Mistfall Hunter Review: Bring Your Friends | The Gamerheads Podcast

Platform reviewed: PC (Steam)

Also on: Xbox Series X/S

Price: $24.99

I’m not good at extraction shooters. I learned that at PAX West when I played Escape from Tarkov. I never escaped. I never even came close.

Yet, Mistfall Hunter is extremely appealing to me. I really enjoy the game, even though I’m not very good at it. I think a lot of that has to do with the setting. A dark fantasy ARPG is right up my alley. But the storytelling and level design also play a big part in why I’m a fan of Mistfall Hunter.

Mistfall Hunter is an extraction shooter. Sure, it’s set in a fantasy world, but let’s be very clear: If I die at the hands of another player, all the gear I collected is gone. I’m not a competitive player by nature. A few competitive games, like Knockout City, pulled me in, but extraction shooters have never really appealed to me.

Mistfall Hunter is different. While it’s a totally fine game as a single-player experience, my time playing with friends as a squad was a lot more fun. We cheered out loud when we won our first encounter against other players. It was a heart-pounding experience when we saw another group taking on a boss and snuck by them to reach the extraction point. Maybe it was that shared experience that made the game so much more enjoyable.

That’s a possibility. But I also love the story and setting of the game. The character I play is brought back to life by Dew, an immortal who is trying to fix the chaos that has ensued. All the gods have died, and their blood has corrupted the creatures in the arenas I’m battling in. I’m supposed to kill these monsters and bring back their blood, called Gyldenmist, so Dew can use it to lift the shroud that has engulfed the world.

Most people probably don’t play extraction shooters for the story; they play for the thrill of the game. But I rather enjoyed the story and the quests I was sent out to complete. I liked the worldbuilding the game gave me to explore.

I also like how many options there are for character creation. There are six classes to choose from. I tend to play ranged characters, so I started with an archer but fell in love with the sorcerer class. As I leveled up my character, I learned new skills and abilities. Soon, I felt like I had a pretty good build, one that could hold its own against both environmental enemies and other players.

The level design is well done too. I can place markers on my map for areas with a high chance of decent treasure and then plot a course to the extraction site. The extraction feature is pretty funny. I need to grab a bell from a tree, ring it, and then follow a group of butterflies that flutter away. Once I track down where they landed, a bell-like creature emerges. Defeating it gives me another bell to ring, which opens the portal home.

But fighting it also causes a lot of ruckus, giving away my position to any nearby players. I can’t tell you how nerve-racking it is to try to take that bell-creature out before anyone hears my attempt to escape.

There are some village-building aspects too. I unlock a shopkeeper, a blacksmith, a brewmaster, and Pip, who offers daily quests and upgrades to my pouch. This is where the game feels a bit lackluster. All the NPCs are extremely stiff. They feel lifeless, which is weird because the rest of the world feels fantastic.

It’s a bit jarring to return from a run and talk to an emotionless Dew. The only character who shows any real animation is Pip. And because the rest of the NPCs are so stale, Pip feels a bit over the top by comparison.

Another issue I ran into was avoiding attacks. There were a few times when I felt trapped and couldn’t really get out of an area because I was cornered by a boss monster. That may be on me. But the bigger issue came when I felt like I dodged an attack and still got hit. It didn’t happen too often, but it happened enough that I thought it was strange. I don’t know if it was input lag or something else, but it was noticeable.

Final Grade: B+

If you’re a fan of ARPGs and Souls-likes and enjoy some competition in your gaming, then Mistfall Hunter is a game for you. It’s much more fun with friends, so if you can convince two others to pick up the game, you’ll have a much better experience.

Review code provided by Vicariously.