Frontier Hunter: Erza’s Wheel of Fortune is an Early Access title from publisher and developer IceSitruuna. The game is a self-described Metroidvania and gives off some heavy Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night vibes too. As such, we went in with high expectations. It’s also worth noting this is the second game from IceSitruuna that features Erza, the first being Tower Hunter: Erza’s Trial. Thankfully though, players don’t need to have played the first game to enjoy the second and can dive right into it.
In Frontier Hunter: Erza’s Wheel of Fortune, players will take on the role of Erza, an Imperial Hunter. The game kicks off with Erza visiting a brand-new region of the world via a rather large airship. This early, story-heavy segment is definitely filled with Japanese anime/manga tropes and this is obvious right at the start with the stylish intro cinematic.
The gameplay is pretty straightforward and focused on stringing together attacks against enemies. Players will also have to dodge enemy attacks while pulling off their own combos to defeat them. It all feels very beat ‘em up-like and timed dodges are a key aspect in surviving against tougher foes. Of course, exploration plays a major role in the game and you’ll want to explore every nook and cranny to find items. For some reason, there’s also a rather rigid and out-of-place on-rails shooter gameplay segment early on in the game and we guess this might crop up again in the future, though this remains to be seen.
To add some diversity, players will be able to swap between characters later in the game, each with a range of weapons and abilities. This allows for some level of customization since you’ll be able to equip 2 different weapons and 2 different spells for each character. For the most part, you’ll be using one character and swapping to another to complete combo attacks, or for other reasons like taking advantage of their increased attack range.
If you’ve played Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night, chances are you will enjoy Frontier Hunter: Erza’s Wheel of Fortune as the gameplay feels very similar to that game. As an Early Access title, it is currently a bit janky and lacking polish in some aspects (such as the character interactions and story) but the gameplay itself is really fun and we recommend giving it a try if it’s caught your eye.
So while Frontier Hunter: Erza’s Wheel of Fortune might be an Early Access title, based on what we’ve played, the game already does a fairly good job of ticking off everything it claims to have in the description. Some weapons and spells might need some balancing, and some enemy attacks do a ton of damage, but for the most part, the game is shaping up to be great. Since it’s still in development, we’re hoping player feedback is taken into account and it’s refined into a worthwhile Metroidvania that can stand out in a crowded genre.
An Early Access code for Frontier Hunter: Erza’s Wheel of Fortune was provided to gameblur by the publisher.
