I recently played this game and it was so much fun! The experience begins with the document itself. The graphics are very well laid out and formatted beautifully. The rules are very clear and easy on the eyes. (Though one section was a little unclear at first about an aspect of the monster card. It was confirmed that yes, you shuffle it in face down. If while exploring the forest and you come across the monster card without having found 4 monster tracks, you keep exploring the forest.)
As I explored the forest, the grid of cards, it felt very much like an adventure. The descriptions are very beautifully written and very immersive. The imagery made it super easy to envision the world that my hunter was in. I didn't read the descriptions before hand so it really did feel like I was exploring the board, or the forest. Though I'd imagine that reading them before hand wouldn't take away from the experience because it's the combination of the cards in the grid that makes each forest (grid) a brand new, exciting place to explore.
During my play through, I simultaneously felt as the hunter exploring and hunting, while also cheering on for the hunter as the player. I was excited to turn over each card to not only see what would happen to the hunter, but to also see the world in which the hunter was operating in. It is very obvious that a lot of care and attention went into creating this world.
The final battle, though is only a serious of rolls, still provides enough tension to make it exciting. The description of the monster and it's lair or place it frequents, gives a lot of opportunity for the player to create a scene of the final battle.
My hunter barely made it out of the encounter, but victorious nonetheless! And what's great is that the game has a built in system for rewards for successful hunts.
At the start of my session, I had decided to write out my character’s thoughts in a log journal format. I'm so glad I did because this is a game I will definitely be replaying. I look forward to going on another monster hunt!!!