
Unless you get the kill first time, it can sometimes bolt, leaving a trail and then you have to slowly walk up to then wander around the area where you last saw your prey and begin the slow process of finding a blood track to follow so you can finish off your kill. Another example of the monotony of the game is when you get to shoot your prey. You can run, but you have very limited stamina, which to be fair can be increased the more you run. Let’s put it this way, there is no change in speed from walking to crouching. What makes this process so achingly dull is that the walking mechanics are just so so slow. To make matter worse, these trails can fade over time. This process is so dull, even with the help of your best bud beagle it’s tricky to find the very subtle paw prints, blood trail for even animal poo so you can get the hunt started. First you find an animal to track, which can take literal hours of hunting around for the clues and tracks. Unfortunately, it’s the moment to moment gameplay that lets the game down. The hunting mechanics are all there, the weapons are there, beautiful locations to explore and a friendly canine companion to keep you company. Fines are issued if you take too many shots for example, or bizarrely for a game of this nature you get fined if you partake in unethical treatment of animals. You will also need some cash to pay fines. As you can imagine there is a hell of a lot of weapons on offer too, from rifles to shotguns to the trusty bow. The In-game money isn’t just for buying licenses. This loop, in theory at least, should make the player want to go out and hunter bigger and more prize-worthy animals but in reality, its just such a darn slow slog. In order to purchase new licenses, you will need to complete smaller hunts, and sell your ‘trophies’ to make some cash. You need licenses for each of the animals you hunt. To hunt these animals, it’s not simply a case of heading out into the wilderness and unloading a few rounds on an unsuspecting deer. As you would imagine each of these areas, along with their beauty provide different sorts of animals for you to hunt. There are three open-world areas fo you do explore – Colorado, Texas, and Europe – each having two maps to explore. It’s just you, your gun and your trusty companion, and the wide-open countryside at your disposal. You wake up, or in this case, just appear in a cabin with a voice-over telling you what to do. It portrays the sheer boredom of the ‘sport’ within the first five minutes.
HUNTING SIMULATOR 2 PLATFORMS SIMULATOR
Once you have the basics out of the way you’ll soon realise halfway through the tutorial that Hunting Simulator 2 does one thing very accurately. They couldn’t just have had a kennel, could they? These sidekicks are arguably the best part of the game, it’s just a little disturbing that you have to walk over to a skinned animal rug in your super swanky lodge to choose which dog you want to take on each hunt.

There are different breeds, ranging from said beagle to a Labrador or a German Shepard.

The best part is that your beloved companion can be upgraded if you praise the dog during hunts. Hunting Simulator 2 starts off with a tutorial that teaches you the basics and introduces you to your new best friend – A hunting beagle companion who will help you sniff out different wildlife and track them for you. There is tracking your pray, licenses, money, trophies, and more variety of guns than you know what to do with. Shocker! It’s not just about point and shooting your gun however, it’s far more involved than that. Is this the game that could change my mind?Īs you might have guessed from the name, Hunting Simulator 2 is a first-person game that’s all about hunting.

Despite ‘Divisiongate’ (In which I was accused of shooting a harmless Dog while playing The Division) I don’t like the killing of animals at all, even in video games – but here we have Hunting Simulator 2 to test my resolve.
