Way of the Hunter

80%
Game Brain Score Based on 3,276 reviews
  • graphics
  • story
  • gameplay
Way of the Hunter Game Cover
Way of the Hunter may not have broad appeal, but it succeeds in creating an immersive, realistic experience so that criticism seems misplaced.
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"Way of the Hunter" is a realistic hunting simulation game set in open world environments. Players can hunt a variety of animals using authentic weapons and equipment, while considering factors like wind direction and animal behavior. The game also features a career mode, where players can manage their hunting business and reputation. Success depends on the player's hunting skills, knowledge of the animals, and ability to make ethical hunting decisions.

  • Windows
  • Xbox Series X|S
  • Cloud
  • NVIDIA GeForce NOW
  • Xbox
Genres & TagsPlay Modes

Reviews

80%
Audience ScoreBased on 3,276 reviews
graphics272 positive mentions
stability127 negative mentions
  • Stunning graphics and immersive environments that enhance the hunting experience.
  • Realistic animal behavior and tracking mechanics that require patience and strategy.
  • Engaging herd management system that rewards ethical hunting practices.
  • Frequent bugs and performance issues, especially in multiplayer mode.
  • Limited weapon variety and lack of customization options for firearms.
  • Tracking can be frustrating, with blood trails disappearing and animals spooking too easily.
  • graphics526 mentions

    The graphics of the game receive mixed reviews, with many praising the stunning visuals and realistic environments, while others criticize issues such as blurriness, poor optimization, and graphical glitches. Some players find the graphics to be a significant improvement over competitors like "The Hunter: Call of the Wild," but others feel they fall short of expectations, particularly in terms of performance and detail at distance. Overall, while the game showcases beautiful landscapes and animal models, it struggles with consistency and technical issues that detract from the experience.

    • “By far the best hunting game out there, aside from the excellent graphics, it has a lot of variety, a lot of landscapes and animals to hunt.”
    • “The graphics are absolutely beautiful.”
    • “The graphics are stunning, and the sound design and ambience are engaging and enthralling.”
    • “The graphics are too blurry and the colors are too saturated.”
    • “The graphics are always blurry looking.”
    • “The graphics are poor for a game in 2022.”
  • story462 mentions

    The story in "Way of the Hunter" has received mixed reviews, with many players finding it somewhat cheesy and heavy-handed, particularly in its focus on ethical hunting practices. While some appreciate the engaging narrative and the variety of missions that provide context to the hunting experience, others criticize the dialogue and voice acting as subpar, with many bugs affecting mission progression. Overall, the story is seen as optional, with players able to enjoy the game without fully engaging with it, but it does add a layer of purpose to the hunting gameplay.

    • “The story is engaging.”
    • “This game has a beautiful story.”
    • “The story missions are worth following through, as some of them provide entertaining interludes between hunts.”
    • “The 'story' has some of the worst dialogue and voice acting I've ever seen in a game.”
    • “The story/missions are trash in terms of characters, objectives, and actual storyline.”
    • “The storyline is a little cheesy, and the whole hunting ethics thing is way overdone.”
  • gameplay331 mentions

    The gameplay in "Way of the Hunter" is characterized by its emphasis on realism and detailed mechanics, such as ballistics and animal behavior, which many players find engaging and immersive. However, it suffers from various bugs, graphical issues, and a lack of polish, leading to frustrations with tracking and animal detection. While some players appreciate the depth and challenge of the hunting mechanics, others feel the gameplay can become tedious and less rewarding compared to alternatives like "The Hunter: Call of the Wild."

    • “Very fun, in-depth mechanics, terminal ballistics of such detail that shooting animals becomes a science.”
    • “Immersive graphics, realistic gameplay, and diverse challenges make it a must-play for hunting enthusiasts.”
    • “The gameplay is very well balanced and very engaging.”
    • “The game needs a lot of polish when it comes to gameplay, including improving tracking animals, how fast the animals grow, and how long they stay alive for.”
    • “There are deep and infuriating flaws and bugs with essential hunting game mechanics including vanishing blood trails, vanishing animals, insane spooking sensitivity even on low difficulty, implausible damage responses, vanishing equipment, no rustling when the player brushes vegetation, stuttering and performance issues, occasional crashes, etc.”
    • “The gameplay is slow, but it's meant to be and you feel that; you appreciate that slow approach because that's what the game wants.”
  • stability137 mentions

    The stability of the game has received mixed reviews, with many players reporting significant bugs and glitches, particularly in multiplayer mode, which can hinder gameplay. While some users have experienced minimal issues and praise the game's performance, others describe it as a "buggy mess" with frequent crashes, graphical glitches, and unresponsive controls. Overall, the game appears to need further updates and fixes to improve its stability and user experience.

