Dauntless (2019)

Playtime: 2h7m

Intro

Dauntless is a free-to-play MMO in which you punch big monsters on tiny maps. You also open chests, pick flowers and battle all the various menus, quest-types and currencies.

The Good

• It's free.

The Bad

• Time isn't free.
• You have to use the crEpic launcher.
• Everything is extremely generic looking.
• Incredibly small maps that all look the same.
• Tons of the usual F2P nonsense (passes, currencies).
• Tons of the usual MMO nonsense (daily quests, ugly hub).
• Combat only has 5 options (attack, heavy attack, special ability, dodge, potion).
• Incredibly boring skill tree with generic numeric bonuses.
• Levelled enemies. Ugh.

Conclusion

I played this for 2 hours and got nothing out of it. It isn't interesting or exciting or fun. I expected something like the hunter/hunted feeling of Horizon Zero Dawn and got nothing. The combat doesn't even "feel" good, not even the ranged combat.

Normally something like this would get 2 stars but the F2P/MMO stuff knocks it down to 1 star.

So... a few weeks ago I saw the Dauntless official website was hosting a writing contest. I had not written ficion in years, so I thought it could be a fun exercise writing a fanfic even if I abandoned the game a while ago.

I am one of the winners!

You can read the story here. I hope you'll like it. (Don't worry, it's in english).

In case you're wondering, the prize was a lot of in-game currency and the next two battle passes.

OK, let's say it first. Dauntless is not as good or deep as Monster Hunter, but if you're a fan of Capcom's game or you'll always been curious about it but it's too expensive for you, it'll be a mistake to ignore this free-to-play game.

The hunts are fun, the creature design is really great and it can get pretty challenging. Like in MH, the controls and playstyle with each weapon is so different from one another that you'll feel like in a different game with each one.

Yes, it's grindy, but that's just the way this genre works. Graphics are not amazing but they have its charm. They're also kinda 'Fortnite-y'.

Speaking about Fortnite, Dauntless is heavely monetized. You absolutely can enjoy ALL the gameplay content without expending a single cent, but the game will constantly remind you about all the things you can expend money on, especially the Hunt Pass. Anyway, you can buy something to support the devs if you want.

The stages are kinda boring and plain and I hope they put better scenarios in future updates. There's also a LOT of endgame content. It's one of those 'forever games' you can keep playing for hundreds of hours. There's always something to do.

I played this alongside Monster Hunter World and still love both. Again, its definitely not as polished or pretty as MH, but its really worth it.

I guess I finished the game? I defeated all the main monsters and there's no more main quests left. I guess I could try to level up my hunt pass, play the escalations for rewards or just create another build.

it feels weird to defeat a 'final boss' and not getting the credits or a cutscene. I know that's not the main focus of a game-as-a-service like this one, but I don't feel the sense of closure that I should get for finishing a main quest.

Anyway, this is a great and fun game.

Back into the grind now that it finally left early access. That's right. We finally have Dauntless 1.0.

If you started playing the early access version (it launched last may on PS4, Xbox One and PC via Epic Store) and abandoned it, but you want to go back to it, you can read my article in spanish about what has changed since then.

What do you get when you mix Fortnite and Monster Hunter? Let's find out!

[Pre-Read Info]

System: PlayStation 4 Pro

Play-Time: 1 Hour

Mode Played: Online Multiplayer

I immediately thought that this was a new mode to the ever popular and expanding game Fortnite when I started it up. In fact what I was greeted to was what I would describe as a weird mash-up of Monster Hunter and Fortnite. It was definitely unique to be able to go take down big beasts while at the same time wishing I had a lot more dances. So far it has been a pretty fun experience.

After moving through the tutorial you are greeted to the main hub area. This is where you will obtain all of your skills, weapons, armor, quests, and other usual things you'd find in an MMO. You can choose to play with your friends when you go on hunt, but ultimately you'd be in a 4-man squad each time. The upgrade system seems to be weapon based, meaning that you have a separate level for your character and for the weapon you use.

I found myself getting used to the axe more than anything else. The moves you perform seem extremely similar to Monster Hunter which is a double edged sword. On the one hand, the combat is simple and easy to pickup and, in it's defense, there's only so many things you can do with an axe. On the other hand however, it feels way too much like Monster Hunter that its as if it's one big reskin of it at times.

Getting away from comparing it to other games, it does have it's own unique charms and mechanics. Naturally being by Epic Games, it has a season pass since it is a free to play game. It works just like anything else, simply giving you cosmetic only boosts that don't give you an edge in gameplay. You can craft upgraded weapons and armor, as well as put bonus stats on your equipment to help you during gameplay. It all gives you that good MMO feeling that is the standard nowadays.

Dauntless is a fun game to play, and it's free which makes it even better. In my opinion I'm glad that it's free, because I don't believe it would be worth the average $60 AAA title prices. There are too many comparisons to other games, and it feels like it is just Fortnite turned into an MMORPG. That's not necessarily a bad thing persay, but it leaves me wanting to see what unique features will come out of this game in the future.

[Video]

[Writer's Note]

Hi, My name is Hunter. Thank you for reading this review! To see more of my content, be sure to follow me at the links below. Thank you for all the support!

[Twitter]: https://twitter.com/HunterXuman

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[Youtube]: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC3EtNh2_5EEFq1VnIIjn7kQ/