The Hunted is a paid action game inspired by a mix of classic arcade gun games and 80s action films. This virtual reality (VR) first-person shooter experience from Big Head Games is a nuanced combination of dark, gritty, immersive, and dramatic. 

As a VR-only game, The Hunted does everything in its power to reward players with an immersive experience and a premise that takes a surprising turn without warning. It feels like a more grounded, more personal alternative to Doom VFR or BONEWORKS. You play it for the fast-paced shooting, but you will stay for the short yet intriguing story.

Great premise, poor execution

The Hunted lets you play as a decorated war veteran on the run from the law after being accused of the murder of your own family. This idea takes a couple of pages from stories like The Punisher or Rambo: First Blood. While the backstory has the potential for a truly immersive experience, it unfortunately fails to capitalize on it—no dialogues, no cutscenes, no end sequences.

Since it is a VR-only game, it requires any of the supported VR headsets in order to play properly. It also requires the standard room-scale play area to allow the player to move around and maneuver. It features a well-designed environment, with realistic details added to almost every part of the house. The hitboxes are also pretty spot on, allowing you to dodge bullets or shoot accurately.

The main problem that leaves this game unable to deliver is that it is only set in a single location. You exchange firefights with different law enforcement units at different parts of the house. Shoot at cops and drones from the balcony, from the upper floor window, or from the kitchen. This makes the game immediately tiring, although its four-level arcade mode with leaderboards is a different story.

Playable but not memorable

Considering the price tag it comes in, The Hunted remains a largely playable game. For people looking for a VR FPS with a serious backstory to justify the massive amounts of gunfire involved, this is a good entry. Unfortunately, it fails to follow up on this rather promising idea by no longer tackling it in-game, and by setting everything inside your home.