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For long-time veterans of theHunter: Call of the Wild, the release of Askiy Ridge feels less like a new DLC and more like a redemption arc. After a series of maps that, while not without their charms, arguably deviated from the core experience that garnered the game its immense popularity, such as with Salzwiesen Park's smaller scale and limited animal roster often cited as a "lackluster effort" and Mississippi Acres marking a perceived decline – Askiy Ridge boldly steps forward to reignite the passion that might have waned, that which provoked players to uninstall the game to make space for something else. It’s a resounding "we hear you" from the developers, and the result is magnificent.
To begin, from the moment you set foot in Askiy Ridge, the map's visual prowess is undeniable. It evokes the same sense of awe and expansive beauty that made Yukon Valley such a beloved staple, a map that I had long considered the pinnacle of the game's greatness. The graphics are simply stunning, with incredible attention to detail in the flora and geological formations. Imagine the classic theHunter feel: vast expanses of open plains stretching to the horizon, offering an exhilarating sense of freedom and long-range hunting opportunities yet nonetheless dealing with the darkness and mystery of boundless expanses while hearing wolves in the distance. These plains then seamlessly transition into dense forests, reminiscent of the immersive, challenging terrain found in Medved-Taiga. This blend ensures that whether you prefer stalking through thick woods or glassing across open fields, or just putting up a tripod and waiting for birds to swoop down into a lake, Askiy Ridge caters to all such hunting preferences.
Second, a glowing quality of Askiy Ridge is the authenticity it represents of the Albertan landscape and wintry climate. This isn't just another cold, snowy map; in fact, it's more nuanced. It avoids the monotonous tundra aesthetic, instead presenting a diverse and captivating landscape. Cold lakes glisten under expansive skies, decorated with the Aurora Borealis it seems, providing beautiful backdrops and unique hunting scenarios. The varied terrain, from snow-capped peaks to rolling foothills, creates a rich tapestry of biomes that truly feels alive. This diversity is crucial, offering a dynamic environment that constantly challenges your senses and adapts your strategies.
Third, and perhaps most important to a buyer's decision are the number of and appeal of animals featured on a map. Askiy Ridge brings back the sense of "greatness," through its impressive and diverse animal population. The map boasts a robust roster of 19 species, including some exciting new additions and welcome returns. Players can look forward to tracking the elusive Woodland Caribou, a truly iconic Canadian animal, and the formidable Wood Bison, which promises thrilling encounters that will justify usage of the most powerful and fun weapons the game offers. Other notable inhabitants include the impressive Manitoban Elk, North American Beaver (with their active dams being a unique environmental feature that serve as its own mission on this DLC), and a variety of waterfowl like Snow Geese, Northern Pintails, and Wood Ducks, each of which come with their own unique callers that are richly painted and meticulously designed. Alongside these, you'll find familiar but undoubtedly more appealing game like Moose, Black Bear, Gray Wolf, Bighorn Sheep, Mule Deer, and Whitetail Deer, ensuring a comprehensive hunting experience that appeals to all preferences. This mix of big game, predators, and diverse smaller species ensures that every outing in Askiy Ridge offers something new and exciting.
Lastly, this DLC produces a formidable number of missions that test any players' ability regardless of skill or experience. There are 13 new missions which delve into the local Albertan culture and even hint at a secretive Sasquatch storyline, adding layers of narrative depth that some recent maps have certainly lacked. The new .30-30 Laperrière Outrider rifle, a lever-action suited for medium to small game, adds a practical and satisfying new tool to your arsenal, and it truly is a welcome treat. Also, what's great is this weapon is essentially handed to you in the nascent stages of exploring the map.
In conclusion, Askiy Ridge is a triumph for theHunter: Call of the Wild and it should attract anyone who had become disenchanted with the franchise, after a handful of disappointing DLC's. It’s really not just a beautiful map capturing the graphical greatness of the game; it’s a commitment to its roots, delivering the expansive, visually stunning, and richly diverse hunting experience that originally captivated its audience. If you’ve felt your interest in theHunter: Call of the Wild waning, put your faith in Askiy Ridge, because in my opinion it will undoubtedly reignite your passion for the hunt.

Very Nice big hunting Preserve with Realistic Snow and nice woodland you also get an extra rifle with this DLC map.
There is 7 bird species and 12 mammal species in the reserve, 19 total. 8 of the animals are unique for this map. These include the North American Beaver, Wood Bison, Manitoban Elk, Dusky Grouse, Northern Pintail, Wood Duck, Snow Goose and Woodland Caribou.
The returning animals include Moose, Black Bear, Gray Wolf, Bighorn Sheep, Mule Deer, Whitetail Deer, Mountain Goat, Pronghorn, Canada Goose, Mallard and the Ring-Necked Pheasant..
