Frontier Hunter- Erza’s Wheel of Fortune Review: Exploring the Depths

Frontier Hunter: Erza’s Wheel of Fortune is a visually striking Metroidvania from developer Ice Sitruuna, blending anime-inspired aesthetics with traditional exploration and combat mechanics. With its sprawling interconnected world and customizable gameplay, this game offers a unique experience. However, it comes with its own set of limitations that might affect its appeal to different types of gamers. Let’s get to the thick of things

Storyline and World Design

The game takes place in a world that seamlessly mixes elements of fantasy and sci-fi, and centers around Erza, an Imperial Hunter tasked with exploring an uncharted region. Accompanied by Ciara, a fellow hunter with an affinity for heavy weaponry, and Nia, a masked fighter, Erza navigates through dangerous territories aboard a skyship. The game’s setting is rich with potential, combining futuristic technology with classic fantasy tropes, a blend that’s both intriguing and visually engaging. However, despite the game’s promising setting, its narrative execution leaves much to be desired.

Frontier Hunter features a minimalist approach to storytelling typical of the metroidvania genre, but it tries to enhance this with fully animated cutscenes. Unfortunately, these cutscenes, intended to be a highlight, often fall flat due to subpar animation quality and uninspired dialogue. The writing doesn’t venture beyond conventional anime tropes, which can feel overdone and lack emotional depth. The frequency of these cutscenes can also disrupt the flow of the game, as they often feel more like interruptions than integral parts of the narrative.

Character Progression & Dynamics

Erza is the central character, a capable and cool-headed hunter with a mysterious past that the game hints at but never fully explores. The introduction of other characters, such as Ciara and Nia, adds variety to the gameplay, each with their unique combat styles and abilities. The hot-swapping mechanic, which allows players to switch between these characters in real time, is one of the game’s strongest features. It adds depth to combat and exploration, as each character’s abilities can be used to overcome specific challenges and obstacles. Yet, the character development doesn’t go far beyond their combat roles.

While the characters are charming and their designs are appealing, especially for fans of anime, their personalities are thinly sketched. The narrative doesn’t delve deeply into their backstories or motivations, which could have enriched the game significantly. As a result, while players might enjoy their time with Erza and her team, they are unlikely to feel deeply connected to them on an emotional level.

Combat and Exploration

At the core of Frontier Hunter is its Metroidvania gameplay, which is both its greatest strength and, at times, a source of frustration. The game world is vast and interconnected, designed to encourage exploration. As players progress, they unlock new abilities and equipment that open up previously inaccessible areas, creating a satisfying loop of exploration and discovery. The game rewards curiosity with hidden secrets, powerful upgrades, and bits of lore that flesh out the world. The combat system in Frontier Hunter is fluid and responsive, a crucial aspect of any Metroidvania game. Each character offers a distinct playstyle—Erza with her balanced combat abilities, Ciara with her heavy weaponry, and Nia with her agile, close-combat style. This diversity keeps combat engaging and allows for a variety of strategies, particularly in the game’s challenging boss battles. These encounters are a test of skill and strategy, requiring players to learn enemy patterns and make quick decisions, which keeps the gameplay fresh and exciting even after extended play sessions.

However, the game is not without its flaws. Some players might find that certain character builds are significantly more powerful than others, leading to a potential imbalance that could affect the overall enjoyment of the game. Additionally, while the exploration is rewarding, the difficulty curve is uneven, with some sections of the game being disproportionately challenging compared to others. This inconsistency can disrupt the game’s pacing and may frustrate players who prefer a more balanced difficulty progression.

Build and Gear Optimization

One of the more engaging aspects of Frontier Hunter is its robust customization system. The game offers a wide variety of weapons and equipment, each with unique attributes that can be upgraded and tailored to the player’s preferred playstyle. This allows for a high degree of personalization, as players can experiment with different weapon combinations to find the setup that works best for them. In addition to weapon customization, the game features a character progression system that allows players to allocate points to various attributes as they level up. This adds another layer of depth to the gameplay, as players can further refine their characters’ abilities to suit their preferred combat style. However, as mentioned earlier, the balance between different builds is not perfect, with some combinations being noticeably more effective than others. This lack of balance can be a downside for players who prefer a more evenly matched experience.

Another notable feature is the variety of costumes available for each character, which, while mostly cosmetic, adds an extra layer of fun for players who enjoy customizing their characters’ appearances. The game also includes various accessories and enhancements that can be equipped to further boost a character’s stats, adding to the RPG elements that many players will appreciate.

Difficulty and Longevity

Frontier Hunter is a game that challenges players to master its mechanics and explore every corner of its world. The boss battles, in particular, are a highlight, offering intense and rewarding encounters that require skill and strategy to overcome. However, The game’s difficulty is inconsistent, with some areas being significantly harder than others. This uneven difficulty curve can be a double-edged sword—providing a satisfying challenge for some players while potentially frustrating others.

The game’s replayability is bolstered by its exploration-based design and the variety of character builds available. Players who enjoy experimenting with different strategies and uncovering hidden secrets will find plenty to keep them engaged beyond the initial playthrough. However, the frequent and unpolished cutscenes, as well as the lack of depth in the story and character development, might diminish the incentive for some players to revisit the game once they’ve completed it.

Art Design & Sound

Frontier Hunter is a visually appealing game, especially for fans of anime-style graphics. The 2.5D art style is vibrant and detailed, with character designs that stand out and environments that are a pleasure to explore. The game’s use of color and lighting helps to create an immersive atmosphere, with each area of the game world feeling distinct and visually interesting. However, this visual appeal is not consistent across all aspects of the game. The character models, which look good from a distance, often appear stiff and unnatural during the close-up cutscenes. The animation in these scenes is one of the game’s weakest points, failing to live up to the quality of the in-game graphics. This disparity can be jarring, especially during story-driven moments that are meant to be emotional or dramatic. The audio design, on the other hand, is one of the game’s strong suits.

The soundtrack complements the game’s visual style perfectly, with high-energy tracks during combat and more subdued, atmospheric music during exploration. The sound effects, particularly during combat, are satisfying and help to enhance the impact of the gameplay. However, like the visual design, the audio experience is somewhat uneven, with certain tracks and sound effects standing out more than others.

Real Talk

Frontier Hunter: Erza’s Wheel of Fortune is a solid entry in the Metroidvania genre, but it falls short of being a standout title. It’s a game that will likely appeal to a niche audience—those who appreciate its particular blend of gameplay mechanics and visual style—but may not resonate as strongly with a broader audience. Whether you’re a Metroidvania veteran or new to the genre, Frontier Hunter is worth a look, but it’s important to go in with tempered expectations, particularly regarding its narrative and presentation.

FINAL RATING: 69/100