Platform Reviewed: Android
Platforms Available: Facebook, Android, iOS
Publisher: HitGrab, Inc.
Developer: HitGrab, Inc.
Release Date: March 7, 2008
MSRP: Free (in-app purchases available)
MouseH
unt is a passive hunting browser game developed by the good people at HitGrab Inc. back in 2008 and it is still going well with the help of its supportive community of hunters. As the name suggests, MouseHunt lets its players hunt different kinds of mice that roam around and plague the land of Gnawnia. Hunters go on a journey through the different regions of Gnawnia, setting up traps with different attributes best suited for the mice they want to capture. Along the way, hunters encounter stronger and more elusive mouse and to catch them would require hunters to catch more mice, gather the right materials, and craft an upgrade for their trap set-ups which would hopefully nab the pesky critter in their next encounter.
Hunters start out small with a basic trap set-up, consisting of a trap and base. They have the choice to catch a mice with brute force with a trap with a high Power attribute, just leave it all to luck and use a trap with high Luck stat, or a balance of both. Of course, what better way to lure the critters than using the dairy product that is cheese? Cheeses play the role of attracting mice and it is important that a hunter must check if the right cheese is set for the right mouse. Most mice are attracted to several cheeses while some are a bit too picky on their preference. Hunters can craft their own cheese or buy them from stores while some can be found as loot from catching mice. Lastly, hunters should also use charms on their arsenal to add more power, luck, and/or attraction to their set-up, depending on its kind.
A hunter can start a hunt by sounding the horn which would let the game check if the trap has successfully captured a mouse or not. Hunts happen every fifteen minutes when the hunter is online and proceeds to catch every mice at fifteen-minute intervals for an hour when the hunter goes offline if he or she has fellow hunters hunting in the same area. Trap checks happen every hour, online or offline. You could just imagine how dedicated and seasoned hunters would look like when they are hell-bent on catching that one hard-to-catch mice or when a party of hunters pull an all-nighter for a particular tournament. It’s a good thing that a MouseHunt app is now available for smartphone users so that they can hunt wherever they are, as long as they are connected to the internet.
But a hunter doesn’t always catch the mouse. As with most games, MouseHunt relies on a random number generator or RNG, as most familiar players call it. As a hunter, your task is to manipulate the odds to your favor by setting up the best trap set-up and bait for a particular mouse or a group of mice before sounding the horn. Then, while waiting for the next horn to pop out, you could wish hard enough that the devs will love you this time, pray to RNGsus, leave it all to Lady Luck, or perform any other rituals and follow superstitions. All beliefs are welcome.
When hunters successfully catch a mouse, they are rewarded with gold, points, and possibly some materials as loot. Gold is the main currency used in MouseHunt. As of now, MouseHunt does not have a premium currency in use although some consider SUPER|brie+, a kind of cheese a hunter gets by purchasing with real cash, from trades, or for making a donation, as the premium currency. Points go towards the hunter’s title or rank. The more mice you catch, the more points you get and the higher your title goes. Titles go from Novice up to Archduke/Archduchess and higher titles unlock more hunting locations and also unlock crafting slots. Crafting plays an important part in a hunter’s quest. The materials gathered from mice can then be crafted into several items, most of which are things that would help the hunter progress in the game such as new traps, new cheeses, new maps that unlock hunting spots, etc.
The main stars of MouseHunt are, of course, the mice. The kinds of mice range from the seemingly harmless Brown Mouse to the dangerous Monstrous Black Widow Mouse. They come in all sizes; as small as the Micro Mouse and as big as the Goliath Field Mouse. There are ridiculous ones and there are menacing ones. And thanks to the relatively recent Rift arc, some of the existing mice have been mutated even more, even the already mutated ones! This gives the hunters the urge to catch them all which they could then brag as their collection progress to the community.
The art style used in MouseHunt is superb, to say the least. It gives the game its own distinct charm with its simple yet appealing looks, thanks to their lead illustrator, Jacob Johnson. His style of painting the images used in MouseHunt is one of the main selling points of the game. The devs usually host a live stream on Twitch.tv called Feedback Friday where fans get to ask the devs questions and give out some suggestions for the game. Sometimes, they stream a live work-in-progress painting of a new mouse or trap artwork and the fans could pitch in their ideas and suggestions along the way, all of which the illustrator would happily accommodate. It is that feeling that a fan could actively contribute to the game that makes the hunting community love MouseHunt even more. Also, the frequent interaction between MouseHunt’s devs and their fans kept the game going strong and steady throughout the years.
MouseHunt‘s devs managed to keep the game interesting, despite its nature as a passive game, by coming up with new story arcs, hosting annual in-game events, and releasing new content every now and then. With its seventh anniversary just a day away, MouseHunt shows no signs of slowing down as the game continues to evolve and progress along with its supportive fanbase. MouseHunt is a nice game to play in the background while doing some other task as it does not require too much of the attention of the player when done right. The game gets stirred up with its updates and new content that the devs release from time to time. Despite being a passive browser game, it still provides its players some excitement whenever they sound the horn.
MouseHunt is free to play on Facebook or on this site. MouseHunt app is a free download for Android and iOS users.
