Frontier Hunter: Erza’s Wheel of Fortune (PS5) Review

Frontier Hunter: Erza’s Wheel of Fortune is a heavily, anime-inspired Metroidvania. So heavily, in fact, that perhaps we could call it an Animevania? Yes? No? Either way, Frontier Hunter jumps deep into the anime pool for its inspiration, from the visuals to the characters, to the story, and to how it tries to marry multiple genres into a harmonious package.

The Metroidvania is strong in this one, with a large world comprised of multiple biomes, locked doors, and areas that need new skills to access. The typical move-set is accounted for, with dashes, slides, double jumps, and a rather unique wall climbing ability acquired later. These traditional systems are built on by adding a deep RPG layer, along with a deeper combat system than most have, all topped off with extensive crafting and a party-based system.

While exploration is usually a critical feature of any a Metroidvania – and there’s no exception here – the star of the Frontier Hunter is its deep combo-driven combat. Frontier Hunter is, easily, one of the smoothest and fastest 2.5D Metroidvanias I’ve played. Animations flow smoothly into each other, with thrusts, sword swings and hand strikes, all combining to make a gorgeous and exciting combat spectacle that you’d expect from hand-animated 2D games.

The combat system is unusually deep for the genre, with a focus on character builds and special moves that opens up during each fight, even against the weakest enemy, into a blistering spectacle of explosive action. These special moves, several per character, and weapons are scattered across the world and expand your arsenal of offensive moves. As a bonus, these special moves are triggered by directional input that are so easy to pull off, you’ll find yourself throwing out whirlwind air juggles with ease.

Each of the three playable characters has a unique fighting style and weapons to use, with main character Erza proficient with rapiers, katanas and spears, while Ciara’s legs are a tornado of kicks. Each character can equip two weapons, one for each attack button, with combos flowing easily between them. There are also ranged weapons, most notably for Ciara, that can chew through enemies in seconds, coupled with magical abilities that can be shared between the characters. The party system works similarly to Genshin Impact, so you can swap between party members on the fly at almost any point. Later in the game they can also be called on for assists during combat.

All of the weapons, armour, and accessories can be customised by using orbs dropped from enemies, with each type offerings buffs, from more HP to higher defence, that make a notable difference in combat. When coupled with the dual weapon setup and magical abilities, Frontier Hunter: Erza’s Wheel of Fortune offers more character customisation than is usual in the genre.

If that wasn’t enough, you can also craft more weapons and armour – along with modifying them at what amounts to the games blacksmith to allow for more customisation slots – and you can also cook food at the save spots, which add buffs to your team for a limited time. As such, the world is absolutely littered with items to collect for all the various crafting you can, and will, do. Whether dropped from enemies or harvested from growth spots, there’s plenty to fill you inventory up with.

Other RPG elements involve simple side-quests and a levelling system, with simple side-quests and killing enemies granting XP to level up, which, of course, raises your stats. Again, nothing new in the Metroidvania genre, and it’s usually a sign that you’re under-levelled based on the damage you deal and receive. The only downside to the levelling system is that you can, in the traditional RPG way, power-level your way to victory by crafting new gear. Thankfully, experience is earned for all characters, regardless of who your go-to fighter is, so you never have to grind low-level areas repeatedly.

Visually, Frontier Hunter: Erza’s Wheel of Fortune combines cel-shaded characters and enemies with more traditional looking 3D scenery. Overall, the game can be very pretty, though the area backdrops aren’t as detailed as is typically found in the genre and can look a little generic at times. The characters and enemies fare better, with our heroes showcasing some stunning animation. The game runs and plays extremely smoothly and, as I’ve previously noted, this makes traversing the world and fighting feel extremely responsive and just a joy. Frontier Hunter is, if nothing else, extremely polished for a mid-tier game.

Now, I haven’t said much about the story because it’s pretty typical anime fare. It follows live-streaming Erza, one of the youngest soldiers in the Empires army, as she sets out on a voyage of discovery to a new land hidden behind, until now, impenetrable barrier. Of course, things go wrong, and you crash land in said land and have to repair your ship. Complications inevitably arise and there’s some anime jargon and terms thrown around. There’s barely enough to explain the universe or setting but, suffice to say, if you’ve seen any anime of this type, you know what to expect. Cue some unhealthy character fixation, the requisite nosebleed scene, and away you go. The story is easily the games weakest component.

Thankfully, the gameplay mechanics in Frontier Hunter: Erza’s Wheel of Fortune more than make up for a lacklustre story. You’ve got great platforming, slick and stunning combat, and far more in-depth customisation than you’d expect in the genre. As a plus, it’s well polished with solid performance, so Metroidvania fans should put it on their radar soon as possible.

Frontier Hunter: Erza’s Wheel of Fortune was reviewed on PS5 using a code provided to gameblur by the publisher. It is also available on PC.