Have you ever seen a ghost? What about being asked if you believe in them? What would you say? Some feel that seeing is believing, while some believe in seeing. The paranormal, for many, is something worth believing, as there are more questions than answers about what happens in the afterlife. But let me ask you this: What would you do if you saw the very thing that you have been looking for? Would you believe your eyes, or would you doubt what you saw? But let’s change it around. What if you, yourself, were a ghost? Do you think you would try to haunt those who were looking for you or would not appear if someone was around? As I mentioned, there are more questions than answers that many of us have. But does Iron VR, the developer, allow for those who wish to haunt to be the one who also hunts? Let’s find out with Hunt Together on the Quest 3.
Hunt Together is a multiplayer VR game offering two Player vs Player modes, in which you take on the role of the bold Hunter or the terrifying Ghost. Your task will be to defeat your opponent with the help of numerous skills, items, and usable environmental elements. The arenas of your battles are spooky, chilling locations, such as an abandoned mine, a haunted mansion, or a forgotten orphanage. So before you try hunting for any ghosts or any hunters, there are a few things you need to be aware of. First, you will want to find your favorite place to stand or sit, as you might as well be as comfortable while playing. Second, make sure your controllers and headset are both fully charged. You don’t want to be at that moment when you are about to win only to have everything freeze on you because you forgot to charge, now do you? Third, I am not going to spoil anything for anyone. Sometimes, just being able to experience things is part of the fun. Plus, not all my gameplay footage was recorded. And finally, have some fun. With that said, let’s continue…
The tutorial is the first thing you encounter when you begin playing the game. It may be tempting to get into the action, but because there are two types of characters, you might want to pay attention. But there is something about the atmosphere, before even starting the tutorial, that has this eerie, but fun feeling and look to it. The first part of the tutorial has you playing as the ghost, which, as a ghost, you do have some powers that you can use to your advantage. You are invisible, able to fly freely as you hide, have telekinetic capabilities, possess objects and life essence draining. You have one job: to collect enough life force to try to jump-scare the hunter. You can do this by simply holding both grip buttons together. You do need to be sort of close to the hunter in order for it to work. But as a ghost, your objective is to fill all the obelisks you can with your power so you can catch the hunter. But some of the most fun playing as a ghost is when you can possess objects.
As far as playing as the hunter, your job is to, of course, hunt the ghost(s). To do this, you will need to defeat the evil spirits contained within certain objects and unlock the Spirt Lockbox. Now, there are things the hunger can use in case you come in contact with the ghost(s), such as the Blessed Lantern, which the light will be used to help uncover so said ghost(s). If you hear any ghostly whispers, this means the ghost is near and trying to drain your life essence. There are other things that you can use, such as a Banishing Talisman, that you can use to shoot down the ghost and send it to the exile world. But keep in mind that the Talisman does not last forever and will need to be cooled from time to time. But, by using the Talisman and for a successful banishment, you can earn experience points and gold. Even if your job is to hunt and banish the ghosts, there is more for the hunter to do. Each map, in a yellow zone, will consist of scattered tasks. Complete the tasks and you will receive a random tool that can help detect and combat the ghost(s). These zones must be entered to highlight the details of the task and complete it.
Once you have an idea of what each role plays, the real fun comes in the form of multiplayer. Don’t worry if you think you may not have a hang of it right away, as other players will surely help you. But you can’t just join the game, you have to look the part for the game. This is where you get to select what you will look like. Don’t worry if that first view of yourself in the mirror startles you, I am sure other players have seen much worse. So have some fun with it.
Once I joined an online session, the connection was seamless, and there were some players already in. I felt it was better to follow them than go on my own. You know, us ghosts need to stick together if we are ever going to take down those hunters. But as I joined, that’s when we saw, that Hunter, who after the friendly and quick meet, silenced us and sent us to where it is we came from only to have to find our way back. But I knew this game of Ghost and Hunter would not be the last and I still had a lot to learn.
Let’s talk about the graphics and sound. When playing the game, there were several things I was looking such as the atmosphere, the other players, lighting, etc., There is that eerie atmosphere within the different environments that some may wish to have more detail when needed. But when you think about it, you are either being hunted or doing the hunting. Things are moving at a quick speed and you may not have all the time to view everything. The lighting helps with the darker situations and adds to it all. What adds to the eeriness if you are a hunter is being able to use your Blessed Lantern because it doesn’t light up the entire area, which makes when those who are playing as the ghost, to make it scarier than those who are hunters. And those that are the ghost, can possess items and wait for that moment when you can scare the hunters, which adds to the fun of it all.
The sound effects in Hunt Together do a great job of building tension. The eerie sound effects, such as creaking floorboards, distant moans, and unexplained noises, keep you on edge as you hunt or hide. From the subtle sound effects of creaks and inexplicable noises, you’ll be in suspense, anticipating a potential scare. Music also plays a part here. If you’re a hunter with a ballerina music box, be attentive to it. If someone or something gets too close, the music will begin. It’s an excellent method to further immerse yourself in the VR experience.
There are a few things I would love to see. First, more choices of character designs for players. There are some fun ones to select from, but it would be pretty fun if we could have even more choices. Second, more environments were added to the game. Right now, there are just a few with a recent lavatory one added. It would be fun to have one of a haunted hospital for example. Finally, additional modes to select from. Maybe like a freeze tag or lose a body part if you get touched.
Hunt Together enables us to not only hunt together but also collaborate, enjoy the objectives, and have a great time together. It allows us to help each other out for the common goal. Sometimes in life, we try to do things our way and may not be as open to hearing the suggestions of others, which will be the easier way of doing things. If we all make an effort to be more open-minded and collaborative, the world has the potential to become a significantly better place.
Hunt Together is out now for the Quest 2, 3, & Pro on the Meta Store and also on Steam VR. A review code was provided.
To learn more about Iron VR, please visit their site, like them on Facebook, and follow them on Twitter.
In case you missed the trailer, please enjoy. Until next time, I have some items to possess while I wait for the right opportunity to scare.
