Rangers of Oblivion is a newly-released mobile MMORPG from developer GTarcade that strives to combine the genre with the best aspects of Capcom’s highly-acclaimed Monster Hunter.
Now, Rangers of Oblivion isn’t the first attempt to bring Monster Hunter to mobile. That title belongs to the 2017 title Dragon Project. However, it could easily be the most successful up to this point.
The basic idea is practically the same as Monster Hunter. You go and talk to the local smith to see what materials he needs to make more powerful weapons or armor for you, then head out to the world, find massive monsters, and beat them up to get said materials.
But RoO brings a convenient addition to that established formula: You can now track what materials you currently need in your quest bar. This makes it a lot easier for you to see what you have to find while out in the field.
The combat system combines that of Monster Hunter with a traditional MMORPG
The combat system is very familiar. You are offered a large collection of weapons to choose from. These range from great swords that hit hard but slow to shielded lances that offer a balance between offense and defense, to bows for those who want to attack at range. Pretty standard in these types of game.
There is a new kind of weapon here, though: The staff, which allows you to become a mage and perform powerful elemental spells.
Regardless of what weapon you pick, the actual action is the same for the most part. There are basic attacks that you use to hammer down the monsters, then there are special skills that will go on cooldowns after you cast them.
Each type of weapon also has some unique characteristics. For instance, the greatsword is capable of charging an attack that deals devastating damage to enemies. Additionally, there is a roll button for you to dodge incoming attacks, again just like Monster Hunter. Essentially, the combat is just how you imagine it to be: You primarily focus on dodging the monster’s deadly attacks, wait for an opening, then go in for some quick hits before backing out again.
Furthermore, you can break off several parts of the monsters to get extra resources. Doing so will also make them more vulnerable as well, so focusing these weak spots is well worth your effort even if you don’t need the extra materials.
Aside from the similarities, there are still differences
So we have gone through the similarities between Rangers of Oblivion and Monster Hunter, but what about the differences? What new, unique things does this game have to offer?
Well, RoO is still an MMORPG at its core. That means all the standard stuff of the genre is still there. There are hub towns for you to meet other players. You will still get to complete quests, craft new equipment, ride around on mounts, and more. This makes the game’s world feel more lively, and also provides you with opportunities to find partners to do quests with.
This is a big improvement over Monster Hunter, which still separates the main story from the multiplayer aspect. It also gives you a break, something else to do when you are tired of all the hunts. There are many other activities to do instead.
The visuals and audio effects are magnificent
Rangers of Oblivion is stunningly beautiful for a mobile game and there are voiceovers for most of the dialogue. It plays and feels like a console game – A console game that you can put in your pocket and play anytime you want!
There is only one real complaint about this department: the draw distance. On many occasions, characters and objects only appear when you get really close to them, which kind of breaks the immersion a little bit.
The final verdict
All things considered, Rangers of Oblivion is a solid effort to bring Monster Hunter to mobile, and the MMORPG elements only make it even better. In fact, Monster Hunter could even learn a thing or two from this game.
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