In Gameloft's Dungeon Hunter [$4.99 - iTunes link] for iPhone and iPod touch, you play a prince whose bride dies on your wedding night. In sorrow you decide to resurrect her. And as anyone who's ever watched Buffy could tell you (or could have told the developers), this is a recipe for disaster.
Anyway, she becomes evil (duh!), kills you by way of thanks, and then proceeds to wreak havoc on the world. But here's where it becomes an RPG -- you, the prince, get a second chance to make things right.
The graphics in Dungeon Hunter are beautifully rendered. They are clean and crisp and allow you to fully immerse yourself in the fantasy environment. Load times, however, are extremely long. I have a 3G but if you have a 3GS it may not be that bothersome. Loading occurs not only when you begin the game but also each time you zone into a new area during the game.
Dungeon Hunter begins by asking you to choose between three different classes: warrior, rogue or mage. Though some people may enjoy the game enough to play it again using another type of character class, I doubt many would find the storyline compelling enough to go through the same stages again.
There are also five fairies which join you throughout the game. Each of these fairies gives you access to a different element of magic. The elements are: fire, air, water, earth and lightning. You can only choose one fairy to accompany you on your quest at a time.
Sorting through your various magic items can be a difficulty in RPG games. Dungeon Hunter has each magical item color coded so that you know how many magical properties it has. Items written in white have no magical properties while those in gold have 4.
Likewise, RPGs can be cumbersome and take a long time to learn character movements and spells. I found that the controls to the game were very intuitive and the manner of moving your character easy. The story is well developed and the quests are not overly difficult. If you are looking for a lot of difficult puzzles to figure out, you won't find them here. However, if you want a fun, beautifully rendered RPG for your iPhone or iPod touch, give Dungeon Hunter a try and let us know what you think!
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