2019-06-01_PC_Gamer

RIGHT: The forests

in The Hunter feel

genuinely deep and

dense, with

impressive foliage.

ChiLLout the most relaxing games onpc

Abzu

Swim gracefully through

a series of colourful,

psychedelicunderwater

worldstoanachingly

beautifulscore.

StArdewVALLey

You live your life on your

own terms in the peaceful

Stardew Valley, working

as hard (or not) as you

like. The life.

NoMAN’S Sky

Play in Creative mode

and Hello’s colourful

space sim becomes a

relaxing screensaver

for your brain.

T

here’ssomething
strangelycompelling
aboutthehunter:
calloftheWild.
DevelopedbyJust
cause creator Avalanche, it’s a
slow, ponderous hunting simulator
where you spend most of your time
crouched in a bush waiting for an
oblivious deer or coyote to stroll
into your lineoffire.Butithas the
sameserene,hypnoticqualityas
gamessuchaseurotruck
simulator 2. Fundamentally boring,
yes, but utterly, irresistibly playable.

But here’s the thing – the hunting is,
for me, the least interesting thing
about The Hunter. I mean, I enjoy it.
There’s something satisfying about
quietly, meticulously stalking a moose
through a Siberian forest then
dropping it with a well-placed shot.
I’d never do this in real life, of course.
I like moose, and I could never bring
myself to shoot one with a high-
powered rifle. The hunting
mechanics are deep, with a nice
scoring system, but they’re never my
main reason for loading this game up.
No, what I love about The Hunter
is the world the developers have
created. It, rather unexpectedly,
features some of the most convincing
natural environments I’ve ever
encountered in any game – let alone a
niche hunting sim. Its selection of
autumnal forests, grassy plains, and
rolling fields are way more
convincing and atmospheric than
even games such as Far Cry 5, which
probably has ten times its budget.
And it’s these immersive landscapes
that keep me coming back.

Nature calls
At the right time of day, when the
sun is at just the right angle and
elevation, the forests in The Hunter
aregenuinelystunning. Golden light

pours through the trees, casting a

glow over the dense foliage, which

sways realistically in the wind. But

it’s more than just a visual treat – the

sound is just as good. If you stop and

listen to the ambient sound, you get a

palpable sense of being there – more

than any other game I can think of.

Which, I guess, makes sense in a

game where you spend so much time

sitting still. But it’s surprising to find

this fidelity of visual and aural detail

in what is, let’s be honest, a pretty

obscure hunting game. And it makes

just going for a walk in these lush,

dynamic forests a real treat. With a

good pair of headphones, you can

totally get lost in the world around

you. Sure, if you hear an animal you

can track it and kill it. But

interrupting such a chill world with a

gunshot almost feels wrong.

What’s cool about The Hunter is

that as well as a rifle, you also get a

camera. The system isn’t as deep as

I’d like – it would be cool if you could

buy different models and lenses and

so on – but it’s a legitimate way to

play the game. I’ve spent more time

wandering through the forests of

Germany, the African plains, and the

Siberian tundra, taking photos, than

indulging in the hunting side of the

game. The screenshots illustrating

this article were all taken by me on

my many rambles through the game.

I love it when games are flexible

enough to let you play them your

own way. I once played Skyrim as a

regular citizen, working for a living,

buying food and drink, running

NeedtokNow

RELEASED
Feb 16, 2017

OUR REVIEW
60%

EXPECT TO PAY

£20

LINK

http://www.bit.ly/huntercotw

errands, avoiding quests. It was a

surprisingly fun way to experience

the game, and gave me a new

perspective on that world. And it’s

the same with The Hunter. The

setting is rich enough that you can

enjoy it for what it is, rather than

what you do in it, and I appreciate it

when a game has that quality.

I’m not saying you should spend

money on The Hunter specifically to

walk around a forest taking photos.

But then again, maybe I am? If I

hadn’t fired a single bullet, I still

think I’d have considered it a worthy

purchase. A piece of advice, though

• even though the fact it’s DLC is a
  bit cynical, definitely buy the quad
  bike add-on. It’s fairly cheap, and it
  makes getting around the game’s
  enormous maps less frustrating.
  I reviewed The Hunter when it
  was first released and gave it 60%,
  and I stand by that, because the
  mission design is bad and the pace
  (especially without the bike) can be
  interminable. But in terms of
  atmosphere and environments, not
  much else touches it.
  You’ll just have to decide if you
  want to destroy that nice, tranquil
  atmosphere by firing a giant rifle at a
  gentle, harmless moose.

IloveItwhengamesare

flexIble enough to let you

play them your own way

eurotruCk

SiMuLAtor 2

Drive a truck along grey

highways as the rain

pours and your wipers

swoosh back and forth.

EXTRA LIFE

NOW PLAYING I UPDATEI DIARY (^) I REINSTALL I WHY I LOVE (^) I MUST PLAY