    • “32 hours of play time and no glitches seen so far.”
    • “This game is remarkably stable, fun, and relatively bug free for a day one release, and has no smaller selection of guns than CotW did when it first released.”
    • “The game runs great.”
    • “Unfortunately, when it first released, it was buggy and hard to play.”
    • “Currently, this game is a buggy disaster.”
    • “Many bugs and glitches that make it hard to play and unsatisfying.”
  • optimization137 mentions

    The game's optimization has received significant criticism, with many players reporting poor performance, frequent stuttering, and various bugs that detract from the overall experience. While some users have noted that the game can run well on high-end rigs, others have struggled with frame drops and graphical issues, indicating that optimization efforts are still needed. Overall, the consensus suggests that while the game has potential, it requires substantial improvements in performance and stability to meet player expectations.

    • “Despite all of this, performance is also pretty great but does have some drops at times; with how huge these maps are, I guess this can be forgiven.”
    • “The game is well optimized; with a mid-high spec PC from 4 years ago, I can play on 1440p maxed settings while still maintaining ~50-60 fps. The graphics are also impressive with huge draw distances.”
    • “There's some optimization issues and bugs, of course, but nothing that has kept me from really enjoying the game, and the devs are making steady progress on that stuff.”
    • “The graphics are blurry, performance is bad, and I also encountered several really annoying bugs in a short time (fell through the map 3 times, once my car vanished while driving..., stutter for several seconds without any high load on CPU or GPU).”
    • “The devs unfortunately haven't been able to configure the game in a way that when there is a lot of data and memory floating around, the game doesn't get stuttering, and it impacts the experience massively.”
    • “Performance is very poor and desperately needs optimization.”
  • grinding46 mentions

    Reviews indicate that the game features a significant amount of grinding, with many players expressing frustration over the tediousness of tracking and unlocking new areas or items. While some find the grinding less intense compared to other titles like "Call of the Wild," others still feel it detracts from the overall experience, suggesting that players may need to invest considerable time to progress. However, a few users appreciate the balance between realism and grind, noting that it can be enjoyable for those seeking a more authentic hunting experience.

    • “Amazing game, highly recommendable, and did I mention it is not grindy at all?!!”
    • “Depends on how much you like grinding.”
    • “You'll need a second life for grinding.”
    • “This game is way too grindy.”
    • “No option to rebind keys, very grindy to unlock new hunting locations and very little explanations on how things work.”
    • “The missions can be tedious, but the story is interesting and many of the missions are enjoyable.”
  • atmosphere33 mentions

    The atmosphere of the game is widely praised for its relaxing and immersive qualities, featuring stunning graphics, realistic landscapes, and dynamic weather that enhance the overall experience. Players appreciate the detailed sound design, including natural ambient noises and animal behaviors, which contribute to a captivating and tranquil environment. While some minor graphical issues were noted, the overall atmosphere is considered one of the game's strongest aspects, making it a standout choice for those seeking an atmospheric hunting experience.

    • “Gorgeous, peaceful, relaxing atmosphere.”
    • “Its realistic graphics showcase diverse landscapes and dynamic weather, creating a captivating atmosphere.”
    • “The atmosphere alone is enough to get lost in; the realistic audio that isn't super repetitive and annoyingly loud, combined with amazing lighting, creates an immersive experience.”
    • “The accurate sounds from the animals and the eerie atmosphere in forests and such.”
    • “The atmosphere alone is enough to get lost in; the realistic audio that isn't super repetitive and annoyingly loud, like in other games. The lighting is amazing too... I hung out in a lightning storm in the swamp just to watch the lightning dance in the sky along with how it lit up the landscape!”
    • “It is more realistic than other games, but the atmosphere and graphics style in those games just feel better for some reason.”
  • humor22 mentions

    The humor in the game is largely derived from its numerous bugs and glitches, which players find amusing despite their frustration. Many reviews highlight the comedic aspects of vehicle physics, character animations, and unexpected animal behaviors, making the game entertaining in a chaotic way. However, the humor often stems from the game's lack of polish, leading to a mixed reception where players appreciate the laughs but also express disappointment over its technical shortcomings.