---{ Graphics }---
☐ You forget what reality is
☑ Beautiful
☐ Good
☐ Decent
☐ Bad
☐ Don‘t look too long at it
☐ MS-DOS
---{ Gameplay }---
☑ Very good
☐ Good
☐ It's just gameplay
☐ Mehh
☐ Watch paint dry instead
☐ Just don't
---{ Audio }---
☐ Eargasm
☑ Very good
☐ Good
☐ Not too bad
☐ Bad
☐ I'm now deaf
---{ Audience }---
☐ Kids
☑ Teens
☑ Adults
☑ Grandma
---{ PC Requirements }---
☐ Check if you can run paint
☐ Potato
☑ Decent
☐ Fast
☐ Rich boi
☐ Ask NASA if they have a spare computer
---{ Game Size }---
☐ Floppy Disk
☐ Old Fashioned
☑ Workable
☐ Big
☐ Will eat 15% of your 1TB hard drive
☐ You will want an entire hard drive to hold it
☐ You will need to invest in a black hole to hold all the data
---{ Difficulty }---
☐ Just press 'W'
☐ Easy
☑ Easy to learn / Hard to master
☐ Significant brain usage
☐ Difficult
☐ Dark Souls
---{ Grind }---
☐ Nothing to grind
☐ Only if u care about leaderboards/ranks
☑ Isn't necessary to progress
☐ Average grind level
☐ Too much grind
☐ You'll need a second life for grinding
---{ Story }---
☐ No Story
☐ Some lore
☑ Average
☐ Good
☐ Lovely
☐ It'll replace your life
---{ Game Time }---
☐ Long enough for a cup of coffee
☐ Short
☐ Average
☑ Long
☐ To infinity and beyond
---{ Price }---
☐ It's free!
☑ Worth the price
☐ If it's on sale
☐ If u have some spare money left
☐ Not recommended
☐ You could also just burn your money
---{ Bugs }---
☐ Never heard of
☑ Minor bugs
☐ Can get annoying
☐ ARK: Survival Evolved
☐ The game itself is a big terrarium for bugs
---{ ? / 10 }---
☐ 1
☐ 2
☐ 3
☐ 4
☐ 5
☐ 6
☐ 7
☐ 8
☑ 9
☐ 10

Fantastic map design, but poor polishing hurts this DLC quite a lot. Visually it's one of the best looking maps out there. It's a mix between the base game Layton Lake map and Medved Taiga. There are many breathtaking spots to gaze upon. The lookout points offer some of the best views ever made for this game.
The problem is that this map is really scarce in pretty much everything else, from need zones to blinds or actual trails to go from one place to the other efficiently. I feel like they made this DLC map like this on purpose, because it's a trend I've noticed in the recent DLC maps. There's less and less things on them. You need to travel great distances between blinds or outposts, more than most earlier maps. The blinds themselves are not always in the best spots. You will often encounter areas that would appear much more prolific, but without blinds, so you need to use the portable ones you need to buy, if you have any. This all leads me to think that they want to force us to buy the ATV, blinds and caller DLCs more than ever before. This is a big issue with this DLC, as it was with the last big map, Sundarpatan. I really don't like this pattern that I'm seeing.
The solo story is similar to the main intrigue in the great TV series "Yellowstone". Rich people are trying to build a resort and you're trying to find ways to keep them from doing that. Of course, it's not LIKE Yellowstone hehe, but it's a pretty realistic scenario that happened in the past and happens now. I like it. For once, I feel like they truly nailed it in the story. The voice actors who speak to you overinflate the "Canadian-ness" of their accent a little bit too much for my liking and you even get a "eh?" in the introduction, but it's not too stereotypical either. Just a light tongue in cheek kinda thing. I have Métis ancestry and I found the addition of that part of Canadian history really cool. A lot of Canadians should learn about the Métis people and how badly they were treated by their own government. However, I feel like french is a bit overexposed. Of course, I don't have anything against it, but it makes me fear that they are not going to make a Québec DLC because of this, which is a bummer.
The beaver is a pretty sad addition, to be honest, and it's pretty much the only true addition ( as usual, the rest are either copy/pastes of previous maps or reskins with the same AI ). I feel like they're running out of ideas. Personally I find beaver killing even more lame than the addition, and I always judged people who kill beavers in real life severely. It's not even a sport to hunt a beaver. I feel like they're lacking butter for the COTW toast and it's spreading thin now. Maybe it's time to wrap things up and make a sequel, this time with endangered species or even cryptids?
With all due respect to Albertans, I feel like they could've made a DLC in other Canadian provinces. British Columbia has some really great scenery and a great array of wild animals. I don't understand why it's so neglected by the devs. Québec ( Gaspésie or Northern Québec would be sweet ) could've been great too, with power line areas offering wide open ranges as well as educational content on hydro power for the missions, a bit of history on the colonization of the country, etc.. They could've made a replica of l'Île d'Anticosti, which is one of the most prized hunting locations in North America in real life.
What ultimately makes me give the DLC a thumbs down is the current state of the AI for the animals. It's bad. Wolves will surround you and attack you, but their behavior is absolutely abnormal. You can shoot many of them point blank and the others just stay there and are animation locked to attack you still. If you shoot one wolf in real life in a similar situation, you are guaranteed that the rest of the pack will run away. This leads to farming wolves very easily for money and experience points. I don't like it.
Another issue I personally had is that I found a whole herd of different animals ( a deer, elks, etc. ) on the spot in which I had to deal with a beaver dam in the solo missions. They just stood there even if I was very close, as if I hacked the game like they do in multiplayer ( a real plague this is ) and put them there... But I am no hacker and this was in solo gameplay... This DLC needs work, and for the price right now, it's not worth it. I suggest letting it cook a few months. Until they fix their stuff I'm going to give this a red thumb.