is set by way of cube roll.
Gamers are tasked with amassing relics all through a given dungeon, although every mission requires that gamers accumulate a sure extra particular relic. Every hunter will get factors for escaping the dungeon, however the aggressive component is available in seeing who can get every mission’s required relic. Gamers may battle one another to steal relics and objects from each other. These relics are then bought again to a shopkeeper, who gives gamers with credit that can be utilized to stage the participant up. Relics are additionally essential to the story, as they’re objects from cities which have been destroyed in an enormous warfare, and they’re helpful in serving to the characters take down an evil group.
The sport additionally includes a card-based system, that includes a deck of 100 playing cards that every participant will get 5 of at a time. These playing cards are color-coded and provide gamers totally different results and talents relying on their use. Blue playing cards are used for motion, yellow playing cards are used for protection, purple playing cards are used for attacking, and inexperienced playing cards set traps on the grid. Blue and inexperienced playing cards work finest on the grid, whereas yellow and purple playing cards are finest saved for fight. Some playing cards can be utilized in each conditions, although, as blue playing cards can assist gamers escape fight conditions, and yellow playing cards can assist gamers evade traps on the grid.
Ought to the deck run out of playing cards, an enormous beast referred to as GON spawns within the dungeon. He’s primarily the sport’s model of a “boss battle,” and he is somebody you would be finest served avoiding. He is extremely difficult, and his assaults can wipe out hunters in a single measly hit. Thus, there’s an added little bit of stress to the general gameplay, forcing gamers to get what they got here for and get out with out losing time. It provides a contact of problem to a sport that’s largely fairly accessible and simple to get into.
Let This Recreation Reside Once more
Battle Hunter stays a novel and enjoyable sport that is typically forgotten among the many PlayStation’s pantheon of larger and extra profitable titles, and it is a sport that I really feel could possibly be worthy of some type of revitalization right now. Again in 1999, the sport was barely shafted as a result of it was a price range sport, however within the years since, the market has grown to turn out to be extra receptive to smaller titles resembling this. The expansion of the indie sport scene has allowed builders to place these under-the-radar sort video games out and see a lot bigger success, particularly in a world with larger social media advertising and marketing than ever earlier than.
A sport like this might presumably not be too costly to make, particularly as its visible fashion wouldn’t have to be overhauled too closely. In truth, with the latest rise of HD-2D video games, Battle Hunter might make a transfer into this fashion. In any case, if there’s one factor that Battle Hunter might use some enchancment on, it’s the fashion of the sport boards, that are fairly bland and don’t have a lot to them graphically. A transfer to HD-2D might make for an much more beautiful-looking sport with a larger quantity of element to have interaction with.
Moreover, its gameplay ideas nonetheless really feel contemporary and distinctive in a means that it appears like different trendy video games haven’t explored in the identical means. Certain, we could also be in a time the place tactical video games and RPGs are all the craze, however the best way the sport makes use of multiplayer to be concurrently cooperative and aggressive on the similar time feels actually totally different from loads of what’s out available on the market proper now. It might be nice to deliver it again as a sofa co-op sort of sport, although there’s additionally loads of fascinating on-line potential in a sport like this. Whether or not they provide it or not, a brand new Battle Hunter title can be a refreshing change of tempo within the trendy multiplayer gaming panorama.
There wouldn’t even be a must deliver new arms in on this one, as the sport’s authentic developer, Success, remains to be round to this present day. Plus, the workforce initially self-published the sport in its Japanese launch, which implies there shouldn’t be any large worries about whether or not they’re legally in a position to make a brand new sport. Even when the event workforce at Success most likely seems rather a lot totally different right now than it did in 1999, the chance to deliver the sport again remains to be completely there. It’s an enormous deep lower from the PlayStation, however one I’d like to see make a comeback.
