After coming upon Hunted around six months ago, I hoped that I would be reviewing a game with oodles of the rich RPG history that Bethesda are renowned for; with a welcome splash of hack and slash fantasy thrown in for good measure.

The scene is initially set by a dream that quickly turns from pleasant fantasy into a demon infested nightmare. Caddoc, a barbarian/fighter/mercenary, is woken by his elvish companion, Elara, and begins to explain the vision when the pair are interrupted by a scantily clad woman who explains her need for help. At this point, although sceptical, the pair embark to the near by town of Dyfed in search of the Lord Mayor and the mysterious woman.

The first thing that hits you when Hunted starts is the graphical representation of the world and the characters within. Given the detail of Oblivion and the upcoming Skyrim its quite disappointing to find Caddoc and Elara trouncing round something that would look at home on the original xbox or PS2 when Bethesda obviously have the ability to do better. 

Textures are pretty poor and characters are fairly standard fair with none of the flair or polish seen in earlier titles by the publisher. Environments are presented as closed off areas split up by large doors or sections that may only be traversed by both characters.  This tends to make exploration critical as theres no chance of collecting some items after passing the point of no return.

Lighting is quite atmospheric and dungeons are gloomy and dark while outdoor environments look bright according to the setting (Dawn, Dusk etc.) Some puzzles in the deeper dungons cannot even be attempted without a torch as its so dark you can’t make out doors or switches.

Combat is also fairly bland with only the special skills or spells for each character available to spice up the action. Compared to action games such as Devil May Cry or Dantes Inferno, the combat is neither exciting nor original. A basic four hit string of attacks is all the characters can manage which also cannot be combo’d or strung into the specials available to the player as they advance. 

Skills and Spells are gained by spending the Crystals collected as loot and earned by dispatching the enemies. Additional attributes are unlocked via collection of certain trinkets or killing enough enemies with a weapon. Weapons can be collected from racks or from more rare and much better hidden weapon cases within the dungeons. Most rarer weapons have special attributes with a number of uses. These attributes increase damage output upon a successful strike although tend to run out fairly quickly. You also spend a lot of time picking up the same weapon or once you have found a secret with fairly good base damage, just defaulting to that until you find a better one.

Gold is earned throughout the campaign but other than collecting it there are no purchasable items. This could have been an opportunity to increase either replayability or the range of weapons available but instead only opens up score tiers which themselves offer no real reward to returning players after the main campaign.

Also, despite the fact that Caddoc’s shield can be destroyed and both Player Characters are underpowered to begin with, Hunted soon becomes very one-sided. In the entire game I only had to revieve my partner once. Even when I tested this by letting her get ambushed by a minotaur; she absorbed every blow in a shield that I can only describe as ‘not fit for purpose’ without taking any damage whatsoever. Were it I taking the beating my shield would have splintered ten times over and I would have been revieved a few times until inevitably, the game stopped giving me chances to return to the fold.

The cooperative nature of the play adds some saving grace to the premise. Even due to all its faults, the game is just better in co-op. Utilising the specific talents and skills to support your partner definitely adds to the sense of achievement after each battle. Is unfortunate though that the skills available for the characters do not suit the style in which you are meant to play them. Hanging back until Elara picks off the archers often leads to you having little shield left and half a life bar while belting in to provide massive damage usually end up with you killing all at the cost of a potion or two. 

Pros

Coop Play is Fun
Good Story/Premise
Some fairly interesting puzzles

Cons

Poor Graphics
Lazy Combat and Controls
Very Repetative

Final Verdict

Hunted sets out with a lot to make up for as the poor graphics and limited combat options quickly push players to wish they had simply bought something else. For players who decide to stick it out, an interesting story with some well thought out puzzles await a game that is improved drastically by adding a friend either in split screen or network play ove PSN or Live. The idea is solid but poorly executed and given the best examples in the genre, Hunted still has a lot missing.

6/10

Alex