Hunting Simulator 2 is the brand new title in NACON and Neopica’s hunting franchise and it brings a lot of new features to the franchise. Their first title was released back in 2017 and fans really liked the game which led to the developers developing the second game in the franchise. Hunting Simulator 2 is the most feature-packed title in the franchise as we find out in this review of the game. This is our review of the PS4 version of the Hunting Simulator 2 in which we grab our hunting gear and hunt some trophies across the plains of Colorado, deserts of Texas, and forests of Europe.
Right after booting Hunting Simulator 2, you are set out in the wild on your very first hunt that serves as your tutorial mission. During this mission, you are thought everything that you need to know about becoming a good hunter. As of now, there is only the singleplayer campaign mode of the game. Being made in Unreal Engine 4, I can certainly say that the game features really good visuals and the engine further enhances the animations of the game. Everything is fluid and you can instantly observe this right from the first moment you step out of your cabin in the woods for your very first hunt.
Your main hub in the game is the Hunting Lodge where you will be spending all of your time when you are not out hunting animals. Hunting Lodge gives you access to all of the features of the game such as the shop, all of your trophies, a detailed wiki, access to your hunting dogs and your locker and loadout area. You can also move around and inspect the beautiful lodge which gets filled with trophies that you decide to keep from your hunts. The shop is the most important place at your Hunting Lodge because it will give you access to more Hunting Licenses and hunting weapons and gear. Each Hunting License that you purchase will only allow you to hunt a specific number of animals before you have to purchase another license to continue hunting that animal.
It also helps if you purchase and keep hunting licenses of different animals found in any particular region because you will find a large variety of animals on your hunting trips. Having the right caliber weapon and hunting license will ensure that you never have to abandon a hunt just because you do not have the right weapon or its license. This is something that is not really easy at the start of the game but as you progress in the game and gather some money, you will have access to nearly everything in the game including the best of the hunting gear. The developer has managed to secure some of the best, authentic hunting weapons and gear and they are painstakingly accurate in the game. You will find premium brands such as Browning, Verney – Carron, Kryptek, SJK, and Berretta in the game.
After completing the tutorial of the game, you are offered a free license of any animal in the game. You have three vast regions with two unique locations in each of these regions to hunt. This makes a total of six different locations where you can find and hunt different animals. The animals are unique to their regions and if you want to hunt particular animals, you will need to head over to their commonly known locations. Each animal follows a particular routine in the game and you will be required to understand them in order to find them and hunt them. Certain animals also come out only at the times during which they have to feed or drink water so you will need to be mindful of the time as well while deciding which animal to hunt in the game,
Your hunting dog plays a vital role in the game as well. It is a brand new mechanic introduced in Hunting Simulator 2 and is one that is extremely useful in the game. The hunting dog will help you track animals, follow blood trails, and point out the directions of animals making it much easier for you to hunt. There are three unique types of dogs that you can purchase in the game. While all three types of dogs can help you track animals, each of them come with their own unique abilities as well such as the Retriever will bring back small animals to you after you shoot them, Pointer will point to the small animals that it find while the hound will bark at predators distracting them in order to give you a chance to shoot them.
I found these hunting dogs extremely useful in the game. To make things even more interesting, you can also bond with your hunting dogs. Praise them and pet them for doing different actions and they will become happier and will be more obedient to your commands. There are three stats that you can work on Stamina, Drive, and Expertise. Expertise will ensure that your dog is more accurate in tracking animals and finds more tracks and clues for you. Stamina ensures that the dog can ensure long while Drive is the dog’s obedience level. Each of these unique elements increases the effectiveness of your hunting dogs. You can even bring them to your hunting lodge. During my playthrough, I mostly used the very first dog, a hound, for hunting and after nearly 3 hunts lasting for around 2 hours each, I have nearly increased half of each of these aspects so bonding with your dog is not really difficult in the game. You just have to treat it in a good manner.
