By José María Fernández (@thelasttrapper)
The first novelty compared to other hunting titles is that Way of the Hunter puts us right into the story of the protagonist, whose grandfather is hospitalised and must travel to his cabin to relieve him of the management of the territory. A job that will require us to carry out missions to supply meat to the restaurants in the area and conserve the environment in a sustainable way. To do this, the game incorporates an innovative and very realistic population management system, which means that respawning – the reappearance of the animals when we hunt them – is not random and we are obliged to hunt in a sustainable way, taking care of their health in order to obtain good genetics and, thus, better trophies.
The strengths of Way of the hunter
Way of the Hunter is an open-world game that provides a realistic hunting experience for both small and big game. It achieves this in part through the behaviour of the animals, whether in a calm state, when running or when being shot. The hunter’s sense, a quality that allows us to follow their tracks and discover their preferences, the stealth mode and an improved render – the distance at which game can be sighted – will allow us to get close to the snouts of the targets of our stalks. Long-range shooting enthusiasts will also be able to indulge their hobby, as we will be able to shoot at distances of up to 1,700 metres.
Total freedom to hunt
Despite the missions we have to complete, we will have total freedom to explore the map on foot or by four-wheel drive to hunt -although we will need a permit- and to reach the cabins outside our area, where we will even receive orders from their owners. At the moment, and I say “at the moment” because the game is constantly evolving and improving, in Way of the Hunter we can find two territories where we can practice the virtual hunting activity. One is Nez Perce Valley, set in America, where we will enjoy its film-like landscapes and the emblematic animals that occupy them: the white-tailed deer, mule deer, elk, wapiti… The other will be much more familiar: Transylvania, where we will be able to shoot deer, wild boar, fallow deer, roe deer? In total, more than 175 square kilometres of land to hunt in solitary mode and in online cooperative mode with up to four hunters to organise hunting parties, hunting parties…
In my opinion Way of the Hunter is a great proposal that saw the light of day when it was very green… and it still is. There are still errors to be solved, such as the fact that sometimes the animals we have hunted disappear or are left standing after shooting them, the limitation to organise hunting trips or hunts because only four players are allowed in the cooperative mode or the second -and distant- plane in which the small game is left. Errors that keep it from being the game we all dream of. If they were solved, could it be the definitive hunting simulator?
Technical specifications
- Title: Way of the hunter
- Developer: Nine Rocks Games.
- Distributor: THQ Nordic.
- Release: August 2022.
- Platforms: PlayStation 5, Xbox X and S Series and PC.
- Price: from £23. You can buy it here for PS5 and here for XBOX.
