TheHunter: Call of the Wild - New England Mountains Review (Snail Rancher)
This is a review of the New England Mountains DLC. It is NOT a review of the game as a whole, a review of DLC that don’t exist (i.e., Australia) and could have been, bugs and other issues that have been addressed, the new weapon customization system, etc.; it is only about NEM and on its own terms.
Much to my surprise, I have been absolutely loving this reserve. It is both extremely beautiful and challenging, and it is easy to forget about time just wandering around and shooting whatever you encounter. Some people have dismissed it as a mash up of Layton Lakes and Hirschfelden because of the environment. While it might look like that superficially, the actual game play is very different, and it has its own ambience.
The animals present are all found on other reserves with the possible exception of the Bobcat (and not the Mexican Bobcat) and the Green-winged teal; the latter also has species-specific decoys that come with the map. Despite this, there are a lot of species to hunt ranging from birds and small game, clear up to Moose. While the animals might be found on other reserves, it doesn’t mean that they are without challenge. For example, the raccoons on NEM are more often out in the open than on Mississippi Acres. Honestly, with the huge variety on offer here in a new environment, there is a lot of fun to be had hunting them, despite none of them being new. (This does beg the question: what could have been added to a reserve placed in New Hampshire? Other than some bird species and possibly squirrels, there is not a lot I can think of.)
The inline muzzle-loader that comes with NEM is great fun, and something I have wanted for a long time thanks to it being used in theHunter Classic. It is a bit disappointing that there is only one skin for it, however, rather than the 3 or so that come with new reserves and weapon packs.
All in all, this has been a fabulous addition to the already numerous reserves we have for theHunter COTW. Yes, I do hope that we get some more exotic locations in the future, with new species, but New England Mountains still is a great contribution to the game and a load of fun to play. It's really excellent and well worth the cost.