Why not slash through hordes of monsters as Serious Sam or Duke Nukem? Wild Buster: Heroes of Titan makes this partially possible. We took a close look at the Steam reviews and put the MMO-ARPG to the test in a preview.
We have examined the new sci-fi MMOARPG Wild Buster: Heroes of Titan for you. What do the Steam reviews say? What does the game have to offer? Additionally, there is a preview report from Benedict that highlights the pros and cons of the fast-paced action game.
What is Wild Buster: Heroes of Titan?
Since December 14, 2017, Wild Buster: Heroes of Titan has been in Early Access on Steam. The base version of the game costs €22.99.
In Wild Buster, MMO elements meet a fast-paced hack’n’slash combat system.
First, choose which side you want to fight on: Guardians or Abandon. After that, you have twelve unique classes (six per faction) to choose from, with which you are supposed to save the planet “Titan” from the aggressive cyborg race, the Broken.
Players experience the game from an isometric perspective, or a tilted bird’s-eye view. You can expect lots of dungeons where hordes of monsters are waiting to be defeated by your attacks.
A German localization for Wild Buster is expected to follow soon. The Early Access will last about four to six months and will bring regular updates.
The release version of Wild Buster is expected to offer even more heroes as well as additional dungeon types, better graphics, guild halls, fully voiced story scenes, WASD and controller support, cooking and fishing, housing, and much more in the game.
Mostly Positive Feedback on Steam
The Early Access of Wild Buster is already well received on Steam.
Many players positively highlight the action-packed combat system. Skills respond quickly and provide a lot of fun during the challenging boss fights: Here, your dodging skills are also required. If you don’t dodge the powerful attack of the overpowered enemy, you’ll take the full brunt to the face and lose a lot of HP.
Furthermore, the easily understandable quest system receives praise, guiding you clearly to the next task instead of having you wander around the world.
However, criticism points include linear levels with few visual details. Others criticize that the skills do not differ strongly enough and feel similar. Wild Buster could still improve on this front.
Many testers point out the Early Access state of Wild Buster in their criticisms: The game is in Early Access, and this is evident in many situations. So don’t expect a miracle game when buying Wild Buster. There are still many smaller updates needed, which testers believe should focus on fine-tuning.
Overall, the ratings on Steam are positive. 77% of the 53 reviews give a thumbs up.
In summary: The game has a solid foundation and works well. However, it still needs some polishing to make it smoother, for example. Players also complain about the lack of difficulty: Levels are too easy to get through.
The First Impressions of Wild Buster: Heroes of Titan
What our author Benedict thinks of this sci-fi MMO with a touch of “Diablo” is shown in his preview:
I was initially skeptical of Wild Buster: Heroes of Titan: An isometric ARPG with a dystopian sci-fi setting. The story told by the intro sounds unexciting. Humans colonize a planet, alien cyborgs warm them up, humans flee and fight back.
It became interesting once the actual game began. There are two factions: Guardians and Abandon, which from the start prepares for a PvP aspect that I had not encountered in the genre before.
I briefly compared the factions, listened to the stories, and explored possible paths, before I joined Abandon and started an Undertaker. Big scythes, melee combat, and magic—right up my alley!
Note that this is the beginning of the game. I have not yet had access to raid dungeons for up to 15 players or PvP tournaments.
The Good Sides of Wild Buster
Diverse Class Selection
The biggest plus point from my perspective is the variety that Wild Buster offers. Each of the factions currently has six classes to choose from, which offer diverse play styles and different skill sets. There are no equivalents in the other faction, making each class unique.
Fun Gameplay
What I noticed right away in the tutorial is: The game is fun. Like every ARPG I’ve played so far, Wild Buster also grabs my desire to game. It is easy to learn and offers what I expect from games of this genre: Looting and leveling. And of course, tons of enemies that I can introduce to their maker.
The controls are intuitive and the gameplay is fluid. Even with a weak computer and high ping, I got at least 30 FPS with many enemies. I rarely experienced lag. Overall, it isn’t hard at the beginning to get the upper hand on the enemies.
