Of all the hunting games available on the market, Expansive Worlds’ theHunter: Call of the Wild is by far the best. There are many reasons, from its varied range of animals you can hunt, to its beautiful environments, and since launch it’s only got better and better thanks to a mix of paid and free DLC and updates. And some six years after the game’s launch that support is still going, with the latest expansion allowing players to visit Australia’s Emerald Coast.
Like other regions released for theHunter post-launch, the Emerald Coast can be added to the locations for you to visit for a very reasonable price – just £5.59 on PC, and £6.49 on consoles. For that, you get many additional hours of gameplay. Just how much depends on how involved you want to get.
Visit the Emerald Coast, and you can choose to take part in a range of story and side missions if you wish, giving context to your hunting. Do so, and you’ll find yourself helping to protect the area’s ecosystem by hunting animals such as Kangaroos that are over-grazing, and also eradicate feral animals that are simply dangerous. Following these missions is perhaps the best way for newcomers to get to grips with the game’s systems if they’re new to theHunter, or if they just need a refresh after being absent from it for so long.
Take a punt on theHunter: Call of the Wild, and you’ll find that it’s a serious hunting game, requiring patience and persistence if you want to succeed. You get to explore a range of picturesque environments, mainly on foot but some vehicles are available as well, following trails and attempting to spot targets before lining up and taking your shot with a range of guns. All the while, however, you need to make sure you’re adhering to rules and regulations, and you also need to pay attention to little things like direction of the wind so that your target doesn’t get spooked.
There are some neat features here though that also make this perhaps the most accessible hunting game. Investigate footprints or a patch of blood, for example, and you’re given a cone indicating the direction of travel of your target. helping you keep on the right path. Though don’t think it makes the game a breeze: there’s still plenty of tracking to be done. It just takes a little bit of the stress out of it.
Jump into the Emerald Coast DLC for theHunter: Call of the wild – which you can do without even making a dent in the game’s main campaign, might we add – and you can explore the outback, which encompasses bushlands, rainforests and more. And in addition to adding Eastern Gray Kangaroo for you to hunt, as we mentioned earlier, there’s also the Magpie Goose, Saltwater Crocodile, and other many other new animals added into the mix. Get started with the new Zagan Varminter .22-250 Bolt-Action Rifle, and after you’ve earned some money, expand and improve your arsenal with a range of alternatives.
Hunting games understandably aren’t for all, but if you’re on the market for one, theHunter: Call of the Wild comes highly recommended. And if you are an existing player wanting to add more content to the game or seeking a reason to return, the Emerald Coast DLC is definitely worth investing in. The core gameplay remains the same, sure, but new challenges await, as well as some beautiful new scenery.
theHunter: Call of the Wild is available on PS4, Xbox One and PC. Read our review.
