Phoenix Labs’ Dauntless has a bit of a history. After having launched in beta in 2019, it saw a full launch in May 2019, just about a year later. During that interim, many of the kinks were worked out, as well as the revamping of some gameplay mechanics that completely changed up some weapons and how they work.
Dauntless is a free-to-play action-rpg where you, the player, embark on a journey to save your fallen world from giant, frightful creatures known as Behemoths.
Using quick thinking, skills, a little bit of ingenuity, as well as learning and countering (or dodging) monster attacks based on tells and other battle tactics, you’ll hack, slash, shoot, and bludgeon your way to victory as you outfit your wardrobe with their hides. And claws, and teeth, and anything else you managed to shave off during the hunt.
Naturally, comparisons were (and continue to be) made to another certain game where you hunt giant monsters and make gear and weapons from their remains, but Dauntless has its own charm to bring to the action-rpg genre (particularly in its crisp, cel-shaded graphics), and made quite the presentation at this year’s E3.
New monsters were showcased, as well as the biggest draw; the Nintendo Switch release promised to us that had many holders of the console drooling. While an exact date is unconfirmed, Dauntless is expected to see a late 2019 release date, according to Phoenix Labs.
And true to their “One Dauntless” Initiative, the Switch version will feature crossplay and cross-progression between all platforms, meaning players will be able to carry over all their save data between Switch, PC, Xbox One, and PlayStation 4. While Phoenix Labs has discussed a mobile release, also with crossplay and cross-progression, news on its release is unknown at this time.
Dauntless started out slow and in the shadow of the more mainstream Monster Hunter series, but it still does a good job of standing on its own two feet and introducing people into the monster hunting subgenre of games.
The fact that it’s free-to-play is also another good draw, especially since most of what you’d buy are cosmetics; nothing required to beat/play the game needs you to crack open your wallet.
And Phoenix Labs has been listening intently to the fans, appeasing them with the changes shown so far, and whetting their appetites for ones yet to be. As the prospective release date approaches, stay and play savvy, fellow gamers.