Accessible and Enjoyably Challenging Boss Fights
As far as I have progressed in my hours of gameplay, the game flow is also quite clear. I usually know where I need to go and what to expect there. If I have difficulties, a yellow marker shows me the way. Foolproof.
However, the game is pleasantly challenging at certain points. The regular boss fights are already quite tough, and if I don’t constantly dodge or use potions, I quickly meet my end. Group play is certainly even more exciting!
The Bad Sides
Serious Sam and Duke Nukem are Just Skins
During my adventures, I also noticed some weaknesses in Wild Buster. In character selection, I desperately searched for Serious Sam and Duke Nukem, which according to the game description I should be able to collect and level as “unique heroes.”
At first, I thought: Perhaps they are not available for the Abandon. A quick check confirmed to me: The Guardians do not have these classes either. After a brief search, I found my prestige objects for the Founders, Deluxe, and Collector’s Edition rather hidden in my mailbox.
Among these prestige objects were: Duke Nukem and Serious Sam – as costumes for the Titan Trooper and Wild Commando. Both are classes of the Guardians, thus not available for the faction I chose.
A pretty big disappointment that grew even larger when I realized that other than appearances, nothing changes about the character. Currently, skills and equipment match standard classes. According to the FAQ, some implementation changes are expected by the release.
Linear Levels and Little Variety in Quests
These maps are linear. There is exactly one way with no alternatives (not even dead ends) and no exploration options. I fight my way through enemies to the final boss. That’s it.
The quests are almost identical for each map – or dungeon. Kill 50 enemies, kill the miniboss, kill the final boss. Occasionally I get to rescue prisoners (for whatever reason a assimilating cyborg race takes prisoners…). Everything else is always the same.
The Story and Game Progression
I am greeted as “Noob” and am supposed to take on the “tasks of a Noob”. No problem, after all, I am one. But this obviously includes saving outposts and battling overpowering forces alone. As much effort as the developers put into the classes, they have skimped on the story.
As soon as I enter a new area, I am supposed to finish three maps that remind me of simple dungeon runs. No matter where I go, I’m supposed to help some outpost not to perish. After the second map of the second area, I stopped reading the quest texts. They are simply not interesting.
I would have liked to make things more interesting by increasing the difficulty requirement. But that doesn’t work either. I play on the difficulty level “Training”, which means “The enemies die even if you are AFK.”
I only receive higher difficulty levels after completing the game at the preceding difficulty level. This was the case in Diablo before, but Blizzard realized that this is not a good idea. Why copy bad models?
Conclusion in Wild Buster Preview: There’s Still Something Missing
Wild Buster: Heroes of Titan is fun, but the long-term motivation leaves a lot to be desired. At the moment, Wild Buster is in Early Access, but it needs more than just fine-tuning to reach the next level to succeed as a full-price title. However, the developer promises to deliver plenty of content before the release. We will keep an eye on that.
The current state is playable and passes the time, but if you approach it with the expectation of receiving a finished game, you will find more entertainment elsewhere for your money, I think. In particular, the promise of video game heroes that currently do not exist is questionable.
For fans of quirky characters, wild ideas, and an ARPG with influences from Shadowrun and Borderlands, Wild Buster is worth considering. However, I would still advise waiting a bit. Unless you want to support the development of the game, which is still in Early Access. Wild Buster has potential that is currently still untapped.
Have you tried Wild Buster yet? What is your impression of the MMO-ARPG?
Wild Buster: Heroes of Titan on Steam
Here are the features of Wild Buster: Heroes of Titan at a glance:
- Sci-Fi MMORPG with hack’n’slash combat and MOBA-like hero system
- Two factions, Guardians and Abandon, each with unique heroes and
play styles - Multiple dungeon variations: Three different difficulty levels, raid dungeons for up to 15 players, and a wave-based defense mode
- Diverse PvP system: Duel with allies, fight against
other player groups in shared dungeons, or gather the most resources on special
maps - Squad league: Compete in 5-vs-5 tournaments against other players
- Upgrading system: Assemble your perfect equipment by dismantling
unused gear for materials and combining them for new attributes - Cross-character leveling system for additional bonuses
