Way Of The Hunter PS5 Review. I’m kind of in a dilemma with hunting simulators. I don’t really care about the idea of ​​hunting as an act. It’s up there with golf spoiled on the ‘a good walk’ board, but guess what? I really like golf games and hunting games, but that’s mostly because they offer something else besides the things that don’t interest me.

Everybody’s Golf is one of my favorite comfort games, and I can’t begin to explain the impact theHunter: Call of the Wild has on me without firing a single shot, and it has little to do with shooting DIY eyed animals.

So Way of the Hunter is a bit of a stranger to me. On the one hand, it tries really hard to promote the “ethical” side of hunting, but in pursuing that, Way of the Hunter forces its argument and undermines the rest of the game.

Way Of The Hunter Review (PS5) – Accessible hunting sim almost shoots itself in the foot

Hunter and the Hunted

Before I get into that part of things, let’s get into what else Way of the Hunter is, and what ultimately does and doesn’t do well in it.

Way of the Hunter is an open world hunting game with a story that connects everything. The two maps (one in the US and the other in Europe) each cover 55 square miles of terrain and feature a variety of woodland creatures and breathtaking views.

Neither the story nor the setting make a good first impression though, as the opening scenes are riddled with technical glitches that dragged me out of the attempted atmosphere of the wild and strongly reminded me that this was all just a virtual show. The clunky exposition opening added to the shonky visual stutters make for a poor introduction indeed.

These are issues that persist in smaller measures when I also got into the game itself. Thankfully things get a little better after a pretty dry opening, a few missions that teach some basics of hunting but make them feel like the kind of print stuff you find in some open world games.

The story is well intentioned. It is a story of an estranged family with a famous hunter who now returns to his grandfather’s farm to sort out some things, both in his life and in the forests and mountains in the area. It won’t interfere with the Hallmark channel or anything, but it’s something. I just wish something didn’t come at the expense of the game itself.

A well-intentioned story with more than a few problems

Don’t wipe it out. The Way of the Hunter story works best if you complete a handful of missions needed to unlock other stuff and get a basic understanding of how things work, then ignore it completely for Freeplay. The story is nothing more than a glorified, over-long tutorial with a mild soap drama smeared on it like an almost tasteless icing on the world’s most bland cupcake.

The story also has this recurring problem where it tries to justify the hunt at every opportunity and saturate it with homey down-on-the-range vibes. In moderation, that’s fine, but it’s starting to look preachy, or worse, apologetic.

Like the Hunter, Way of the Hunter is at its best when you just enjoy the tranquil atmosphere of the great outdoors, take in the view and spot an animal in the distance you haven’t seen before. The views can be really beautiful, and the environment really feels like it was made to fit what the game is about rather than being an empty box for Way of the Hunter’s toys.

Deep hunting mechanics makes for immersive gameplay

The hunting mechanics are fairly in-depth, taking due account when stalking your prey. Stay slow and low when approaching, pick the right weapon for the job, pick the right time of day and many more come in a successful hunt.

There are different levels of immersion to play with if you want to make the experience more or less challenging, making learning the ropes without the harsh punishment of realism a more viable option than having to jump in at the deep end.

Games like Way of the Hunter, the Hunter: Call of the Wild and to some extent The Long Dark have an admirable level of stealth beyond the usual gamified sneaky.

These are games that take the player’s impact on the world more seriously. If you hit a target from the wrong direction, you’ll startle them long before you can get close enough to do anything about it. The key is patience. Lots and lots of patience.

A nice yacht, but more flexibility would be nice

Of course, that means progress can feel sluggish, especially when you’re picked on one of the two big maps and given a checklist of seemingly trivial things that can take longer than some minor games. That’s why I find the story too intrusive for the experience.

It puts marks on things that make things feel like another open world game too far. It would work better with a little more flexibility. But since there will eventually be a Freeplay mode available, this is something that will at least get fixed after a while.

Way of the Hunter is to be commended for trying to put a personal personality into the hunting sim genre, and as a sim it ticks a lot of boxes. It doesn’t always work, and technical hiccups can spoil the spectacle of the land somewhat, but it doesn’t stop the game from being a decent foray into hunting season.

Way of the Hunter will be released on August 16, 2022 for PS5, PC and Xbox Series X/S.

Review code kindly provided by publisher.