Reviewing (mostly) every game (or DLC) in my library, part 621:
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️☆ (9/10)
I am very, [i]very[/i] impressed with [i]Hunter: The Reckoning — The Beast of Glenkildove[/i] ([i]“Beast”[/i]). William Brown must have some academic background, because the game is just … quietly confident with its haunting atmosphere, bleak choices, broad freedom, and overall prose. I don’t even know where to start with this review, but I will always endeavor to do my best. Thank you to the staff!
I try to get into the nitty-gritty and summarize the pros and cons of a work in the first part of my reviews. But with [i]Beast[/i], that kind of list almost feels beside the point. My biggest takeaway is the narrative as a whole. Sure, there are things I didn’t love—the frequent hard stat checks, some choices feeling more rigid than they should—but those feel small compared to what the game is doing overall. I wasn’t just making decisions based on strategy or outcomes; I was making them based on what I was willing to believe. And once you commit to a view, it’s hard to shake it, even when the game nudges you otherwise. I found myself reflecting on what type of person [i]I[/i] am. How far can I extend mercy? What is duty compared to safety or freedom? And, honestly, how much of my judgment is shaped by what I’ve already decided to believe? This game highlights the “interactive” portion. You shape the game, and it shapes you.
✅[b] Perspective.[/b] The biggest pro is how the game treats the Beast less like a fixed truth and more like a reflection. It’s basically a mirror: you get back what you bring to it. If you go in thinking the werewolves are just monsters that need to be put down, that’s what they become: violent, irredeemable, something to hunt. But if you’re open to the idea that [i]maybe[/i] there’s still a person in there—someone who can think, speak, maybe even feel—then the game lets that exist too. It ends up feeling less like you’re uncovering what the Beast “really is” and more like you’re deciding what it means. Brown has created an interactive self-fulfilling prophecy. Is the Beast a monster or a man, or both? There’s room to play it cautious, even compassionate … but also to just decide, yeah, no, these are monsters, and I’m putting them down. Neither path feels like the game is correcting you. It just follows your lead, which makes it feel less like a morality test and more like a reflection of your own instincts.
✅[b] Atmosphere.[/b] Other CoG/HG works are mysterious and suspenseful. But [i]Beast[/i] has something the other titles don’t: the feeling of being [i]spooked[/i] and [i]uneasy[/i]. I’ve never been too afraid of werewolves—they’re furry-adjacent, right?—but [i]god[/i], Brown has woven a world that is so grim, so dark and dour. I mean, I knew I was in deep ♥♥♥♥ from the first line: “The moment you set foot on the trail up to the O’Donnell place, you know you are being watched.” This “watched” motif resurfaces in subtle and not-so-subtle ways, creating a lingering unease that never fully lets up. Brown NAILS a feeling of eerie, persistent dread that makes you feel like the monster is always one step behind you, even when nothing is there. Literally, you are both the hunter and hunted. Love that thematic ♥♥♥♥!
✅[b] The setting helps a lot with the tense atmosphere.[/b] I have absolutely no knowledge of Ireland, so I can’t speak to the accuracy, but I adore the ~vibes~ of it all. But the Irish countryside seems to lend itself perfectly to the WoD: long roads, rolling fields, nothing around, and then suddenly a house that looks like it’s been there forever. The town’s the same way. Small, close-knit, and you’re clearly not from there. People aren’t outright hostile, but they’re not exactly warm either. There’s a hint of otherness about you. There’s a ton of Irish folklore, some dabbles into Catholicism and Anglo-Saxonism, which helps flesh out the setting. If I weren’t playing a game called [i]Hunter: The Reckoning[/i], I would think everyone was NUTS with all this talk about superstition and fables.
✅[b] Good introduction![/b] The first couple of chapters switch from the present time, you as an adult going back to Ireland, and flashbacks to your youth with your friends. Usually, I find beginnings the most boring part of a story, but Brown’s opening is surprisingly strong, especially in how it eases you in before pulling the rug out. It starts light: just a group of friends messing around, exploring places they probably shouldn’t, the kind of setup that feels familiar enough to settle into! And then, bam. The game politely reminds you—one of your friends was attacked by the Beast. Not in a dramatic, over-the-top way, just dropped back in like a fact you’re supposed to sit with. It reframes everything from “this is fun” to “something is very wrong here.”
✅[b] Emotional and tough choices that matter[/b]. There are so many decisions that feel genuinely important, not just in a “pick A or B” way, but in a “you don’t fully understand what you’re choosing between” way. You start off thinking in simple sides—werewolves vs. humans—but the deeper you go, the more it fractures. Alliances shift, histories overlap, and suddenly it’s not just A vs. B, it’s C and D and old grudges you weren’t around for but are still expected to navigate. I honestly lost track of who stood where at times, which is why a glossary or codex would’ve helped—but at the same time, that confusion reinforces how you’re just a puny human in conflict with forces beyond your understanding. A lot of decisions had me sitting there for a minute or two, hovering, because I could tell they mattered even if I didn’t know how.
[b][h2]Cons:[/h2][/b]
🟥[b] Cryptic and difficult stat checks.[/b] While I admire the ambition to have a whopping 9 Attributes and 15 skills, it simply got too out of scope for Brown. I had this issue with [i]The Magician's Workshop[/i], as well, where it seemed arbitrary as to what skills were tested when. For example, the first real stat check tested the following pairs of stats: Wits & Clandestine, Athletics & Dexterity, Intelligence & Science & Technology. To my great chagrin, I could not pass any. I had high Wits, Intelligence, Charisma, Leadership, and Resolve—and none of the above combinations. Why were those stats picked, especially when other stats were similar? Take Athletics. How is that different from Strength? Or Clandestine versus Subterfuge? Why could I not use the normal Intelligence + Charisma build to talk my way into the situation? I could forgive the one-off, but the whole game is filled with these types of checks. As a result, it feels like the game is promoting a build instead of, you know, having fun.
🟥[b] Too many important choices.[/b] Did I put choices that matter as a pro? Yes. Am I saying there are too many important choices? Also, yes. But to me, as silly as it sounds, [b]some things are too important to be forced to choose between.[/b] For example, it’s difficult to be emotionally attached to the different plot beats and characters when you’re forced to choose between them. I can’t get to know Kitty, Marie, Claudia, Áine whilst preparing for the Beast. Some choices actually frustrated me: I was bummed when I had the choice to develop my romance with Kitty or see what [spoiler]her fiancé wished to speak about.[/spoiler] Both seem important character development-wise, no? It’s vital to the story to bond with [spoiler]Marie’s daughter[/spoiler], but players usually prefer to focus on romance. It’s stronger for the story if we can do both!
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If you enjoyed this review, please check out my curator page to find more: [url=https://store.steampowered.com/curator/45814768-Verdict-Play-or-Pass/]Verdict: Play or Pass. [/url] Also, please leave a like and visit [url=https://steamcommunity.com/groups/Indie_Gems]IndieGems[/url] and our [url=https://www.youtube.com/@IndieGems2]YouTube channel[/url] for more reviews like this one.
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