Africa is the heart of the big game hunting and if you are a hunting game fan, you would love to see a game set in this wild and brutal environment that not only tests the animals but also the hunter. Thanks to Nine Rocks Games and THQ Nordic, you can now jump into the new map DLC Tikamoon Plains for Way of the Hunter which is a huge map based on Africa. This brand-new map brings the thrill of African big game hunting to the game thanks to its accessible hunting controls and authentic mechanics. This is our review of the PC Steam version of Way of the Hunter – Tikamoon Plains in which we try to hunt the Cape Buffalo and instead get trampled.
The main highlights of the new map are obviously the new animals, and I am happy to say that there are plenty to hunt this time around and these are different from the ones found on the previous maps as well. Nearly all of the animals in Tikamoon Plains are found only in Africa such as the Blue and Black Wildebeest, Cape Buffalo, Great kudu, Spotted Hyena, and many others. For the time ever, the king of the jungle, the Lion has also arrived in the game, and you can take your new bow to try hunting a lion with it. This time around, the animals are not only cool to look at, but they are equally dangerous to hunt as well. Miss a shot and the animals will ensure that you do not attempt it again. Thanks to the wide-open areas, you can take long shots from a great distance and this time around, you will also find many more packs of animals closer to each other making the hunt a real challenge.
Throughout my playthroughs in the open savannahs, I found at least two herds of animals in close vicinity just like in real Africa. The weather is hot, and it forces animals to stay closer to the water so that is where you will find herds of animals grazing around or the predators lurking around to hunt these animals. Each animal type, however, follows its own unique routine and you have to follow it in order to hunt them down. Each animal type also has specific zones where you will find them in these times. This close proximity really lets you appreciate the advantage of the new bow which is silent and does not spook everything in your current vision with loud noises.
Throughout the map, you will find the iconic Acacia trees with their wide-reaching branches providing shade for the wildlife across the vast open savannahs and the occasional massive Baobab trees with their massive trunks and short branches. Apart from these two, you will also find the Mopane trees which are known for their much shorter heights and dense branches that have leaves for shade and also help in the production of turpentine. The developers have really gone out of their way to place these iconic African trees in the Tikamoon Plains to develop a map that really feels like a piece of Africa. Each part of the map gives a different African vibe ranging from grasslands with plenty of greenery and water areas to the wide, never-ending dunes of the harsh desert to the moderate environments of the open savannahs.
The whole map paints a beautiful picture of different geographical elements of Africa, condensed into a single map and for me, this is the prettiest map in the game as well. The sheer amount of diversity in different regions is insane as you will hunt one animal in thick vegetation and the next animal will lead you to a vast open desert dune where you can see miles without any issues. This makes hunting in this particular area so much easier as well. However, while it may be easier for you to spot the animals, with little shrubs and bushes, the animals can spot you fairly easily as well and if you miss your shot, the African animals will not run away without a fight. There were countless times when I missed a shot on a Cape Bull, and it came back charging and knocked me out.
Way of the Hunter – Tikamoon Plains brings back the thrill of the hunt because in this map, the animals are not the only prey, and you have to watch out for yourself as well. While you will just pass out and wake up back at the lodge without any trouble at all, you still have that threat lingering over your head that while hunting, you can be hunted as well. For hunting animals silently, you have the new bow weapons which might be silent, but they also lack firepower so it is always a bargain that you have to take. Most of the gameplay elements are pretty much the same as you will have to track down animals and hunt them down in order to clear the main story campaign of the game and also go beyond everything else and fill up your brand-new African lodge with taxidermy animals. Apart from the bow, there are different new items such as calls for helping out in the hunt for the new animals.
Coming to the weapons, the new DLC brings the Bow weapon to the game and different variations of it. The Bow certainly is silent and requires a much smaller distance for nabbing a kill but using it means that no other animals in the vicinity are spooked. This gives you a chance of nabbing multiple animals at the same time if you are trying to hunt down different low-quality males in a herd of Wildebeest or the Great kudu. However, you have to be very careful with them because they are not as powerful as that of hunting rifles and the arrows do not travel very far when shot so you will need to think of new creative ways of getting even closer to the animals without spooking them.
Everyone likes hunting animals, and African animals are some of the most dangerous and iconic animals in the world. Way of the Hunter – Tikamoon Plains gives you the opportunity to get close to these animals and hunt them down and have your very own lodge in the heart of the savannah. With plenty of new animals to hunt and tons of beautiful and exotic locations to explore, the Tikamoon Plains is a worthy DLC to arrive in an already amazing hunting game. I would have loved to have the entire Big 5 lineup in the expansion considering the fact that they are the reason why so many people actually visit people Africa to see them, and I find it a missed opportunity. Still, we have the Lion and the Cape Buffalo to hunt down, and I find that a win-win.
Final Verdict:
Tikamoon Plains is so far the best DLC map expansion released for Way of the Hunter because it brings a completely new ecosystem to the game. This Africa-inspired map is nothing like those found in the base game or the previously released Aurora Shores map expansion. With its long-range hunting opportunities and plenty of animals to hunt, the Tikamoon Plains is so far the easiest and the most accessible place to hunt in Way of the Hunter as well. If you have been playing Way of the Hunter and its map expansions, Tikamoon Plains is probably the biggest surprise the developers have released for the game so far. Highly recommended for all players to try it out once and it will get you hooked up easily.
Final Score: 8.5/10
