I’ve played many different games that take place in many different genres but the one genre i’m not particularly experienced with is the hunting genre. I think the closest i’ve come to hunting are the various side missions you come across in a game like Final Fantasy XV, but it’s less about hunting and more about fighting in those games. It’ll be interesting to see how much hunting you can do in Hunting Simulator 2.
Hunting Simulator 2 starts off in a surprising manner as you find yourself in a log cabin which is home to many of the things you would expect a hunter would have. The walls are adorned with animal trophies, whilst there are weapons dotted around. You begin your adventure of sorts by leaving your cabin and start using your hunting instincts to find you next trophy. The log cabin you soon find is where each hunt begins and ends. You begin your hunting adventures off with a small sum of cash which you use to buy weaponry and licenses. The better you hunt the better the trophies you acquire which in turn means you end up with more money to buy a better arsenal.
There are 6 locations to do your hunting within and those locations are broken up into smaller areas. Those areas include Czechia Marshlands and Harghita County which are in Europe, Roosevelt Forest and Pawnee Meadows in Colorado and the Chihuahuan Desert and Bandera Region in Texas. There are around 33 animal species to hunt but you must make sure you have the necessary licenses to hunt those animals. Luckily Hunting Simulator 2 will warn you about a lack of licenses when you get an animals in your crosshairs, but if you still choose to proceed then you might end up getting fined. The firearms are also important, only certain weapons can be used on certain animals. There are a variety of licensed firearms whose brands you will recognise like Winchester. You can also acquire a pet in Hunting Simulator 2 which will help you track and retrieve various prey.
Hunting Simulator 2 is a very slow game to move around in and that’s part of the whole process. Running around will make the animals aware of you and they will runaway, so you need to sneak around the gorgeous landscapes. One issue is there doesn’t seem to be a gradual scale to your speed, you either walk very slowly or run very quickly, there is no fast walk or casual jog to get around. The slow pace allows you to appreciate the various environmental and animal sounds dotted throughout the ambient scenes. You will at times spend up to an hour tracking some animals down, in some cases you’ll need to wound the animal several times before you can capture your “trophy”. Luckily Hunting Simulator 2 doesn’t expect you to cut, skin or drag your catch back to your cabin, that would have been a much more grisly experience.
With the lack of any direction or story, sometimes Hunting Simulator 2 doesn’t quite involve you as much as it could. For example, entering competitions with fellow hunters or having something to work up to would have made Hunting Simulator 2 a better experience. There are a few fast travel points located in Hunting Simulator 2, unfortunately you need to find them to use them. Considering the amount of travelling you are doing in Hunting Simulator 2, having these fast travel points more visible would have definitely spend up the process.
Hunting Simulator 2 is exactly what it says it is, it’s a simulator about hunting. The relaxing set up and ambient nature makes the Hunting Simulator 2 experience an enjoyable one. Thankfully you don’t get drawn into the more bloody elements of actual hunting but Hunting Simulator 2 does give you the opportunity to hone your hunting skills. If you are looking for something a bit different, which takes things slowly but still makes it enjoyable then Hunting Simulator 2 will give you some entertainment.
