Predator: Hunting Grounds PS5 Review
Summary: A substantial visual update over the original PS4 version of the game that doesn't add much else to the core experience.
3.6
If it bleeds...
Originally released in 2020 as a PS4 and Epic Store exclusive, Predator: Hunting Grounds has now received a next-gen update, along with arriving on Steam and Xbox consoles. I recently looked at the PS5 version to see what upgrades IllFonic has made in the updated release, and to check out the overall state of the game.
For anyone who missed out the first time around (and it’s understandable based on the reception it received at launch,) Predator: Hunting Grounds is an asymmetrical multiplayer game that pits a team of four special operations soldiers against the titular Predator. Set in miniature, open-world maps, the human team must complete various objectives scattered around the map, and exfiltrate before being turned into wall ornaments. The lone Predator must create said gruesome ornaments.
Objectives include infiltrating militia bases and locating intel, destroying computer systems, and locating hidden drug stashes. Enemy NPCs inhabit the jungle pathways and outposts, though these serve as a minor source of experience points and mild annoyance, rather than any kind of actual threat or challenge for the most part.
As a Spec Ops unit, there are a host of different weapons and items that can be equipped and tweaked. Different scopes, muzzle, and magazine options, dozens of customisable colour schemes, and equipable outfits are available. Most of these options are also there for the Predator and are generally far more interesting, especially in the cosmetic department, with a massive list of styles to unlock.
Currently, two modes of play are available. Firstly, there’s Hunt, which is the standard four-on-one, fireteam vs Predator missions described above. The second is Clash, a team-based mode that pits two fire teams against one another to lock down an area, with worthy players taking on the role of the Predator, swinging the odds in their team’s favour.
In terms of gameplay, not much has changed since the original 2020 launch. The human team gets to play a pint-sized Far Cry from the perspective of the AI and the Predator gets to hunt them down.
So, what has been added to the game in this next-gen update aside from a release on other platforms?
Crossplay has been added, a welcome addition to any multiplayer game that doesn’t have the highest population in the world, a larger pool of players to matchmake from is always going to keep a game going a little bit longer. This can be disabled in the options if you’d rather keep things to the same console, I did notice that this exacerbated the already occasionally lengthy matchmaking times, though.
The visuals have been substantially updated. Textures are a higher resolution, and the lighting has been overhauled dramatically with the inclusion of ray tracing. The original PS4 release was never in danger of being called a good-looking game, it’s at least a step or two closer in that regard now. Audio has apparently been tweaked too, though I wasn’t able to notice much of a difference.
Other, small tweaks and additions have been made such as Dual Sense Adaptive Trigger support and a massive list of balance changes and bug fixes. That’s about everything, though. The core game is still the same as it originally was.
If you enjoyed the PS4 release, then this is perhaps sounding like a tidy little upgrade on the original, and it would be if it weren’t for the caveat that this isn’t a free upgrade to existing owners. It isn’t even a cheaper upgrade if you own the original, either. It’s still a budget release, but if you’ve paid for it once already, then it’s difficult to recommend unless you’re already heavily invested in it and want prettier graphics. Thankfully, progression does carry over from the original version, so at least an upgrade doesn’t involve starting from scratch.
Final Thoughts?
The next-gen update to Predator: Hunting Grounds unfortunately doesn’t fix the core issues that the gameplay has. Long matchmaking times (presumably due to a small player base), limited gameplay options and the inherent problems present in asymmetrical multiplayer games (that one person who quits immediately if they don’t get to be the Predator, you know who you are) are all still here.
It’s kind of a shame that IllFonic didn’t do more with this, because the core idea of Predator: Hunting Grounds is solid and has some nice mechanics that tie it into films, such as being able to cover yourself in mud to hide from the Predator’s thermal vision.
Predator: Hunting Grounds on PS5 isn’t a bad experience by any means, the updates to visuals really help sell the spectacle, however, it’s a shallow experience that lost what little charm it had in a relatively short amount of time.
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