Ikki Story Artwork

Hunter’s Legacy: Purrfect Edition Switch Review

A couple of years ago, the developers at Lienzo published Hunter’s Legacy for Xbox One, PS4, and PC, but after the success of their recent title, Mulaka, on the Nintendo Switch, they have decided to re-launch Hunter’s Legacy on Nintendo’s new console with updates, improvements, new content and quests. Hunter’s Legacy is about embarking on a feline-filled quest set in an action-packed fantasy universe brimming with fierce enemies, intense sword-fighting, and that classic feeling of an Metroidvania adventure! Players control Ikki, a powerful huntress cat equipped with twin swords, a bow, and magical abilities, who must save the Kingdom of Iripur from the evil Morodir.

The story starts explaining that an evil villain called Morodir is trying to take the Kingdom of Iripur, but there’s a legend about an ancient cat-warrior that can stop Morodir and save the Kingdom. Then the game throws you into the shoes of Ikki, a huntress who by coincidence gets involved in the conflict and starts to jump and destroy enemies without knowing what’s going on. In terms of story, I would have loved to get into it, but some parts I just lost what was happening, so preferred to continue on focusing on the fun gameplay.

Ikki traveling through the kingdom of Iripur

The formula that Hunter’s Legacy follows is the classic 2D platforming, with a lot of action and a big map to get lost exploring in. Adventuring can feel a little bit overwhelming, but when you get used to the newly featured mini-map and how portals work, then it becomes less irritating to get around. The combat is fast, and thanks to the different scenarios, the enemies don’t feel repetitive, unless repeating the same area over again through your travels. There are often a couple of puzzles in each level – simple but with enough difficulty to make it a fun challenge.

The visuals in this game are presented in a hand-drawn style, a bit on the blocky side, but everything looks colourful and alive. The background is one of the major things here; at first it doesn’t look like much, but when you start paying attention to it, a lot of details can be discovered, which makes everything to feel in harmony – the background is beautiful and makes everything feel right. The only thing that makes it better is if you take advantage of the Switch and play the title in handheld mode, since the smaller screen makes it appear better, and this way made me enjoy it more than playing on the TV.

Ikki moving through your worst nightmare

Music and sounds sound great,  mixing it up with different areas of the map. My only complaint, if you could call it one, is that even though the game was polished for the Switch, the audio still feels a little bit rough. Music comes across unique, while the sound effects capture their intention correctly, but there are some parts of the game where it seems like the audio was just not that important to the presentation.

Overall, Hinter’s Legacy: Purrfect Edition is a fun metroidvania game to pass the time. The addition of the mini-map and some tweaks make it feel like a good addition to the Nintendo Switch catalogue. Hinter’s Legacy: Purrfect Edition has issues, but still, it’s something that could become an improved adventure if Lienzo’s team keep expanding Ikki’s world in a sequel.

7 out of 10