Back in February, Zynga and Lucasfilm announced Star Wars: Hunters, a 4x4 arena shooter in the same vein as Overwatch. Over the months, development continued, and this past September, we learned that Star Wars: Hunters would be officially released sometime in 2022. As Zynga gears up for this release, the title has started popping up in soft-launch in a few exclusive territories. Luckily I was able to sideload the title to take it for a spin, and so I've recorded a 30-minute gameplay video that not only explores the game's settings but also dives into its arena shooting gameplay. So if you've been eager to see exactly what Star Wars: Hunters has to offer, you're in luck, as that's what today's post is all about.

The above gameplay video was recorded by yours truly at 1080p/60FPS. In the beginning, I dive into the settings, and then it's off to the races to explore the game's online multiplayer content. As expected, Star Wars: Hunters plays like a casual mobile version of Overwatch (or Team Fortress 2 for you older gamers). You'll pick your hero with the choice of three roles spread across the selection, ranging from damage dealers, healers, and support units. Once you've chosen your player, you'll be thrown into a random match. For the most part, these matches consisted of a Control stage (a little like capture the flag), but I also played through an Escort mode where my team was tasked with escorting a vehicle from one side of a stage to another.

Now, one thing to keep in mind is that Star Wars: Hunters is currently only available in a few select territories, and since this is a game that relies on servers for its content, current performance isn't a foregone conclusion since there's no telling where these servers are located. In-game menus are capped at 30FPS, and you can choose whether or not to allow the gameplay to animate at 30FPS or 60FPS in the settings. I chose to max out the graphics and played at 60FPS, but some slowdown was apparent, with framerate drops into the 50s and 40s, though a far-away server may exacerbate these drops. These skipped frames can be disruptive when running and gunning, but I can't say they ruined the game. They were simply a slight annoyance that will hopefully see some polish before the global launch.

Physical controllers are not supported, all gameplay is controlled through the touchscreen, but luckily these touch controls are reasonably responsive. The controls offer a left thumbstick and a few moves on the right, nothing we haven't seen before. Thankfully I never felt like I was at a disadvantage while playing, something I can't say for all competitive touchscreen games. Star Wars: Hunters will launch as a free-to-play release, which is why it already contains in-app purchases that range up to $99.99 per item. These IAPs are primarily for purchasing in-game currency, and this currency is useful for unlocking new heroes. So far, nothing is pay-to-win.

More or less, I expected that Star Wars: Hunters would land as some lazy clone cashing in on a popular trend, but instead, it's pretty polished for a mobile arena shooter. For the most part, I enjoyed my time playing Star Wars: Hunters. Yes, it's a little bare when comparing it to its inspiration. Levels feel generic, along with the game's characters (there isn't a noteworthy name among the roster), and there's little room to deviate from the core gameplay since the stages are on the smaller side. Then again, small stages are great for quick matches, and quick matches lend themselves well to on-the-go gaming, so it would seem Star Wars: Hunters is built with a purpose, and so far, there is indeed some fun to be had despite the limitations of this purpose.

While we don't yet know exactly when Star Wars: Hunters will be released in 2022, it's looking that we can at least expect the arrival at the beginning of the year if the recent soft launches are anything to go by. The game still isn't listed in the US on the Play Store, but you can pre-register on the official website if you'd like to unlock some free in-game content on release day.