I recently played an Engine 001 action-RPG by Metomunc called Wolf Hunt. Metomunc is like a god in the community because of his game and I was curious to see why. I can most certainly see why, but I can see why some people would be turned off as well. To be honest, I didn’t get very far in because of the fact that, well, the technical issues are annoying. Maybe they get better, I don’t know, but here is my first impressions I guess.
The game takes you on a quest as Edgar the woodcutter, who is tasked by a wizard named Mendwin to hunt down his pesky twin brother who is just a jerk and put a spell on the king. This is all based on a prophecy and is quite clichéd for the most part but since the game has a slightly comedic tone to it and the fact that it sometimes parodies other RPGs helps. The game has mutiple endings which enhances replay value.
The presentation is pretty good for the most part. The HUD takes up quite a bit of space on the screen but is functional. There are a few grammar/spelling issues here and there: “wisedom”, “I don’t carry any, I and certainly…”, etc. The graphics are colourful and the good mix of customs and the engine’s default art work well together. The maps have good lighting and fog effects and the mapping is usually good except for some places where buildings are sort of bare and stuff like that. There is a ton of sound effects, and although a lot of them sound cartoony, they fit. The music is what you would expect from this type of game: epic, sweeping scores, so not much to say there.
The gameplay is pretty good with all the different types of weapons to use (throwing stars, swords, crossbows, rocks!), each having a sound effect (although some weapons share sound effects which is understandable). There is also lots of different types of enemies to fight and some puzzles and riddles mix up the pace a bit which is nice. The combat is simple and doesn’t require much effort or strategy besides drinking health potions and killing the swarming enemies with your sword. There are a few people like merchants in the world who you can smash their face in with an axe and they won’t react or attempt to defend themselves which I think is a bit silly. Thankfully, the game teaches you how to play and constantly rewards you with loot.
I can see why it was a classic at the time but it hasn’t aged particularly well (set aside against the rapidly advancing engine). After my short play-through, I almost see Fallout: New Vegas in this game. The similarities might surprise you. The world is huge, full of quests and secrets to find and complete and choices to make with consequences. It’s like the dream roleplaying game. The world is also filled with bugs. I had a crash, I restarted and then I had a bug that halted my progress. I wanted to restart and attempt to go farther, but my laziness kicked in, I said “screw it!” and just gave up.
I feel like the lone slightly negative voice on this game, heh. Do I recommend this game? Yes, certainly, if you don’t mind the bugs. No, if you do. It is almost sad because more than half of the issues I mentioned in this article can be fixed right now, just by fixing the errors. I guess I recommend you save often. Oh well, Metomunc might remake this game in the future anyway, and his latest games (well, demos) are damned awesome (the The Golden Knights of Kune being my favourite) and without all the bugs, so I certainly recommend everybody checks those out.
Game link: http://www.engine001.com/games/games/Wolf%20Hunt_28.htm
Metomunc’s other games: http://www.engine001.com/games.htm?u=metomunc
ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Nathan. He prefers his last name not to be known. He’s probably a high-class superspy, but we don’t mind. He is the editor of Indiegraph. He’s our point man for interviews, and occasionally he takes a blowtorch to a game to see whether it measures up to his standards.
