Gamers think Star Wars: Hunters could be the new Overwatch
Like a Clone Army from Star Wars, the Overwatch-a-likes are multiplying. Paladins, Battleborn, and now Star Wars: Hunters are all coming for Overwatch's crown. Like there's been plenty of buzz surrounding Marvel Rivals, it seems slapping a major IP on an Overwatch clone could be the key to success.
Giving us an unexpected May 4 Part 2, Star Wars Hunters has climbed into its AT-AT Walker and is stomping into our lives on mobile and Nintendo Switch from today (June 4). Having been delayed from its proposed release of 2021, Star Wars: Hunters is already here, and while some remain unconvinced, there's a rumbling in the Force.
Star Wars: Hunters tipped to topple Overatch
The first reviews are in, and although we had our own views of Hunters, it's already winning people over. Posting on X (formerly Twitter), one fan cheered, "Bro, Star Wars Hunters clears Overwatch. I don’t even care. The amount of fun I’ve been having takes me back to OW beta days."
Another added, "Holy sh*t Star Wars Hunters is fun, I can already tell I'm gonna get addicted (and not suffer, LOOKING AT YOU OVERWATCH)." The comparisons are seemingly welcome, with Design Director Scott Warner telling Inverse how Hunters was specifically modelled on games like Overwatch and Apex Legends.
It's no secret that Overwatch has taken a bit of a beating since Overwatch 2 released, with many saying not enough was changed from the OG to warrant a whole new release. Considering you can't play Overwatch 2 on mobile, Hunters already has an advantage there, so add in our love of the galaxy far, far away and you could be onto a winner.
Star Wars: Hunters is far from perfect
That isn't to say Hunters isn't suffering a few teething problems. Notably, it seems a lot of players are taking their games onto Nintendo Switch as the optimised way to play. Others are sticking with mobile but are confused/enraged that you can't edit your controls.
This was a major complaint on the game's subreddit, with u/SomeOneYouveMet pointing out that this issue was raised during testing. If Zynga isn't willing to change a major complaint from testing, it's unlikely it's going to do it anytime soon. Others say they're connecting a controller to get around this issue, which is a far from ideal situation.
There are also questions about its longevity. One sceptic questioned, "I mean the gameplay and design is brilliant and I could see myself playing it a lot, but ultimately won't be purchasing anything with real money seeing as I guarantee like most mobile games with this type of model don't tend to last a year."
Whether Star Wars: Hunters really will be the next Overwatch or just another flash in the pan remains to be seen, but either way, it's good to see there's still 'a new hope' in the hero shooter category. As free-to-play mobile games go, Hunters definitely has the ingredients to see it go all the way.
