It's a beautiful sunny day, and it's nine in the morning. We could have started the hunt even later, but as we are newbies we decided to get up early. We start from a base camp with a PDA in our left hand which shows us our position in the reserve. The first thing we notice is the very slow walk. Luckily there is a button to run, but something tells us that making too much noise is not the secret move of the good hunter. By pressing a few buttons, binoculars and a camera also come out, as well as a nice rifle with a viewfinder, the kind that after each shot you have to clack-clack to reload them. Everything seems to be there, so we set out. We pass splendid flowering meadows, grassy hills, felled trees, but not even the shadow of game. Every now and then the handheld signals something. There is life nearby. We head in that direction but nothing, everything is silent apart from the hum of insects. After twenty-seven minutes of blessed waiting, it seems to us that something is moving on the horizon. Maybe it's a mirage. We take out the binoculars and our hearts begin to beat, a deer grazes happily! Well, it's time to get busy. For the moment it is still very far away, so let's walk calmly in its direction. There he is over there, pulling his nose up, seeing us ... and running away. Yes, the cursed one escapes. Our attempts to shoot on the fly only get us an embarrassing figure. Luckily we are in a lonely game. From this event we learned an important lesson: never start playing unless you have tried the tutorial. We leave the game and, with humility, let the game teach us its rules.
Long waits but also big rewards, as long as you keep paying: The Hunter is for the few
Patience is my weapon
The tutorial makes it simple, and in fact it doesn't take long to assimilate the theory, but the practice is something else entirely. When we are in the game reserve, it seems trivial to say, but first we have to find an animal. Luckily there is a fingerprint tracking system that comes in handy. Orange symbols indicate that an animal has passed by. It is enough to discover three consecutive fingerprints of the same type to see a circle appear on our handheld. That's the area where the prey is. Discovering new footprints the area narrows and the direction in which we must proceed appears.
It therefore becomes relatively easy to delimit the field, but then it is necessary to visually identify the target. Only when we have framed it for a few seconds with the binoculars does it appear on the GPS, and then we are free to move on to the third phase hoping to get the maximum score for having followed the procedure correctly. The last step as you can imagine is the killing, a delicate matter, because if we don't hit the beast in a vital point it will run away wounded.. In addition to being unethical, he will force us into a chase facilitated by the trail of blood in the hope of ending his suffering as soon as possible. It goes without saying that in this case you get far fewer points. Once the animal is killed, a screen shows us the point of the body where the killing blow penetrated and if we want we can also take a souvenir photo near our trophy. Reclaiming the body is essential, because the law-abiding hunter does not abandon animal carcasses along the way. As an alternative to the procedure listed up to now, we can rely on the noises emitted by the animals to find their position thanks to the handheld, even if a lot depends on the type of prey. In fact, to hunt the birds we must use the appropriate call, then making a sudden noise when we are near the hidden flock, so as to scare them and force them to take flight. In fact, let us remember that killing a bird while its legs are on the ground does not guarantee us any points in the standings. Then there are baits, traps and many other useful items, which however are paid for, but we will return to this point later. What we want to explain now is that all hunting techniques require a lot of patience. This is not an action game, but an accurate simulation, so you will have to arm yourself with all your willpower and keep the attention threshold high every second of the game, agreeing to spend even an hour behind an elusive animal. On the other hand, when the prey finally collapses to the ground, the satisfaction one feels is immense. Despite all the equipment at our disposal, the challenge against animals is therefore on equal terms. Of the two we are the ones who have to give all the energies to the end, and this fact alone repays the efforts made. Unfortunately, however, skill alone is not enough. If we want to have any chance of success in The Hunter we have to spend money, a lot of money. Even just to hunt for something other than deer and rabbits. You will have understood that the time has come to reveal all the pitfalls of the free to play formula according to The Hunter.
It is not a sport for temporary workers
If you want to get some pleasure from The Hunter, plan to spend around fifty euros immediately and continue to pay over time. The fact that more than two species cannot be hunted without paying the monthly subscription should be enough to warn the curious but undecided player.. With nine euros for three months you get all the necessary licenses, but then there is the problem of weapons and equipment. Various types of rifles, pistols, even bows are available on the market, each with its own additions, such as different types of optics, but they cost, and a lot.
