Hunt or be hunted. Review of the demo version of "Predator: Hunting Grounds," an asymmetrical fighting game based on the classic "Predator" game.

From March 27 to March 29, 2020, a "Trial Weekend" was held for Predator: Hunting Grounds, an action shooter for PS4 that will be released on Friday, April 24, 2020. We were able to experience a portion of the game, and here is our review of it. The CERO rating for this title is Z (for ages 18 and older), and some of the images may be extreme, so please be careful when reading this article.


Predator" is an action movie released in 1987. The main character, Dutch, and his Special Forces team encounter the extraterrestrial Predator in the course of their mission and fight for their survival. The film spawned a number of later series, including "Predator 2" and "Alien vs. Predator. Predator: Hunting Grounds" is an action-shooter based on the world of "Predator. The game features an asymmetrical multiplayer mode similar to that of "Dead by Daylight," in which players are divided into two sides: the Predator side (one player) and the Fireteam side (up to four players).

The Fireteam is tasked with carrying out missions and escaping from the area of operation.

The objective of the Fireteam is to escape from the area of operations in a helicopter by fulfilling the conditions set while eliminating enemy soldiers within a time limit. The Fireteam players must perform a variety of tasks during the course of the mission, including rushing to a specific location, destroying equipment, and exterminating enemy soldiers. Enemies can be killed with a few shots, and the durability of the equipment is low. The mission itself is relatively easy, but the problem is the Predator. Even in a one-on-two match, the odds are slim, and even a one-on-three match is doubtful. The author was only able to defeat the Predator once during the trial version of the game. That one time was thanks to the concentrated fire of all four members of the fire team on the Predator that had been lured into the building. I think I fired about 200 rounds of small arms ammunition and a full pack of assault rifles. Incidentally, once the Predator was defeated, the mission was complete. The Fire Team wins.

Before going into battle, players can customize their equipment, including guns and projectile weapons. As you level up with the experience you gain from each match, the equipment you can choose from will increase step by step.

The sight line of the plasma cannon, familiar from the movie "Predator. If you are hit by an attack, you will suffer serious damage, but if you follow the line of sight, you can also detect the Predator's position.

However, the Predator is not a good opponent in a proper fight, so it is best to defeat it only when the team can coordinate with each other. The time limit is also quite tight, and if you are too busy with the Predator, you may run out of time (in which case, the Predator side will win). Also, even if you have time, if you shoot too many bullets at the Predator and run out of ammunition, there is no way to fight. Ammunition can be replenished from equipment that players can bring with them or from facilities installed in the field, but it is not infinite. It is necessary to conserve ammunition to a certain extent.

▲ Close combat with the Predator is disadvantageous. If you keep getting attacked, you will be downed in no time.

Use the "mark" function to share the Predator's position with your allies, and proceed through the jungle, paying attention to the occasional whine and the sight line of the plasma cannon, and sometimes repel the Predator. This is a simple but safe and solid approach. The tension of surviving the Predator's pursuit can only be experienced in the world of "Predator. Incidentally, there is a scene in the movie in which the protagonist smears mud on his body to escape the Predator's infrared sensors, and in the game, this can be replicated by approaching the muddy ground. As will be discussed later, the Predator's "thermal vision" is very troublesome because it makes it easier to see people when used. To reduce the chance of being detected, use it aggressively when you find muddy ground.

The most difficult part of the mission on the Fire Team side is just before the helicopter evacuation. Once one of you reaches the designated point, the helicopter will arrive a certain amount of time later. During this time, a large number of enemies are closing in on the escape point. And the escape point is known to the Predator side. In order for the fireteam to get to the helicopter, they have to deal with the Predator and the enemy soldiers at the same time. If the Predator is far away, they can escape without fighting, but if they are caught up, they could be wiped out in the worst case scenario. If a battle with the Predator occurs at the escape point, it is up to the player to decide whether to save his friends who are being attacked or to abandon them and give priority to escape. By the way, I abandoned my friends and escaped.

The objective of the Predator side is to annihilate the Fire Team.

The objective of the Predator side is simple. The Predator side's objective is simple: to annihilate the Fireteam. As a fighting race, the Predator has unparalleled physical ability and can move easily through the trees. The basic strategy is to search for fireteams in the trees and attack them as soon as you find them. The basic equipment is a wrist blade for close combat and a plasma cannon for long range. The plasma cannon has a long range and explodes when it lands, so it can engage multiple enemies at once if they are within its range. However, there is a delay before firing, and the speed of the projectile is slow. If you want to hit a moving enemy, you need to predict the direction of movement and aim a little ahead. The red laser is also displayed while the fire team is holding the weapon, so if you use it carelessly, the fire team may be aware of your position. If you want to be sure of hitting a target, it is better to aim at an enemy who is standing still.

On the other hand, the Wrist Blade is a melee weapon with a short reach but high power, and the Predator itself has excellent mobility and "optical camouflage," which makes it translucent, making it easy to approach the enemy. As explained in the Fire Team section, the Predator has a lot of physical strength, so it can easily take out one or two of the players as long as they charge into the enemy and wield their wrist blades. As expected, it is dangerous to run into a place where there are four of them, so if the Fireteam is moving in a tight group, you may want to wait for them to disperse or attack them with plasma cannons to confuse them. Alternatively, you could hide your breath until around the latter half of the mission, and then attack at once when their equipment is depleted. Observing the situation from the tree tops and changing your "hunting" technique is one of the best parts of the game.

In this game, which takes place in a jungle environment, thermal vision is used to help the Predator find his enemies. The system can detect body temperature, so if a person is present, he or she will appear in the vision. Since it only displays body temperature and cannot distinguish between humans and animals (it can distinguish between humans and animals if they get close enough), it is better to check with the naked eye as well to identify enemy players. If an enemy is too far away to be detected even with thermal vision, "target isolation" comes into play. It cannot be used in rapid succession, but when used, the location of the fireteam is indicated by an orange circle for a certain period of time. Unlike the Fireteam, the Predator does not have a radar to visualize the enemy's position, but it has a full range of equipment to replace it.

While using ▲ optical camouflage or thermal vision, energy is consumed, but it is gradually recovered by deactivating it.

It is unlikely that the Predator will be defeated by the fireteam unless it goes head-on into a four-man area. Not only are they extremely durable, but their energy is automatically restored and they have excellent equipment, including optical camouflage. The Predator can just hunt the Fireteam, but the Fireteam has many imposed requirements, such as mission accomplishment, opposing enemy soldiers, and the existence of a time limit. In asymmetrical-type multiplayer games, it is easy to feel pressured when you are on the side of hunting down opponents, but at least in this game, there is no need to feel overwhelmed if you are on the Predator's side.

Although there are some parts that lack realism, such as the monotonous movements of enemy soldiers who simply shoot at the player and do not hide in the shadows, and the light sound of guns, the core of this title, "Predator versus Human," is very well suited to the asymmetrical battle-type system. In addition, the unique feeling of being able to control the Predator is more than enough to enjoy the game. Unfortunately, the demo version that I was able to try is not currently available for play. Let's wait for a while until the full version is released on April 24.

(Text by Yoshinori Natsumunouchi)

（Developed by IllFonic, LLC . PREDATOR TM & (C) TWENTIETH CENTURY FOX FILM CORPORATION.

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