Review copy provided by the publisher
Hunting is one of humanity’s oldest sports. Both humans and animals do it, and it’s one of those sports that when applied to games, often gets overlooked. With the progression of gaming hardware though, we’re getting closer and closer to literally having the leisure of hunting right in our living rooms. Does Hunting Simulator 2 on next-gen consoles deliver on this? The answer isn’t as simple as you’d think but I have to admit that I’m more satisfied with it than anything else.
Gameplay
I was pleasantly surprised by just how much of a simulation this title really was. I will say that it is easier if you know a fair bit about the sport though. While there are many tutorials as well as an entire wiki section in the game, there are some things that it doesn’t teach you. Some things aren’t explained and it does make this feel like an experience tailored to those with more knowledge of the sport.
The game’s hub is located at your hunting lodge where you can mount trophies, check out the wikis, view your gun collection, purchase hunting supplies, check your wardrobe, head to the shooting range, or go out on a hunt. It’s great that there’s a fair bit to do besides just going out to hunt and It was nice to come back to the lodge every now and again to test out guns or to purchase new items. Purchasable items include weapons, clothing, lure sprays, scent masking sprays, calls, and so on. There’s a great variety and it further drives home the feeling of it being a strong simulation.
The shooting range is a great way to practice your shot with your guns by offering a bunch of different ways to do so. There are clay pigeons to shoot and targets set up at different distances so that any weapon can be correctly tested. Honestly, hanging out there is just as fun as going on a hunt as it’s another part of the sport that brings it full circle. While I haven’t been on a hunt in real life, I can say that going to the range can be a fun experience. This being included personally made me connect with the game even more.
The main focus of Hunting Sim 2 is obviously its hunts. Now, being that it’s realistic, there is a lot of downtime where you’ll either be following a trail or waiting in a stand or blinder for the right shot. You’ll also need to take your time, and equip yourself with the right equipment before you head out. It’s a pretty serene experience as the different environments are really well done in how they’re put together. Each one feels like it properly displays what you should expect when hunting there. It also helps that there’s a large number of animals to hunt.
In order to hunt these animals and claim them as your own, you’re going to need to buy licenses for them. They’re cheap to purchase and grant you a few tags per animal. There are fines placed on you as a player when you, for example, shoot an animal that you don’t have a license for. It’s just another layer that makes it feel like a real experience. While there are a lot of animal and weapon types, I would’ve appreciated more clarity on what weapons are used when hunting each animal.
You can mark the location of the different animals’ identifiers or locations on your map and they’ll actually stay there until you remove them. It makes it easy to revisit an area for a specific animal or maybe even give you a better idea of where these animals normally like to hang out whether it’s fields, woods, or water. Once you locate and kill your prey, you need to bag it and then claim it which then allows you to either sell it for money or mount it in your lodge as a trophy. You will invest a lot of time tracking these animals so when it comes time to decide whether to cash in on it or put it up as a trophy, it really makes it feel like a weighted decision.
Helping you on your hunt is your hunting dog who can find different identifiers for animals so that you can locate and claim the animal as soon as possible. The dog actually has a skill system that improves as you play, but it really gets motivated when you praise it. While I like this system, I really don’t find it necessary at all. It didn’t feel like my dog ever got too much better at its job than when I started.
The weapons themselves feel pretty great during hunts but my one complaint is that the camera is a little glitchy. It hampers down the gameplay at times. I can appreciate that you can switch between 3 different camera views which can alleviate the issue depending on which you select, with the worst being the first person. It’s sluggish and actually made me feel a little ill when I first started playing.
Visuals
Where Hunting Simulator 2 shows a lot of unevenness is in its visuals. Being that this new version takes advantage of next-gen hardware, I figured that this would be a full package that made me feel like I was hunting for real. Unfortunately, even though there are some really great sights to see here and there, a lot of the graphics look like they’re from the PS3 generation. This next-gen upgrade is a true let-down.
Audio
Like the visuals, the audio can be extremely hit or miss. While animals can sound great, things like footsteps often sound very hokey and low budget. They’re serviceable but it’s obvious that not all of the audio aspects were treated with the same care as each other.
Replayability
Even though the graphics may be lackluster, that doesn’t take away how the gameplay itself is realistic enough to satisfy true hunting enthusiasts. It really perpetuates a real hunting experience that’s been missing from the sports genre. One of my favorite aspects of the game is the shooting range. As anyone who lives near a shooting range knows, it’s always a fun place to test out a new gun or to just relax.
What It Could Have Done Better
The big issues that I have with the game while superficial, do make it feel of a lower caliber than its gameplay and setup. The game also leaves newbie hunters out in the cold as there isn’t any information on what guns are better for certain animals or where’s a good location to aim for on an animal. Luckily for me, I grew up around people who hunt, so I have a basic understanding. I fear that curious gamers who’d like to learn more about the sport and enjoy the game may feel a little overwhelmed by it instead.
Verdict
Hunting Simulator 2 is a fantastic title for gamers who have an understanding of the sport or hunting enthusiasts in general. Even with its un-even graphics and audio, it doesn’t make the game any less fun. I wouldn’t suggest this title to newbies of the sport as it asks more from its player-base than just being a casual experience. I believe that better tutorials would make this a tighter experience no matter what your level of knowledge is with hunting.
