Asynchronous multiplayer games aren't new, but they have found a profitable niche in recent years: classic horror movies. What started with the almost generic monster-versus-humans premise in Evolve quickly gained more popularity with Dead by Daylight and Friday the 13th, where known and licensed serial killers are on the hunt for blood. Those games weren't masterpieces, but they are fun and intelligent concepts to pin one player against many in a fun online experience. Illfonic, creator of Friday the 13th, has released a similar one-versus-many online shooter, Predator: Hunting Grounds.

Friday the 13th encountered plenty of issues upon release, and Predator: Hunting Grounds is currently in a similar state. The game pits one player as the Predator against a human of four Special Forces soldiers. While the fire team has a mission to carry out in the jungle, the Predator's task is to hunt down the team. Predator: Hunting Grounds is fun, but it's currently bare-bones, doesn't run as well as it could, and has a few balancing issues that need to be ironed out.

Let's focus on the good first. It's enjoyable to play as either the Predator or as part of the fire team. When controlling the Predator, we are dropped on the map and must locate, stalk and kill our prey. To achieve that goal, the Predator can use thermal vision, which makes it easier to spot human players and NPCs. Loud noises are also detectable in this view, making it easy to identify a general direction to move in, especially once the first bullets are fired. While the fire team is confined to moving on the ground, the Predator can climb trees to move quickly and above eyeline. It's not a sophisticated climbing system, but it's surprisingly quick and fluid when it works. With minimal effort, we can jump from tree to tree and branch to branch to follow the fire team from a safe distance. We're also able to leap great distances to quickly transition from trees to ground level or to escape critical situations.

Sitting in the trees doesn't mean we're invisible to the human eye, though. A trained soldier can easily spot a dreadlocked monster jumping through the jungle. One way to avoid detection is the cloak ability, which works well if you're standing still but provides slight protection if you're on the move. That's pretty much the extent of our abilities to follow and watch from afar.

Taking down the prey is quite the challenge. At the beginning, we have access to two basic weapons: a melee attack (including extendable claws) and a plasma weapon to shoot targets from a distance. There is additional gear to be unlocked as we level up in-game, such as a net gun or lures that make unsettling sounds. There's also the option to slam dunk when leaping for some extra damage. Overall, timing is key. Every ability costs energy, and while the energy meter is generous, you have to keep an eye on it and retreat if you run out. Chances are that health could become much more of an issue than your energy reserves.

It's clear that the Predator is the focus of the game and received the most refined gameplay, but the balancing issue is that the Predator doesn't feel nearly as powerful as it should against four human players. One player is easy to take down, but beyond that, it can get tricky. Due to the damage players can deal to the Predator, it's vital to never attack more than two players at once, but that's easier said than done. It can feel almost impossible at the beginning of the game, when you have a limited skill set. There is nothing available to force human players to split into smaller groups or venture on their own, so there's a chance the team may never disperse in a match. They have a mission to complete, but the missions rarely force players to take risks or split up. It's also ridiculously easy to inform teammates about the location of the Predator by randomly looking through the trees and spamming the ping button. Since everything the Predator does makes distinct sounds, your location may not remain a secret if you don't hide well or move beyond their field of vision.

Even if the Predator takes out a human player, it needs to remove the skull as a trophy to make sure the player stays dead and cannot be revived. Even if the player isn't revived in time, the fire team has the option to complete an optional mission to gain reinforcements to bring dead players back into play (with no real penalty except the extra time spent). In combination with all I said above, this makes it extremely difficult to play as the Predator. It's not impossible, but if the fire team is halfway decent, it can be a challenge. The fire team is incredibly powerful, and without the means to effectively "divide and conquer," their ability to revive fallen comrades can make it a chore to play as the Predator, especially when you're trying to learn the ropes.

As of this review, Illfonic has released a patch to improve matchmaking and announced a second patch to address the balance issues. Right now, the Predator is fun to play but feels powerless in action. The foundation of what the developer was aiming for is clearly visible, and once the balance has been adjusted, which may take a few patches, I can see the Predator portion to be a fun exercise of risk, reward and restraint. The Predator can heal in battle but has to retreat since healing takes a while. The longer we rest, the more health we regain, but we may lose track of the fire team and remain vulnerable against attacks. If we're downed, there is a short moment when we can trigger self-destruction, which can still win the game if you take players with you. It's those little decisions that already feel great if they pay off, but there is so much more potential here that isn't being used or doesn't work well due to the aforementioned issues.

