Hunter’s Legacy on PC

It can be easy, I think, for a lot of people to effectively write off games that don’t appear to be doing anything new. Hunter’s Legacy, a simple and straightforward ‘Metroidvania’ platformer, fits well into this category. Despite decent aesthetic design, it feels like it’s missing that “something special” that helps attract new players. Putting it aside would be simple for most folks, though it may be more of a mistake than you’d think.

Let’s start with some basics about Hunter’s Legacy. Inspired by the SNES-era platformers that helped pull games into the mainstream, this smoothly-designed adventure has a definite old-school feel to it, despite not relying on the growing trend of pixel-heavy graphics or a jarring chiptune soundtrack. Instead, the feeling comes from the gameplay itself – snappy controls, tough enemies, and plenty of action that’s firmly rooted in the past without being held back by it.

Of course, gameplay isn’t everything, and Hunter’s Legacy isn’t a perfect creation. The story, following the huntress Ikki as she embarks on a journey to save the town of Iripur from an ancient evil called Morodir, is about as cliche as you can get. After stealing a potent relic called the Fang of Alliance, Morodir escapes and seals the way behind him with a portal that requires three orbs to unlock. The player, as Ikki, must collect these orbs and defeat the enemy to restore peace.

Outside of the unimaginative story, Hunter’s Legacy is sitting squarely at or above an average level for most of its important pieces. An in-game map helps with navigation, which can be tough, and plentiful checkpoints keep players from falling too far back. A system of teleporters littered throughout the world allow players to quickly and easily travel back to areas they’ve previously explored to grab anything missed or seek new paths that may have been unavailable.

As with any proper Metroidvania-genre title, Hunter’s Legacy includes an upgrade system to help players become more powerful. Upgrades to Ikki’s twin swords and bow are available both through discovering items along the path or purchasing using coins and exceptionally-rare ore. For the most part, combat is going to rely on close range, though certain enemies will call for taking shots from further out or using the bow’s charged-shot ability to deal the first blow.

All told, Hunter’s Legacy is a good game. It falls short of great by not offering any real innovation, but the smooth play and vibrant design keep it above average on all levels. Genre fans should certainly give it a look, and with a nice $6.99 price tag on Steam, there’s not much reason not to. The story leaves some to be desired, but ultimately a game stands on whether it’s well-crafted and fun to play, and Hunter’s Legacy hits that squarely on the head.

Score: 3.5/5 – Good