Way of the Hunter Review

Way of the Hunter is a hunting simulator where players are taken across various areas of the United States and Europe to hunt down a plethora of preys such as badgers, mooses, deers, bears; among others. You’ll be using a decent variety of hunting equipment with the help of features such as highlight animal signs, blood splatter analysis; just to name a few.

As you kill and harvest preys, you can either keep them stuff by taxidermy or resell them in order to get spending money. The latter is quite useful given that each type of prey requires a different type of weapon. The initial gun used for the badger hunt won’t be of much help against bigger game such as a deer.

For your hunts, you’ll be called upon to roam around the vast areas created for the game. Thankfully, you can ride around in your faithful jeep to get to checkpoints faster… unless you meet an untimely faith (more on that below). Going anywhere by foot is painfully slow.

The shooting feels great and is easy to grasp. Pressing LT will bring up the zoom on your gun; using the d-pad, you can zoom closer and adjusting the distance zeroing. You can also hold your breath in order to have a more accurate shot. Our hunter also has Hunter Sense which will highlight specific things such as steps left by the animal or a nest for example.

The game’s main issue is given that it is an exercise in patience, this game will not appeal to everyone. You can’t necessarily go in the forest guns blazing as you’ll more often than not scare off your prey. And yes, much like in real life, if you’re not careful, you will run out of ammo at crucial times. Also, if you “die” (yes you can die; if you fall from too high for example), you’ll respawn at the main cabin, but your ride won’t; meaning you’ll have to slowly backtrack on foot to recuperate your vehicle. The other little nuisance is the surprisingly long loading times as you start up the game.

Way of the Hunter looks great; while there are better looking games, developer Nine Rock Games managed to craft a lush and gorgeous virtual outdoor experience while you patiently wait for your prey to show up. Additionally, the sound is top notch here. The noise of the outdoor is peaceful and well presented; almost as if you were yourself outside.

Way of the Hunter is a fun yet relaxing gaming experience. While it does require a bit of patience, this can be the type of game you use to relax after a long day at work or school; it’s also easy to pick up and play. The atmosphere is soothing. The main issue is getting around can feel like a chore if you lose track of your ride. If you’re looking for something different and you have the required patience, Way of the Hunter is worth investing into.