Considering its proliferation of stationary shooters, it’s no great leap for Glu to enter the hunting arena. iOS makes a great platform for the genre, and with Deer Hunter Reloaded the publisher makes a suitable marriage between social-gaming conventions and a trip to the virtual outback.
Considering its proliferation of stationary shooters, it’s no great leap for Glu to enter the hunting arena. iOS makes a great platform for the genre, and with Deer Hunter Reloaded the publisher makes a suitable marriage between social-gaming conventions and a trip to the virtual outback.
Tossing aside preliminaries such character customization, Deer Hunter Reloaded quickly puts a rifle in your hands and throws you into the basics. A quick tutorial will familiarize you with the game’s controls, shopping layout, and mission structure, and overall, Deer Hunter Reloaded is a very straightforward experience to ease into.
Controls for the game make sense and work well. You’ll aim by simply swiping the touch screen, a zoom button is located on the left side of the screen, and your fire button is on the right side. There’s also an infrared option to help you in pinpointing vitals of your prey, though it’s an addition to your arsenal that you’ll need to replenish with in-game currency.
The scope of the hunt varies substantially, pitting you against everything from caribou and deer to bears and leopards. The shooting feels fun and accurate, and it’s very satisfying to 100 percent missions using your own skill with arms.
The game does get a bit graphic, however, utilizing slow-motion techniques to animate bullet sequences landing on their target. It’s sure to offend some folks, so if you’re not a hunting fan, Deer Hunter Reloaded definitely isn’t the game for you.
Missions are nice and bite-sized, and there is a seemingly endless supply to choose from. Like many social games, Deer Hunter Reloaded uses an energy system that is increased as you level up your hunter. You’ll earn cash and experience from missions, and missions can be replayed for lesser cash rewards.
However, items that are used to aid damage and/or accuracy can only be purchased with the game’s gold bars. This is where Glu peddles their obligatory in-app purchases (IAP), and – no big surprise – the prices are ridiculous. Luckily, most of the guns and other gear can be purchased with game cash, and the grind doesn’t seem overly burdensome.
Visually, Deer Hunter Reloaded is quite an attractive production, though the framerate is sure to stutter a bit on older devices. The environments are detailed and varied, and the animals animate and react realistically. The aural presentation sits nicely alongside the graphics, with fitting music and ambient noises.
Though folks using older iOS devices may occasionally become frustrated missing a target due to a choppy framerate, Deer Hunter Reloaded is perhaps Glu’s most successful attempt at freemium. The IAP is still obnoxiously expensive, but the social-gaming-play structure allows players to get their fill without breaking the bank. If you’re itching for a little hunting without getting your shoes muddy, Deer Hunter Reloaded is a respectable option.
