Gamelist / Dungeon Hunter 2

If you enjoyed the first Diablo-esque action-RPG that blew up the App Store, you're definitely going to want to grab Gameloft's sequel, Dungeon Hunter 2! Featuring better graphics, a more expansive world, and even some multiplayer options, your game-time as the Immortal King's son (one of them, anyway) will definitely meet your hacking, slashing, character-building quota for the iPad, iPhone, or iPod Touch.

For this go-round, the story involves the two sons of the Immortal King from the first game, a curse, and of course, the one who has come to power turning to the dark arts -- the same dark arts that caused the father to nearly destroy the kingdom. That would be your brother Edward, who has become something much less than nice. You are the cursed brother, who dies in a magically enclosed prison, only to be revived by the fairy Celeste to wage a near-solitary war against your evil brother and save Gothicus from utter ruin.

Obviously, the story is very much the same as the original, in its essence, as is the game itself, but you probably won't care. You'll be having too much fun. Besides which, there are some differences sprinkled into the sameness that make this game even better than its predecessor -- like the multiplayer option, for example. You can now utilize Game Center or Gameloft Live to play Dungeon Hunter 2 in a party of up to four. I'm not entirely sure how you will deal with the major difference in the story that requires, but again, you will likely be too busy enjoying yourself to notice.

As in the original title, there are three classes to choose from: Warrior, Rogue, and Mage. As is typical of RPGs, the warrior is best suited to strength, the rogue to dexterity, and the mage to energy. There is a slew of weaponry and armor to choose from, which you will be able to access based on your character's attribute levels, which are, of course, upgradeable as you level up. You also have access to a multitude of skills, both active and passive, that you can upgrade -- 72, to be exact. Between all of those, the classes, and the raw choice of gear, you can build a character that is unique to your play-style -- power-builders, rejoice! -- but if that isn't quite enough development for you, the sequel to Dungeon Hunter has added two class specializations to each base class. Warriors can become a Berserker or Crusader, a mage a Shadowmancer or Illusionist, and a rogue a Death Walker or Archer.

When playing the game, the functionality of Dungeon Hunter 2 is basically the same as its progenitor. You can only use three active skills at a time (generally special attacks), and have your choice of fairies to find and choose from. Their elemental powers are incredibly useful to you against powerful enemies, and they will bring you back to life when you inevitably die, graciously removing you from the danger and returning you to the last checkpoint. Other things players of the original may remember are that you can choose to play either with or without the virtual D-pad, and you can instantly transmute unneeded to gear to gold.

Action is pretty much all about button mashing, and planning which gear, fairies and skills best suit your situations. A nice thing about Dungeon Hunter 2 is the ability to change your control scheme to something that better suits your style. I remember wrestling with the locked in control set up of the first game, so this is definitely a welcome change. The iPad has even more control customization available that the iPhone does, but the iPhone experience has been much improved.

The audio and the included playlist functionality of Dungeon Hunter 2 is fantastic, and the graphics have seen significant improvement over the first game. The style is still the same,  but the quality has seen a definite upgrade. The world itself has been upgraded, as well, with some new baddies to face, and more to explore. Maps are larger, and there is a free-roaming feel to play that just makes everything seem farther afield, less closed in.

If you are looking for a good action-RPG in the same style as Diablo, or are just a fan of the first Dungeon Hunter, then you need to pick up Dungeon Hunter 2 on your iPad, iPhone or iPod Touch. Unfortunately, like most of Gameloft's titles these days, you will have to buy the game twice to get it on both platforms, but Dungeon Hunter 2 is certainly worth the opening price tag of $5.99. Highly recommended for action-RPG fans!