14 DAY TRIAL // The Mighty Quest for Epic Loot initially seems like a big joke, the kind of game that takes a well-known set of tropes and is content to only parody them, focusing on the humor and the opportunities for monetization rather than the actual gameplay.
After raiding about 20 towers, I am happy to report that my initial impression was very much mistaken and that the new Ubisoft free-to-play title is a solid mix between management, tower defense and action adventure in the vein of Diablo.
Gamers will mainly spend their time on the attack, looking for enemy castles that seem vulnerable, in order to assault them.
I played the ranged character, using crowd control and my hawk companion to distract enemies while I peppered them with shots and aimed strikes, constantly moving and retreating in order to get out of melee range.
Initially, The Mighty Quest for Epic Loot seems easy but as creature numbers increase and new traps are introduced, it’s very easy to get trapped in a room, chopped to pieces with no life potions and no possible escape.
As the hero progresses, he will need to upgrade his power and get new items and equipment, which means a trip to his own castle, where a simple but effective management interface allows for resources to be obtained and for objects to be created.
But the castle is also a target and it requires defenses in order to stop other heroes from looting it, which entails summoning creatures and traps in order to create varied and surprising defensive forces.
The game also has a pretty unique style, a mix of cartoonish looks and boastful humor, which managed to elicit a few smiles.
The Mighty Quest for Epic Loot has three core resources, one of which can be bought using real-world money, and Ubisoft seems, during the beta at least, more interested in offering a cool experience for the player base than in getting money from them.
I have not yet used any of the top-level currency, although I might soon do so to get some much-needed health potions.