Wow! What a breathtaking surprise this game is!

So, I wanted to wait and play more before reviewing theHunter, but... after 60 hours on this game already, while I barely scratched the surface I realize I could play 1000 hours... and I just might. So might as well tell all the gamers here what I think about theHunter...

...I love it! Who would have thought? I don't care at all for hunting, truthfully I am not even very fond of the idea of creeping and killing an animal, because I mostly enjoy communicating and interacting with animals in general. I don't dislike hunting, I respect it (if well done), I just don't care for it.

So why would I like this game? I had no idea before buying theHunter, I even thought I would not enjoy it, but WOW! This game is amazing! If you hate hunting (ethically), forget about this game. Simple. But all the other gamers, if you are alright with very slick game design, bare bone gameplay, and modern simulation games full of walking and contemplative spirit, you OUGHT to try that game. And listen: you can buy the base game cheap on sale, or even try theHunter classic for free if you are unsure. But if you want to know more:

- Gameplay is ultra simple... and yet hides some complexity the more you play and discover it. You just run, walk, crouch, crawl, and... hunt! A mix of FPS and walking simulator. With animals.

- It is a typically Swedish game design, that is to say very sober, very slick. Clean UI, discreet HUD, basic menus... I love complexity, but I love this too. Very smart, pleasant, relaxing.

- Lots of inventory to enjoy (rifles, ammo types, bows, lures...) and more if you buy the DLCs.

- A big positive that I was almost forgetting: there is no campaign or real narrated storyline like in other FPS or even games in general. BUT there are missions, which is an amazingly well done incentive for you to go on. Of course in the end theHunter just makes you kill 1 deer, then 1 rabbit, then 2 deers, then 1 fox, etc. But to kill the monotony of it, EACH map has a different narrator/interlocutor who gives you some kind of story with dialogues close to a game like Firewatch (talkie-walkie), and then there are several NPCs in your menus different for EACH map, that also give you tasks (exactly like in Tarkov). This feels really fresh, the voice over is really well done, and if you liked that approach in games like Tarkov you will love it here too.

- Now the big point of the game: the level design is just MARVELOUS. This is insane: the two base maps in the game are HUGE, each are the size of Zelda Breath of the Wild's map. You could press W and walk from one edge to the other while sipping a coffee for... an hour in real life? probably more. Insane! And not only are they HUGE, they are also BEAUTIFUL. This is obviously not randomly generated map, this is cautiously crafted maps reminiscent of model maps, with a nature that is so lush and gorgeous, cycles of days and nights, weathers and climates, rain, snow, fog, nature sounds, wind... the immersion is fantastic. If you are a fan of nature like me, if you just love walking in a forest in real life, try playing theHunter, for sure some people might just play this game without even bothering hunting... And guess what? There are 9 OTHER DLC MAPS to buy if you don't have enough! They might even make more in the near future! And EACH map has a unique landscape/vegetation/fauna depending on its location on the globe! OH MY GOD! This literally represents a thousand hours FOR EACH MAP. Please make me immortal right now so I can spend my eternity playing this!

- Sounds are really really good, the music is very rare but orchestral and pretty, nice. The audio immersion is as good as a Elite Dangerous.

- Now picture this: You start from a little outpost, on a map of your choice (could be Russia, Africa, whatever). Let's make it West American valley, in a national park or something wild like that, 5am, rising sunshine. Nobody, you are alone. You walk on a little dirt path, between the trees. You just hear the birds chirping, the sounds of your footsteps on the dead leaves and the grass, a bit of wind in the foliage above your head. The dirt path goes like a snake between little woods here on the left, a hill there on the right, a tiny lake over there a few hundreds meters ahead of you... You walk like that, for maybe 5? 10 minutes... in real life! Are you bored? If yes, refund the game. If not, you walk a bit more, in a forest with more shade, when suddenly, you hear some noise in the leaves and branches far ahead. You stop and crouch. A shout, now: that sounds like a blacktail deer. A male. It's a warning call. You realize the wind is coming behind you, projecting your human smell towards the deer! Bad mistake! After 5 minutes of correcting your path, you hear the deer again. You crouch and crawl between the pines, you take out your goggles, and search for it between the foliage... There! You see 2 female deers and a buck, enjoying a grassy meal in the bushes, in this little clearing! You take out your smaller riffle, yes it is not as powerful as the big one, but it contains a type of ammo you chose at the outpost with a great penetration for that kind of game... You aim in the scope you recently purchased, zoom in, keep your breath, and BAM! Right in the heart! Or was it the left lung? Hard to tell, the buck escaped! You are still a rookie. You stand back up and walk up to the spot, and find... a big pool of blood! You examine it, and realize you hit a vital organ, the loss of blood is quite important! Surely the buck just died not far from here! You look at the footprints in the grass, make sure they are not of the two females that ran the other way, and start following them... to find your first trophy! The buck had average, not too long antlers, so you will only get a bronze medal but still a reward of 850 dollars! How about that!
If this is the kind of immersion you love, do not hesitate, give Expansive World a chance by trying their theHunter license, it is remarkable and I am in love with it! It scratches my need of games like Tarkov, without the multi and stress! A fantastic solo, contemplative experience but full of adrenaline!

Note 1: forget about all the complaints and negative things you can hear or read in review or in forums, that is a lot to do about nothing. Sure the game is not perfect, but that is totally forgivable compared to the unique qualities of that unique game. I mean it!
Note 2: after 50 hours I bought ALL the DLCs (careful: you can not buy bundles after buying the base game... I had to buy all DLCs separately... greedy publisher! Still, I was alright, I did it for the devs). Note that some DLCs are just essential, namely the ATV: buy it NOW if you can, or like me 50 hours after enjoying walking for hours.

Thank you Expansive Worlds for theHunter, I had no idea that kind of game would be such a thrill!