Wild Frontier Review

By , on February 3, 2011


Wild Frontier
  • Publisher: KTH
  • Genre: Action
  • Released: 31 Jan, 2011
  • Size: 54.4 MB
  • Price: FREE!
Download on the AppStore
4 out of 5

PROS

  • Useful resource and crafting system.
  • Weather and time system; constantly changes the battlefield.
  • Creatures can be caught and used as companion pets.
  • A twist on the usual 'hero' storyline.

CONS

  • 'Auto'-alignment in battles requires constant management.
  • Multiple skills hidden behind 'pages'; responding to changing situations can be difficult.

VERDICT

While fans salivate over the recently released sequel, English speaking RPG fans can dive in to Wild Frontier right now to check out its refreshing style (albeit with the usual woes).


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After a while the seemingly endless stampede of Action-RPGs being converted from the Korean mobile phone market starts to feel like a bland, monotonous Ferris-wheel of boredom. What should be an exciting and in-your-face approach to RPGs is eventually drained of all of its fun and is replaced by going through the same motions over and over. With this in mind, Wild Frontier by KTH has a lot of doubts to dispel, but after a while it was clear that this game could actually be a positive step forward.

Though lets get one thing clear, this is still a Korean RPG with all the usual trimmings - basic classes; rudimentary skill tree system; clunky 'retro' graphics; and enough plot-holes to sink a barge. And lets not forget the usual control woes, mostly surrounding the need to manage a large group of quick-ability/item slots that (in this game) need to be rotated via a 'paging' system.

At this point you'd be forgiven if you were a little confused over why I'd harp on about the usual flaws after giving the game some praise. Wild Frontier represents baby steps that could take a sharp turn to somewhere far more interesting and for this alone it's worthy of this praise. The game's story (while not ground-breaking) does eschew traditions with its 'adventurer' theme; crafting items for upgrades feels natural and purposeful compared to usual time-sink it represents; and players can invest time in capturing and leveling companion pets that can become powerful allies later on. Also, while the controls have a lot left to be desired, fighting boss creatures requires more tactical thinking than the usual brute-force methods usually employed.

The seemingly implacable features of most Korean RPGs feel like they've been bended, ever so slightly, in order to create something of a unique beast in Wild Frontier. It's not a lot, but it's enough to give the genre fans a lot to chew on and it may even win back jaded gamers sick of the usual teen-come-hero RPG titles.

Screenshots

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