REVIEW : Way of the Hunter (PC)
Hunting simulators may appear to be a pretty niche pastime these days, yet, as with many gourmet games, they have a devoted and passionate following. The audience, on the other hand, didn’t have much of a choice for a long time – anyone looking for a great title with a hunting theme had to reach for The Hunter: Call of the Wild, because there was almost no other option. With its hunting adventure Way of the Hunter, Slovak studio Nine Rocks Games has determined to challenge this hegemony.
According to the rules
If the hunting game is to remain at least somewhat realistic, it is evident that no major alterations in the heart of its concept will be possible. This suggests that the point will be the player’s trip into the forest, where he will battle wild animals. And this frequently results in a deer with a bullet through the heart. So there’s nothing for vegans.
There is also a story level in Way of the Hunter. It depicts the story of a long-lost grandson returning to nature and taking over his grandfather’s hunting business. However, there is no need to perform an emotional dance around the heated mess – the script is quite lousy, the transmission of the story solely through letters appears at least unusual, because in reality, you barely meet anyone, and the plot itself is quite routine.
But, to be honest, I didn’t mind at all. I don’t anticipate a hunting game to have incredibly dramatic twists and turns and a gradation to the fate of the entire planet – on the contrary, the human, pleasant, and uncomplicated tone suits the experience quite well.
Furthermore, the story gently provides the foundation at the heart of the sandbox gameplay. It gives causes and explanations for why this is happening now. It sets targets for gamers who prefer not to establish their own and do not appreciate hunting for the sake of hunting. It also includes actions that, while related to hunting, do not need you to shoot anything. Instead, the players will introduce him to hunting culture and forestry work, as well as possibly take him to interesting sites he might otherwise miss. That’s perfectly fine.
I also appreciate that the game concentrates heavily on the idea of ethical hunting – it teaches the principles by which every hunter or sports hunter should behave and encourages people to follow them, and the tale, of course, reflects this. This admirable attitude is visible in the game design. Two thumbs up.
Nothing for the faint of heart
Seasoned fans of the genre will find the following statement about as useful as saying it’s not warm in winter or that it’s dark at night. But it must be stated that it will not function without patience. Those looking for a Call of Duty-style experience and who get restless if they don’t shoot something in the head every fifteen seconds should avoid the game, as the quests here can last anywhere from minutes to hours if you have your sights set on some very specific prey, and you usually only shoot once during them.
Seasoned fans of the genre will find the following statement about as useful as saying it’s not warm in winter or that it’s dark at night. But it must be stated that it will not function without patience. Those looking for a Call of Duty-style experience and who get restless if they don’t shoot something in the head every fifteen seconds should avoid the game, as the quests here can last anywhere from minutes to hours if you have your sights set on some very specific prey, and you usually only shoot once during them.
However, the game allows you to pick how much careful caution is required. On the easiest difficulty setting, it will drop a squad of esoterically spotted deer onto the map, which will look down on you from a hundred metres away, whereas on the hardest setting, the game already has relatively realistic senses, and you must pay attention to the direction of the wind, every twig that cracks under your sole, and any overly visible movement in open country.
I strongly advise you to select a higher level of difficulty. Hunting deer in Explorer mode with no sense of self-preservation isn’t exactly a breath-taking feat, but just when the game messes up the challenge and the player accepts that messing around in the woods and making a noise like a British tourist simply won’t meet the game well, the real thing comes nutty.
When you hear a deer bleat over the horizon, for example, and then creep and crawl very slowly and carefully to a spot where you expect a good view and, by extension, possibly, a shooting angle, praying that the wind doesn’t shift or the herd doesn’t move awkwardly, you approach the elevated plain and you can almost feel your prey in your clutches, so close but at the same time so far, it’s an adrenaline rush like in the best stealth games.
It offers wonderful gratification when all of your efforts are rewarded with a successful catch. But, of course, the expected contrary is also true: when you goof up clumsily, spook the herd, or miss your shot and the entire effort beautifully heads for the drain in a matter of a second, it’s like fiddling with dinner all day and then dropping it as you carry it to the table. In short, it poses a direct hazard to the monitor. But it’s inextricably linked to the genre and the overall experience, so brace yourself!
The difficulty is also heavily influenced by the location. When you toss your rifle over your shoulder and head out into the country of milk and curds, i.e. the fertile river plains, where every few hundred metres there is a perch where you can safely hide and wait for something to drink or eat, a hunting chance will present itself sooner or later. It just appears.
But hunting in such a high forest, where visibility is only around fifty metres, is an entirely different level of hell, and requires meticulous tactics and the use of decoys and the like. But when it succeeds, it is just a genuine sense of evolutionary dominance.
The final thing you can do to tailor the difficulty of the experience is to enable and employ the hunting sense. After activating it, the game, following in the footsteps of another, white-haired hunter, highlights nearby tracks, visualises the source of sounds, calculates the distance from the chosen target, and so on.
Individual functionalities, however, can be turned off or on separately in the menu. I would reject at least the ballistic indication because, in my opinion, it detracts from the satisfaction of a well-hit shot, which is a shame to deny oneself of. However, if you opt to play in the most challenging setting, all of these crutches are automatically disabled. And good luck with that, because locating the bloody path of a struck deer in the dense thicket is no fun, even if the game illuminates it for you. But each to his own.
It’s worth it
If it occurred to you that the majority of the critiques were directed at minor details and bordered on nitpicking, you are correct. Way of the Hunter is a solid enough game that nothing much can be written about it in terms of gameplay and design, forcing the critic to go into banalities. The only evident drawbacks are technical, but this is still superb hunting gear.
Furthermore, the potential for future growth is enormous, as it would be a pleasure to build on solid foundations. If the developers decide to employ it, I wouldn’t be surprised if Way of the Hunter not only becomes a terrific and exciting alternative to Call of the Wild but also its full-fledged successor.
