Game Cover

Platform played on: Xbox Series X

# Review

Dauntless is another free-to-play game going offline. In this Monster Hunter clone, the world has been shattered into different islands and the player assumes the role of a Slayer, sent to hunt the various Behemoths on the various islands.

Hunting a Behemoth

Unlike Monster Hunter which has many side gameplay loops such as trapping and tracking, Dauntless simplifies the loop to only hunting down Behemoths and using the dropped materials to upgrade gear. There is a light exploration element but exploration typically occurs on the way from one Behemoth spawn to the next. The players operate out of the central port called Ramsgate where NPCs hand out quests and players can upgrade different parts of their gear. The player can then queue for different islands on which they can hunt Behemoths.

Light exploration

Unfortunately, I found the gameplay to be very repetitive and uninspiring. The game is clearly meant to be played with other players but the servers were very dry when I started. The bosses tend to be very spongy and when playing solo, I was often forced to repeat the same attack patterns for up to 10 minutes at a time for a single boss. While there are some interesting Behemoths, the vast majority of them are pretty generic with repetitive attack patterns. The progression is also on the slower end and I found myself having to repeatedly hunt the same Behemoths over and over again to collect enough materials for upgrades.

Interesting Behemoth fights

# Conclusion

A grindy Monster Hunter clone.

# Overall rating: 7.3

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