The Equinox Hunt
- April 2, 2022
- EvilStar Studios
In "The Equinox Hunt" , you play as the prey in a brutal, centuries-old hunt, trying to evade various specialized factions of hunters while navigating the treacherous forest. True stealth is essential as you attempt to escape and uncover the mystery behind the cultists and their ritual. Permadeath adds an extra layer of tension to this atmospheric first-person survival horror game.
Reviews
- Great stealth mechanics and gameplay that keeps players engaged and allows for creative problem-solving.
- Atmospheric design with distinct environments, solid sound effects, and a feeling of tension and vulnerability.
- Well-structured levels with easy-to-understand gameplay and a tutorial that integrates seamlessly into the story.
- Gameplay bugs and a lack of polish, including issues with the ending and optimization that affects performance.
- Absence of music during gameplay and no cutscenes or voice acting, which detracts from immersion.
- AI can be unresponsive and the game may feel too easy due to visible enemy vision cones and mechanics that simplify encounters.
- gameplay16 mentions
- 38 % positive mentions
- 44 % neutral mentions
- 19 % negative mentions
The gameplay is generally praised for its easy-to-understand mechanics and polished design, particularly the stealth elements, which many players find engaging. However, some users report gameplay bugs and clunky interactions, such as with guard traps, which detract from the overall experience. While the game offers a fast-paced and tense atmosphere, issues like bad controls and a lack of replayability have been noted as areas for improvement.
“Loving the stealth mechanics and general gameplay details.”
“Overall it's worth the $12 in the current state; although if the current problems were fixed and the game had a bit more replayability, I could easily see it as an $18-20 game. The level design and gameplay are already great.”
“An excellent stealth game with a lot of mechanics that are really well explained and presented in the first level.”
“Gameplay bugs in several parts of the game.”
“The gameplay is really polished, although making guards go into bear traps is really clunky if you do that while being chased.”
“Stealth mechanics are taking some getting used to, but they're pretty decent.”
- story9 mentions
- 33 % positive mentions
- 33 % neutral mentions
- 33 % negative mentions
The game's story is described as decent and immersive, with interesting world-building and character backgrounds, but it suffers from poor presentation, lacking cutscenes and a structured narrative. While some players appreciate the depth found in notes and letters, others feel overwhelmed by the amount of information, leading to a perception that the story is underdeveloped. Overall, it appeals to those who prioritize gameplay over narrative coherence.
“This is a less difficult stealth game than I thought it would be, but the story and world-building you find along the way (through notes, newspaper cuttings, and letters) more than makes up for that.”
“Interesting plot and cool thing you get some background for each character and a bit different starting stats.”
“It doesn't feel hand-holdy and it doesn't feel like I'm doing a tutorial, but rather the beginning of my story, and that's to be appreciated.”
“The story is badly presented; there is no intro cutscene explaining why you are there, and all the story notes have too much information. It almost feels like the game has no story. If you want a game with a nice story, this is not for you.”
“The story is poorly presented, with no cutscenes except for the end.”
“Over and over, just to respawn as someone else with a completely different backstory.”
- atmosphere6 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The game's atmosphere is highly praised for its impressive audio and visual design, creating a beautiful and immersive environment. While the sound design and user interface enhance the experience, some players note the absence of voice acting as a drawback. Overall, the atmosphere is considered engaging and well-executed.
“The atmosphere and sound design are on point, and the UI makes it clear where enemies can be seen without compromising the top-down perspective.”
“Well designed, very atmospheric, and very beautiful environment!”
“The atmosphere is great audio and visual wise, but one really important note, the game has no voice acting.”
- music3 mentions
- 33 % positive mentions
- -33 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
The game features no in-game music, relying solely on menu music, which some players find lacking. However, the sound effects are noted to be effective in enhancing engagement and creating a tense atmosphere.
“It definitely keeps you engaged and scared with solid sound effects, music, and smart AI.”
“There is no music in-game, just the menu music.”
“There is no music in-game, just the menu music.”
“The game definitely keeps you engaged and scared with solid sound effects, but the music is lacking.”
- optimization2 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
The game's optimization has been criticized for being poorly executed, requiring a high-end rig to achieve even moderate performance, with users reporting excessive resource usage on capable hardware.
“Badly optimized; to run the game a bit above 60 fps, it uses 80% of my GTX 1070 Ti.”
“The optimization has been done really poorly. If you don't have a medium to high-end rig, you can't run it, which is really frustrating.”
- grinding1 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- -200 % neutral mentions
- 300 % negative mentions
Players find the grinding aspect of the game to be tedious, especially when pursuing all achievements, leading to a sense of fatigue over time.
“I've played the game a lot in alpha, beta, as well as release. I've tried going for all the achievements, but it became too tedious after a while.”
“The grinding in this game feels endless and repetitive, making it hard to stay engaged.”
“I found myself spending hours on tasks that felt more like a chore than fun, which really dampened my overall experience.”
- replayability1 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- -300 % neutral mentions
- 300 % negative mentions
Players feel that while the game is currently worth its price, enhancing its replayability could significantly increase its value. The existing level design and gameplay are praised, but improvements in replayability are seen as necessary for a higher price point.
“Overall, it's worth the $12 in its current state. Although if the current problems were fixed and the game had a bit more replayability, I could easily see it as an $18-20 game. The level design and gameplay are already great.”
“Overall, it's worth the $12 in its current state; however, if the current problems were fixed and the game had a bit more replayability, I could easily see it as an $18-20 game. The level design and gameplay are already great.”
“The game lacks significant replayability, making it hard to justify multiple playthroughs.”
“Once you've completed the game, there's little incentive to return, as the content feels limited and repetitive.”
- graphics1 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
The graphics are considered rough and lacking the polish typically associated with AAA titles, suggesting that while they are not top-tier, there is potential for improvement.
“The graphics are pretty rough; this isn't a blockbuster AAA game, but it definitely feels like it could use some more polish.”