Virtual Hunter Review: Almost Incredible
I have been wanting a VR hunting simulator since VR first started gaining traction. Playing Cabela games since I was a kid, the gameplay loop of tracking animals in an open world seemed perfectly suited for virtual reality. So when the first Meta Quest hunting game was finally announced, I was stoked.
Can Virtual Hunter deliver the sim experience we crave? Considering it got its start on PCVR, the Meta Quest port has a lot to adapt to standalone VR.
Gameplay & Mechanics
Virtual Hunter’s gameplay loop is exactly what I was looking for. The game has a massive open world with tons of environments. From rocky mountains to open plains to deep gorges with flowing rivers, there’s a little bit of everything. The gameplay loop has players start at their lodge, set out in the open world, and track animals, all in VR. Players have tons of tools at their disposal, including rifles, bows, calls, tree stands, and more.
The simulator part is what truly impresses me. Animals will bleed and leave trails if injured, leave footprints, break branches, and even notice you if the wind is blowing your scent towards them. This level of immersion is exactly what I was looking for and is what will undoubtedly keep me coming back.
What Works?
What Doesn’t?
Visuals & Performance
Unfortunately, this is the one area Virtual Hunter is currently lacking. While the game is definitely playable, it isn’t a completely broken port; it does have some performance issues. While the game shouldn’t outright crash or make you sick, you will notice texture pop-in, LOD issues where textures look lower quality than they should, and some frame rate drops. I’m honestly shocked that the game runs at all on standalone VR, so I’m giving them some leeway here. That being said, Meta Quest 3 performance definitely needs some improvement.
I did not notice these same issues with my time on the PSVR2 version of the game.
The Final Verdict
Even though Virtual Hunter isn’t perfect, I still highly recommend it to anyone looking for a solid VR hunting game. The developers have already promised updates are in the pipeline, so I’m sure the performance will improve long term. The level of immersion and gameplay variety is more than enough to keep you on your VR hunting journey for months to come.
Grab a Discount Before You Buy
If you have the patience for a true simulation, you can grab 10% off your purchase on the Meta Quest store by using code MXR at checkout.