    • “Great game! I've been playing multiplayer with a friend, and the bugs that do happen just make it funny. It could be better, but honestly, it works for what it is (if you get it on sale).”
    • “Tracking is hilarious; you can chase them around in a car and be 1000% more effective than trying to sneak up on animals.”
    • “I find it funny that going to work every day, I see more wildlife in real life than in a hunting game, and I live in an urban area!”
    • “Please get it right, this is not funny anymore.”
    • “There is so much fine-tuning that needs to be done to this game, it's not funny. It really should have an early access warning. I don't know if they consider it to be or not, but it is at least as bad.”
  • monetization17 mentions

    The monetization strategy of the game has received mixed reviews, with some players criticizing the developers for releasing numerous DLCs that feel more like cash grabs than meaningful content improvements. While the base game is considered worth the purchase, concerns have been raised about the potential for excessive monetization practices, particularly regarding the inclusion of gun packs that should be part of a season pass. However, the absence of microtransactions has been positively noted, enhancing the overall experience for some players.

    • “The developers need to choose a monetization strategy that enhances the player experience.”
    • “Pay close attention to the monetization plans of this game; they are well thought out.”
    • “No microtransactions! This is a refreshing approach to monetization.”
    • “I would still say the base game is worth the buy, but the developers seem to be farming dollars with meaningless DLCs that are more product advertisements for their sponsors than any sort of improvement to the game.”
    • “The gun pack is a bit of a cash grab and feels a bit dirty considering it should be part of the season pass system if they are going to continue that monetization system.”
    • “Cotw improved both graphics and gameplay offering grind instead of pay-to-play, but it quickly devolved into copy-paste DLC which is just as bad, as the bugs weren't being sorted out in favor of DLC cash grabs which I also loathe.”
  • music17 mentions

    The music in the game has received mixed reviews, with many praising the soundtrack for its quality and atmosphere, particularly the electric guitar parts and the enjoyable radio stations while driving. However, some players found the music overly loud and distracting, leading them to turn it off. Overall, the game's sound design, including ambient noises and music, contributes positively to the hunting experience, though there are suggestions for improvement in sound tracking visuals.

    • “The menu music alone is a good enough reason to purchase this game; seriously, whoever recorded the electric guitar parts did an amazing job.”
    • “A great environment, lovely soundtrack, and atmospheric noise along with enjoyable gameplay.”
    • “Music selection in the vehicles is fun, and the newest map has been spectacular, with beautiful scenery and an abundance of game throughout.”
    • “Turned off the overly loud music.”
    • “You might as well be playing music on your phone through a Bluetooth speaker, as loud as it can get, or bombing through the trees at mach speed in a 95 Chevy Silverado with a 350 and 2.5 inch exhaust with no mufflers or cats.”
    • “Oh, and the radio in the car doesn't work, and apparently it's a sin in the community to ask for it to work and play the game's soundtrack, which the character is listening to in the beginning on the radio, while the yellow and blue cars specifically advertise the damn thing on the radio.”
  • emotional12 mentions

    The emotional aspect of the game is highlighted by its immersive storytelling and realistic animal interactions, which evoke genuine feelings without resorting to melodrama. However, some players find character dialogues lacking authenticity, detracting from the emotional engagement. Overall, while the game has potential for emotional depth, it requires some refinement in mechanics to enhance the experience.

    • “It's a touching story, without being cheesy or a sobfest, and still focuses on the core gameplay.”
    • “This question alone makes the hunt much more emotional; you're not just shooting the first or best thing you see because these factors are in play.”
    • “Animal hit marking is pretty good and doesn't feel 'game-y' at all, being visually and emotionally engaging... it is quite realistic in its portrayal.”
  • replayability7 mentions

    Users express mixed feelings about the game's replayability. While some appreciate features like bullet trajectory tracking and improved multiplayer functionality, they feel that limitations in replaying shots and the lack of co-op mode hinder the overall experience. However, the potential for new maps could enhance replayability in the future.

    • “If they keep the maps coming, I can see the replayability being very high.”
    • “🔲 Infinitely replayable.”
    • “They fixed the issue with claiming animals in multiplayer, so now it is way more playable.”
    • “This kills the replayability of the game; and I'm not even talking about starting a new game.”
    • “Multiplayer is broken and doesn't have co-op; you can only hunt with your friends, which is in a significantly more playable state.”
    • “Tracking bullet trajectory is a good feature, but it should make the entire path of the shot replayable from the moment it leaves the gun to the animal, not just a few feet around.”
  • character development1 mentions

    Reviews indicate that while the game's visuals are impressive, the character design falls short, leading to a disconnect in character development quality.

    • “Character design is pretty poor compared to the visuals in this game; it's quite strange.”
    • “The character development feels shallow and lacks depth, making it hard to connect with the characters.”
    • “There are limited options for character growth, which makes the experience feel stagnant and unengaging.”
Positive mentions (%)Positive
Neutral mentions (%)Neutral
Negative mentions (%)Negative

Critic Reviews

67% average critic score

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Play time

19hMedian play time
81hAverage play time
5-80hSpent by most gamers
*Based on 62 analyzed playthroughs

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