You don't think you can take down a bear with the same tools you use to kill a hawk, do you? Furthermore, for each weapon it is necessary to purchase ammunition, unless you choose a premium subscription that guarantees unlimited shots for the different weapons. We therefore start from a minimum of fourteen euros per quarter to have two extra weapons with infinite shots. Better already. With the subscription we will also be able to create private matches and invite friends. This is an important point. Participating in group matches is best. There are tons of players from all over the world ready to host us, but nothing beats a hunt with a friend and a pair of headphones to talk. Considering the long waiting times and the extreme slowness of the game, the company proves to be fundamental. In any case, you can count on an active and present community. The Hunter is in fact the same game released a few years ago and now present on Steam after the handover from the old development team to the new one. But let's stay focused on spending. If you want a lot of weapons, and sooner or later you want them to play at your best, then get ready to exceed fifty euros. Then we need the baits and all the tools necessary to hunt the different species.
Consider that in the beginning there is not even the call for birds. There are some tricky mechanisms, such as the ability to leave a barrel full of bait for a few days on the game map. As time passes, baits are consumed, that is, money is spent. If we have enough of them, we can significantly shorten the waiting time for hunting the most difficult prey. And in case of rain or snow? Or to blend in properly and hide our smell, or just to know which way the wind is blowing? Other money. Not to mention the observation tents. These are fundamental, also because they allow us to cram our equipment and change it if necessary. Do not think of taking them apart every time: it is much better to distribute them in strategic points of the different hunting areas. And here is that other tens of euros come out of the wallet. By participating in missions and challenges you can earn virtual money without bleeding, but there are two problems. First of all, this kind of coin only allows the purchase of lures, ammunition, and single time licenses sold at a high price, and all these events soon require something more than the basic equipment. In conclusion, we certainly don't want to say that The Hunter should be free, but here you can't even touch the substance of the game without a huge expense that must be maintained over time. In addition, the developers come up with every means to extract euros from fans. It also pays to reset missions, just to make sure you can't make too much money with just the sweat of your brow. The only way to earn virtual currency valid for each purchase is to participate in shady initiatives of sites recommended by the game. It's not really the clearest way to present yourself to the public.
Natural spectacle
Keep in mind that The Hunter is a very serious hunting simulation. Hunting animals in an ethical way, that is, to begin with, using an appropriate weapon and avoiding them dragging wounded around waiting to die is essential. If you do not embrace this philosophy and the resulting competition between players, it is impossible to fully enjoy the game, even by spending a lot of money.. On the other hand, if you are among the few enthusiasts able to dedicate time and money to this game, even better with a friend, you will derive a great pleasure from it. Also because there are no valid alternatives on the market. The natural environments are spectacular, varied and subject to dramatic weather changes. You will even see the clouds sliding in front of the sun casting a sudden shadow. There are about twenty species to hunt, all very accurate in visual rendering and behavior, so that each session becomes a personal challenge to be prepared with care. The Hunter launches into the browser window and accessing its contents is simple and intuitive. There are so many things to do and incentives to continue, not to mention that the developers propose new items at a constant pace. As long as the revenues exceed the costs it is to be believed that the species present in the game and the maps will also increase. Unfortunately, the fact that without spending money you can only access a demo, and the lack of grace with which the game invites us to purchase new items make us turn up our noses. It is not the right way to relate to a slice of the market that, albeit a niche one, has supported the game for years and with passion. If one day a competitor arrives who can question The Hunter's model, maybe something will change. For now, if you want a simulation worthy of the name, you have to accept the business model of this game and get ready to invest some hard-earned savings.
PC System Requirements
Test Setup
- The editorial team uses the ASUS CG8250 Personal Computer
- Intel Core i7 2600 processor
- 8 GB of RAM
- NVIDIA GeForce GTX 560 Ti video card
- Windows 7 operating system
Minimum requirements
- 2 GHz Intel or AMD dual core processor
- RAM 2 GB RAM
- Scheda video NVidia GeForce 8800, ATI/AMD Radeon HD 2400
- DirectX version 9.0c
- Windows 8/7 / Vista / XP operating system
Comment
Digital Delivery: Steam Price: Free Resources4Gaming.com6.0
Readers (16)6.8
Your voteThe sufficiency just wants to warn those players who, like us, were intrigued by the game and would gladly spend twenty euros to try to access the first content worthy of interest. Don't do it. It takes a lot more money to fully enjoy the game and a consistency in spending that lasts over time. But if you have no money problems and are looking for a serious hunting simulation, very detailed and full of things to do and species to hunt, then The Hunter is a great choice, as well as being the only one possible at the moment. Better still if you have a friend (or more than one) willing to follow you on long stalking, and to spend money with you.
PRO
- Many species to hunt, each with its own artificial intelligence
- Spectacular natural environments
- Serious simulation that gives great satisfaction
- Unjustified entry barriers
- There is a constant feeling that the developers are using the passion of the players to squeeze them
- Some items frankly cost too much
- Here and there there are too many graphical bugs that denote superficiality on the part of the developers
