Hunter Hunted

From the Database of Home of the Underdogs

GAME DESIGNER:
GAME DEVELOPER:Sierra On-Line
GAME PUBLISHER:Sierra On-Line
Copyright 1996, Sierra On-Line

Part of Sierra’s much-hyped but short-lived “k.a.a.” line, Hunter Hunted is a one- or two-player side-scrolling action game which pits human hero Jake against (what else) a big, ugly creature, both of which have been captured by aliens and put into tunnels similar to Colliseum of yore, so that they would pursue each other in a search-and-destroy competition.

Hunter Hunted doesn’t break any new grounds in a way that Abuse did– it’s just another side-scrolling action game for the most part. The game does, however, introduce an intriguing novel concept: the third dimention of 2D. When Jake or the Hunter reaches a 2-D door, a stroke of the up arrow sends the character running headlong into the screen, “away” from the player, into the next lateral level of arena. There are also other special doors which require keys or other objects/actions to open– those are presented edge-on to the viewer in a kind of cutaway view. The gameplay is straightforward and violent enough, with a suitably explosive soundtrack.

While the game may prove too repetitive and easy in one-player mode, it is the two-player split-screen action that makes this game worthwhile: thanks to the into-the-world ability, you can sneak up on your opponent from behind, above or below for unpleasant surprises. Fluid animations round off this fun underdog. Anyone looking for intense solo-player action should stick to Abuse, but if you have a friend, Hunter Hunted is worth checking out.