Really not what you'd expect as you slowly dip your feet into the base game's lukewarm waters, with a fair scaling of the difficulty level and increasing difficulty and challenges as you enter the world of hunting as a novice.

Guided by the ever-helpful narrative reserve guides (differs for each reserve), your undertakings and challenges extend well beyond simply shooting animals; there are missions, quests, "requests for help" and some pretty gruesome stuff along the way (I think it was Silver Peaks? And that wasn't the only one - expect the unexpected!) Play solo or join your friends for hours of open world adventure, exploration, startling encounters and frustrating shot evasion (some of those animals came from The Matrix!).

After 330 hours in-game (updated from 234 hours), 73 of 164 achievements, several wrecked ATV's (quad bikes) along with some interesting and sometimes death-defying stunts, I now own all the DLC's (including the latest), and have acquired a new level of patience for torturous game experiences that may actually end up being enjoyable overall.

TL;DR - It's fun, it's insightful, it teaches you a lot about wildlife management, hunting/luring/stalking and tracking techniques, gives you a first-hand ticket to a world that so many people don't give so much as a glance. The ATV (quad bike), bloodhound, tents and tripods DLC's make the absolute biggest difference in gameplay advantage, and multiplayer allows you to play on reserves you don't own (try before you buy). Put this on your wishlist and grab it on sale, or even when you feel like it - a very balanced well made game, yes with a few bugs, but immersive and entertaining, alone or with friends.

P.S. Level up your caller and scent skills/perks, as well as weapon aim stability skills. Also, Google is your friend. Happy hunting. :)

Really not what you'd expect as you slowly dip your feet into the base game's lukewarm waters, with a fair scaling of the difficulty level and increasing difficulty and challenges as you enter the world of hunting as a novice. Guided by the ever-helpful narrative reserve guides (differs for each reserve), your undertakings and challenges extend well beyond simply shooting animals; there are missions, quests, "requests for help" and some pretty gruesome stuff along the way (I think it was Silver Peaks? And that wasn't the only one - expect the unexpected!) Play solo or join your friends for hours of open world adventure, exploration, startling encounters and frustrating shot evasion (some of those animals came from The Matrix!). After 330 hours in-game (updated from 234 hours), 73 of 164 achievements, several wrecked ATV's (quad bikes) along with some interesting and sometimes death-defying stunts, I now own all the DLC's (including the latest), and have acquired a new level of patience for torturous game experiences that may actually end up being enjoyable overall. TL;DR - It's fun, it's insightful, it teaches you a lot about wildlife management, hunting/luring/stalking and tracking techniques, gives you a first-hand ticket to a world that so many people don't give so much as a glance. The ATV (quad bike), bloodhound, tents and tripods DLC's make the absolute biggest difference in gameplay advantage, and multiplayer allows you to play on reserves you don't own (try before you buy). Put this on your wishlist and grab it on sale, or even when you feel like it - a very balanced well made game, yes with a few bugs, but immersive and entertaining, alone or with friends. P.S. Level up your caller and scent skills/perks, as well as weapon aim stability skills. Also, Google is your friend. Happy hunting. :)