Hunter Hunted (game)
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''Hunter Hunted'' is a side-scrolling
action Action may refer to: * Action (narrative), a literary mode * Action fiction, a type of genre fiction * Action game, a genre of video game Film * Action film, a genre of film * ''Action'' (1921 film), a film by John Ford * ''Action'' (1980 fil ...
computer game Video games, also known as computer games, are electronic games that involves interaction with a user interface or input device such as a joystick, game controller, controller, computer keyboard, keyboard, or motion sensing device to gener ...
developed by K.A.A. (label of
Dynamix Dynamix, Inc. was an American developer of video games from 1984 to 2001, best known for the flight simulator ''Red Baron'', the puzzle game '' The Incredible Machine'', the '' Front Page Sports'' series, ''Betrayal at Krondor,'' and the online ...
) and published by
Sierra On-Line Sierra Entertainment, Inc. (formerly On-Line Systems and Sierra On-Line, Inc.) was an American video game developer and publisher founded in 1979 by Ken and Roberta Williams. The company is known for pioneering the graphic adventure game genre, ...
on November 8, 1996. The player controls a humanoid creature (either a muscular human called Jake or a minotaur-like creature named Garathe Den) who fights enemies, completes objectives, and tries to find the hidden exit in each level. Of the two, Garathe possesses superior strength and stamina, while Jake can take advantage of more sophisticated weaponry.


Story

The game is set in 2015, years after Earth is invaded by a race of technologically superior alien warriors known as the Masters. Following the rapid invasion of Earth by the alien race, the vast majority of humanity is exterminated, and the few survivors are enslaved and forced to fight in the ruins of Earth's cities for the entertainment of the Masters. A fictional planet Kullrathe is also invaded by the Masters, and its
Minotaur In Greek mythology, the Minotaur ( , ;. grc, ; in Latin as ''Minotaurus'' ) is a mythical creature portrayed during classical antiquity with the head and tail of a bull and the body of a man or, as described by Roman poet Ovid, a being "pa ...
-like inhabitants there are herded into concentration camps, then also forced to play the "Hunter Hunted" game for the entertainment of the aliens. Scattered deep in the battle arenas are car parts which the game's two protagonists, Jake and Garathe Den, try to salvage, in order to construct a working vehicle and escape the Masters. The nature of Garathe and Jake's relationship is unclear in the game, as in some of the game's videos it appears that Garathe is hunting Jake down, and yet they appear to escape together in the hover car when all the car parts are found. The story of ''Hunter-Hunted'' was tied into the Metaltech: Earthsiege universe as a prequel of sorts. While ''Hunter-Hunted'' and the first two ''Earthsiege'' games make little or no reference to each other, the storyline for ''
Starsiege ''Starsiege'' is a mecha-style vehicle simulation game developed by Dynamix and released in 1999. ''Starsiege'' is set in the Metaltech/ Earthsiege universe, which contains its predecessors '' Earthsiege'' (1994), '' Battledrome'' (1994), and ' ...
'' retroactively makes ''Hunter-Hunted'' a major part of the backstory. While most of the reference to story based on ''Hunter-Hunted'' is just found in the printed companion materials, several game characters reference the religious figure "Jake Hunter", who (according to followers) saved humanity from a race of aliens.


Gameplay

The game can be played by either one or two players: it has 65 single-player missions and 35 multiplayer missions (20 head-to-head missions and 15 cooperative missions). An optional add-on provides 15 new single-player missions, two new head-to-head missions, and three more cooperative missions. In total, there are 120 missions in the game. The missions can be completed in any order, the traditional ascending one just takes fewer clicks to go. Also, the first few missions are tutorials that provide some tips. Missions fall into two major groups: "Hunter" and "Hunted". "Hunter" missions feature slaying numerous monsters with good amount of ammunition, while "Hunted" ones emphasize staying alive with limited resources while facing dangers like numerous obstacles or AI hunters. Like many side-scrolling games of the time, most levels consist of several parallel planes that the
player character A player character (also known as a playable character or PC) is a fictional character in a video game or tabletop role-playing game whose actions are controlled by a player rather than the rules of the game. The characters that are not control ...
can move between. The player character can move between rooms through doors or windows. Player characters can press against walls to avoid incoming projectiles, just like in
Blackthorne ''Blackthorne'' (released as ''Blackhawk'' in some European countries) is a cinematic platform game developed by Blizzard Entertainment. It was released for the Super NES and MS-DOS in 1994. The cover art for the SNES version was drawn by Jim Le ...
. AI-controlled human and minotaur opponents can do the same.


Reception

The game was met with moderately positive reviews. Chris Hudak of ''
GameSpot ''GameSpot'' is an American video gaming website that provides news, reviews, previews, downloads, and other information on video games. The site was launched on May 1, 1996, created by Pete Deemer, Vince Broady and Jon Epstein. In addition ...
'' praised the ability to move between multiple planes, the sound effects, and the soundtrack. He found that the game did not quite revolutionize the sidescrolling shooter genre but was "a level-hopping step in the right direction." A '' Next Generation'' critic called it "a strong showing in the world of side-scrolling platform shooters", citing the level designs, the native support for cutting-edge gamepads, and the replayability offered by the multiplayer mode. However, he warned that the controls are "a bit sticky" and do not offer the level of control typical of console games in the same genre.


See also

*'' CyberGladiators'', the other game by K.A.A.


References


External links

*
Gameplay demonstration
on YouTube {{Dynamix 1996 video games Action games Sierra Entertainment games Windows games Windows-only games Video games set in 2015 Multiplayer and single-player video games Video games developed in the United States