We should touch on win conditions. While the game mode is always the same, there are several win conditions. Either the Predator kills all human players, or the human players kill the Predator. Of course, it's also possible for the fire team to finish its mission and successfully exfil via the trusty chopper. That means that even with a limited choice of game modes, the outcomes can be varied and provide different options based on how the match goes. If faced with an inexperienced Predator, taunting it and trying to take it down can be just as effective as completing your mission objective and getting in and out as quickly as possible.

One thing that hasn't been great is matchmaking and jumping in and out of the game. On the first days, finding and joining a match could take ages, especially on the PS4, which we reviewed the game on. It's important to note that the title offers cross-play with the PC version, which usually made waiting times worse. A patch eventually cut down matchmaking wait times, but it's almost impossible to play as the Predator without waiting five minutes per match, whereas getting a space on the fire team usually takes less than a minute. We can queue for the Predator, the fire team, and there is a third queue if you don't have a preference, but I have always been placed in the fire team when going for the third queue. It also doesn't offer a great way to keep playing once a match has wrapped up. We always have to queue anew to be placed in a match. It's far from optimal, especially if you're keen for a round as the Predator.

Luckily, playing on the fire team is surprisingly fun. It feels a lot like the next best co-op shooter. Before the match begins, we get to vote on a drop point for the current map and then we get assigned a mission that can include taking water samples, destroying merchandise, hacking computers or killing NPC targets. It boils down to running from point to point, holding the position against waves of NPC enemies and hoping that the Predator does not show up to slice us up. It's robust and entertaining, but without the Predator lurking in the shadows, it'd be an average team wave shooter. Story and missions are forgettable, and NPCs are little more than cannon fodder. They deal a good amount of damage, so they cannot be ignored, but that's about the extent of their threat to your livelihood.

What's often missing is the suspense. It's an enjoyable challenge to face a strong player as the Predator, but those matches are increasingly rare, which is partially due to the learning curve, long wait times and short time since the game's release. Given the balancing issues, the Predator doesn't feel like much of a threat, and that takes away a lot from the atmosphere.

Predator: Hunting Grounds has the potential to be a suspenseful title, especially since it has great sound design. The sound of the cloak activating, the distant Predator screams, and a rustle in the bushes can keep you on edge and inform you that the monster is close. Both the sound and music are satisfying for fans of the property and newcomers alike. This extends to the whole game, and if anything, Predator: Hunting Grounds is a faithful adaptation that's better than anything we've seen in recent years. If you're a fan of the setting or film, chances are that you'll enjoy most of the game. The visuals are a mixed bag and often look like early PS3-era titles than a late PS4/PC release. There are plenty of similar-looking areas, low-detail textures, and a few random frame rate dips. They seem to be more frequent when enabling cross-play, but I have seen the frame rate break on multiple occasions, regardless of the situation.

Currently, the game is relatively bare-bones. There is only a singular quick play mode with three maps that look so similar, I couldn't tell you which was which. Sure, you can play private matches on- or offline, but that is literally all of it, aside from a brief tutorial that focuses on the Predator. If you were hoping for a decent chunk of single-player action or aren't fond of these types of multiplayer games, this certainly isn't for you. Even if it were up your alley, one can't help but feel this game could've used a few more months in development. It includes everything it has to include, such as level progression, classes, gear and custom loadouts, but it doesn't do much more at the moment. There are also loot boxes for cosmetic items, but the currency for those is earned exclusively in-game for now.

I enjoyed my time with Predator: Hunting Grounds. It's the first asynchronous multiplayer title in a while that has appealed to me, and it has already shown that it has its potential for fun. Nonetheless, it's a hard sell for a price of $40. It has significant balancing issues, an unstable frame rate on PS4, and it doesn't have a lot of content. It feels like it could've used some more refinement and a few extra maps and modes to show its full potential. I'm sure there will be plenty of content updates and patches in the future, but unless you absolutely can't wait to buy Predator: Hunting Grounds, I'd recommend staying clear and observing from a distance before jumping in.

Score: 6.0/10