Reptiles: In Hunt

There are very few things that can literally disappear off the face of the earth and still remain relevant. Hell, the Dodo was only confirmed extinct relatively recently and not a soul ever talks about that. Yet despite this, Dinosaurs remain relevant in the cultural zeitgeist even though they’ve been gone for thousands of years. We remain infatuated by these truly fearsome creatures and within the context of gaming, we have been waiting years for another Jurassic themed game to steal our hearts. Well, enter Reptiles: In Hunt.

This game plays like games such as Conan Exile] or The Last of Us in terms of the survival aspects within the game. However, the game plays much more like a hack and slash game such as Devil May Cry, Bayonetta, Onimusha or NieR: Automata. This game aims to fill the dino shaped void within the gaming industry. However, is this game a roaring success or would this game be better off extinct too? We find out in our preview of Reptiles: In Hunt.

Fossil Fuelled Fun

Firstly, lets talk about how this game looks. The player will be invited to explore an open world environment which is essentially the remains of an old world city. It’s something that we have seen many times before but this game does a great job of setting itself apart from the rest. The visuals are very realistic and striking with some of the most beautiful lighting that you are likely to see this year within gaming. Plus, the world designers have done an excellent job of making this world one that has been adapted to suit these reptilian goliaths rather than just a world claimed by vegetation.

Then moving on to the gameplay. The title manages to combine survival and hack and slash action together rather competenly to provide captivating moments. You can scale these humongous creatures, take them down with ranged attacks, run and hide when the going gets tough or get right in their face and take them down with your trusty machete. The variety of options made available to the player is what makes this game so enjoyable and what will keep players returning day after day for more prehistoric fun.

The game isn’t without its issues though. We have to admit that the game is a little rough around the edges with some assets and models looking out of place against textures that are much better rendered. Plus, with reference to this game’s storyline, it’s very much secondary to the gameplay on offer which is fine but does lead to a rather shallow narrative experience.

The Verdict

Overall, Reptiles: In Hunt looks like the dino-related game that we have all been waiting for, aside from a few flaws that we are willing to overlook. The story is bare bones and the visuals/physics could have been polished a bit more.

Pros:

• Beautiful open world design with great lighting
• Gameplay is fun and varied

Cons:

• Very shallow storyline
• Visuals and physics are rough around the edges at times