For most of the time in Hunting Simulator 2, you will be busy tracking and finding animals in the hunting reserves. I mostly found animals pretty easily since the dog is extremely useful however when its Expertise is low, it will often lose the scent of the animal or its trail during which you will need to become active yourself. The game shows an icon every time an animal near you makes a sound so you can easily find them on your own as well. You can also find different towers and stands in the wild that give you excellent vantage points for your hunts however you will need to wait there for animals to come near to you. During my hunts, while I found animals all over the map, their ration was somewhat higher near these towers and stands.
While trying to shoot the animals, if you do not have the license for that particular animal or if the animal is female or if you are using a wrong caliber to shoot it, the game will warn you. Ignoring these warnings will make you end up with a hefty fine. You will need to follow these directions and rules of the game. You also have a shooting range at your disposal where you can practice on your aim if you are having trouble shooting in the game. The practice range offers a great space to try out all the weapons in the game and shoot some dummies to practice your aim before you head down shooting some animals in the natural reserves.
To ensure that you are fully prepared for the hunts, you can purchase different hunting accessories from the shop as well. These include wind powders, scent killers, scent lures, and many other useful items. These items will help you attract animals or get more information from them. For example, using a Deer Call will either call a Deer to your location or it will generate a response from the animal which will give you an audio cue about where the animal is located. This will mark it on your screen and you can easily spot the animal or its general direction and head towards it for the kill.
One thing that I found missing and would have loved in the game was the option to save the game during the hunt. It just does not make sense that why do we always have to quit back to the lodge and not resume the hunt straight from a saved location on the map. With a game that demands so much time and patience, a quick save option was extremely necessary in the game which would allow players to continue exploring the map right from the spot where they left it earlier. Your custom markers and any points of interest that you find in the game are all saved but you will always start back at your cabin. Certain POIs in the game will allow you to fast travel to different parts of the map back quickly but having the ability to save at your demand and continue the hunt right from where you leave the game would have been even better.
Vehicles would have made movement in Hunting Simulator much easier as well. Now I am not complaining and it makes sense to move around quietly but sometimes you need to head back to your cabin in order to get some more ammo and if you do not have a tent nearby, you basically have to walk or spring all the way back to your cabin which could take a lot of time. Especially if you have to claim some trophies and cannot just exit to the Hunting Lodge directly. Having some small dirt bikes or ATVs would have been a lot easier for moving around the map since the map sizes are huge in the game.
Overall, I can say that NACON and Neopica have done a really good job on Hunting Simulator 2. It is big and truly captures the hunting experience in its best form in the game. It rewards patience and careful hunting and does not really focus on mindless shooting and running around. You must proceed with each hunt in its own unique fashion and kill it with weapons allowed. Licensing further makes the game feel authentic and the different fines ensure that you are only going for the animals that are allowed for the hunts. This combines with some of the best-designed hunting weapons and gear truly makes it the most authentic hunting experience currently available on PS4. If you want to see the details of the weapons, you can examine them in the shop at your Hunting Lodge and see each and every tiny detail that the developers have put in the game.
Final Verdict:
Hunting Simulator 2 is a real time killer. If you have 4, 5 hours to kill, fire up Hunting Simulator 2 and it will ensure that your spare time just vanishes in the thin air. It is addictive and it looks beautiful as you explore natural reserves finding your next hunt, bonding with your hunting dog and nabbing trophies along the way. The Unreal Engine 4 really brings out the best side of Hunting Simulator 2. I would have loved if the game came with dynamic time and weather however it still looks amazing and the choice of authentic and licensed gear and weapons in the game make it even more realistic. There are a few mechanics that are certainly missing from the game however what it offers is still a brilliant package. If you are a hunting fan or you are just looking for a game that can keep you occupied for hours, Hunting Simulator 2 is your game. It is so far the best hunting game that I have played on the PS4 with its intelligent animal AI, trusty dog companion and brilliant shooting mechanics. Highly recommended!
Final Score: 8.5/10
I have played the game and was not impressed. Some animals take too long to track and if you don’t get a good hit on them they can run for hours. No save in the middle of a hunt was a downer as you have to complete the hunt or abandon it to stop. I also found the lack of animals on the map frustrating. Sometimes you could play for an hour and not see on animal. Was a waste of my money. I prefer Hunter Call of the Wild when it comes time to wasting my time hunting.