The Mighty Quest For Epic Loot Review

The Mighty Quest for Epic Loot is back and better than ever. After a one-year stint as a free-to-play, PC action role-playing game, Ubisoft vaulted the game in 2016. This month, Mighty Quest reemerged for mobile platforms with a smoother interface, new loot, and sharper graphics. Everything that made the original an instant joy to play is reimagined for a platform with the potential to reach a larger audience.

Although the game was far from demanding critical acclaim, Mighty Quest was well-received amongst its generously sized community of players. It was a hit among users. However, Mighty Quest never offered Ubisoft the same wealth that it promised the player. The developers made the difficult decision to cut the game out of their lineup as a result, along with Ghost Recon Phantoms and several other free-to-play games. Fans have been begging for its re-release ever since. Ubisoft's idea of a compromise may not be what PC players had in mind, but Mighty Quest’s second life might just outlive its first.

What To Expect When You're Expecting

Like the original, the revamp is your typical dungeon crawler. Players will scavenge for loot, upgrade said loot, and then attack slightly larger dungeons on their quest for epic loot. Movement and combat are fairly simple. The Mighty Quest for Epic Loot can even be played with one hand. To move, just drag your finger in the direction you want your looter to travel, and click on the monsters that you want to fight.

To make your way through dungeons, you’ll need to master the use of skills. These are specialized attacks that are unlocked as you progress in the game, three of which can be equipped at a time. After a skill is used, there is a brief cooldown period before another attack can be put in place. Just like the loot, leveling up your attacks will increase the amount of damage that they deliver to opponents. Talents can also be used to buff the strength of your skills. They coincide with specific skills, so you’ll have to strategically decide which combinations will work best with your play style.

The front end of the game makes you feel like you’re on a zero-hit death run through Dark Souls III. The first few levels of the game fly by, and it's easy to upgrade loot and skills. After that, things start to slow down. A few levels in, you are also introduced to the autoplay option. This lets you watch your player automatically fight opponents and pick up loot on the quickest route through the dungeon. It’s a nice option to have if you’re trying to get through the levels as quickly as possible, but you will miss out on some loot and sacrifice the sense of accomplishment that comes with wiping a level clean.

It's All About The Loot

Your ability to take down dungeons revolves around the power of your weapons. HP, damage, and all of the other stats in the game are determined entirely by your loot. Gear slots include chests, helmets, gauntlets, greaves, weapons, and shields, and each piece of loot comes with a Might score and rarity level that give you an indication of how strong that particular item is. Before each level, you’ll see a suggested Might score. If you’re above the threshold, you usually won’t have an issue taking down a dungeon.

Microtransactions were a huge part of the original, and gems are the premium currency in the mobile version. You can buy gems to level up faster, or you can acquire them slowly by completing levels and daily challenges. Unfortunately, without taking part in the subscription model, you are also left to the whims of the energy system. You only have a certain amount of energy to expend on entering dungeons and upgrading weapons. With each level-up, your energy capacity will increase, but you’ll still only have a certain amount of playtime unless you pay real money. You can also watch ads in exchange for access to levels, but are only allowed to do this so many times. As a result, the game often comes to a screeching halt as you get closer to completion.

It Doesn't Have To Be The Same To Be Good

Part of what made the PC version so enticing was the castle-building mechanic. Unlike the original, the mobile version of Mighty Quest is all about dungeon crawling. You won’t be able to design your own traps and fill your dungeons with monsters. This is a bit upsetting, but, as a mobile game, it probably wouldn’t have worked anyway. The game is complex enough as is. Adding another element may have pushed mobile users away. Sure, the mobile rendition of The Mighty Quest for Epic Loot may not offer the same experience as it did for PC, but it doesn’t have to. The crisp graphics and tiered progression system are enough of an incentive to keep new players engaged and satisfy fans of the original.