PixlBit

I'm not much into hunting but I'll try anything for Rewards points on Xbox One. This was a monthly quest to gather 100 of something or other in this game. I could never figure out what I was supposed to gather, but I played until it sprung. 

This game does look pretty great. You play in first-person and are dropped into a wilderness with a basic set of gear and a smartphone. Little by little the game teaches want to do but it's not a tutorial so much as just a voice and some text to help you along as you wander around looking for game or camping sites and lookout towers. 

I had played this previously for rewards points and found it frustrating but this time it seemed easier. The trouble usually is, I don't get the kill on the first shot, the deer runs and you have to track it until you find it again. I did pretty well this time and bagged several types of deer and a rabbit. I almost considered staying in the game once the rewards unlocked, but this is more a simulation than an arcade-style game. I've liked some of the Cabela's hunting games because there was less stalking and creeping through the brush, but I kind of liked the movement and realistic landscape and animal animations. I'm curious about Avalanche Studios because their name rings a bell. Let's take a quick look. 

I knew there was something familiar about this game, its graphics engine and gameplay. This is the studio that did the Just Cause series, Mad Max and Rage 2, all games I've played. There are also several other games in the theHunter series they did before this. They created a special team called Expansive Worlds just for theHunter: Primal (2015) and Call of the Wild (2017). So if this game had a grappling hook, a parachute, and lots of vehicles (although, I think this game does have an ATV somewhere in it) I would play it more, but then again, maybe not. I don't enjoy chasing down wounded animals I just shot. I'd rather shoot them photographically.

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