Cabela’s Survival Drake’s Hunting

April 3, 2012 | by Custard Trout | Reviews

It’s rare that I compare games to others, even more so when it’s Uncharted. Usually I’d jump right on to “It’s like Tomb Raider” but really, this game felt a lot like Uncharted, I don’t even know why, because this game was low budget, silly, and actually quite fun.

So the game takes place in Alaska, I think. It’s cold and there’s lots of snow. You crash land and instantly get attacked by wolves, with only a flare gun to defend yourself with. There’s some doctor woman who thinks that I won’t slap her, but I will! Anyway, she’s whining because you crashed the aeroplane, fair play I thought. (Not knowing how it crashed but I was the pilot) then, again you are attacked by wolves, only this time you have a gun. Not a stupid flare gun.

After a little arguing it takes you back a bit, to when you crash land. Basically you tell her that no one can fly in the snow storm, but she’s all “Bitch please, I’ll pay you more.” Then the engine breaks, you have to steer it through mountains, but the thing is it’s actually really easy to lift up, and to steer. I am very confident that I could have actually made it to a town if the game would let me, instead I crash (Into nothing I might add he literally just plummets when you get to the goal).

So now you’re almost completely alone, except for a woman who won’t shut up and a crazy hermit who seems to live off hunting and thinks there is a demon in a cave. So the guy is clearly insane, the best thing to do is leave the doctor woman with him and sod off. Because he has been stuck in the mountain for years, and well, bros before hoes.

You are then tasked with finding journal bits and hunting for various reasons. Also you get a puppy, not sure where it came from, I think it was the mad hermit’s pet. But you took it, bastard. The hunting is different to most of the other games, you climb around and dangle from cliffs, this is the part that gave a real Uncharted feel, I don’t mean just because it was the same idea it really felt like they just re-coloured Uncharted 1. While you’re dangling mad crows attack you, or if you’re in a cave mad bats. So, rather than try and shoo them off you blast the shit out of them while they fly around.

As you progress through the story, more unfolds, such as why they were in the snow storm, and why it was so important. This is where I got completely lost, apparently they were looking for a cure for a virus, now I instantly thought “Holy shit zombies!?” I think I may have been off a bit. But I never actually did find out what it was for.

Towards the end an aeroplane flies over you, and rather than pull out the flare gun you have been carrying with you to signal it, he tries to shoot at it with a rifle, then when you do actually find a town and reach safety he leaves the mad hermit and doctor behind!

Okay, so the story has some minor holes in it. But the gameplay was actually quite fun! It didn’t feel very rewarding, because you always ended up back at the cabin. You climb around and shoot in third person unlike the others, and there’s lots of collectibles. And 5 guns to choose from, although the game doesn’t tell you that you can switch guns. And one does no damage (Flare gun)

Perhaps the main thing I loved about this game is how ridiculous it was, bears tear down trees and swing it at you, and the main guy can jump so far that I was convinced he was Spider-Man.

There are several “treks” which are like the older games, first person hunting runs. They allow use of the light gun, which is great because I’ve been meaning to use that for ages. And also allow Co-Op!

This game is far from perfect, but it’s pretty fun and worth a blast if you can see it cheap somewhere. PS: It’s actually called “Cabela’s Survival: Shadows of Katmai.