Mistfall Hunter Review – Risk Gives Way to Mist

Balancing thrilling escapes with crushing disappointment is where extraction games generate tension. Mistfall Hunter, almost immediately, distinguishes itself by softening the genre’s typically hard edges, ensuring that even failed expeditions contribute to long-term progression. Its earliest moments are when it’s most approachable, but spend a few hours in its gloomy grip and a different kind of friction emerges. Progression becomes increasingly tangled in overlapping systems, solo players are quietly funnelled toward group play, and loot rarely feels exciting enough to justify the risks you’re taking. And, contradictorily, the risk itself mellows the more you progress – but we’ll get into that later.

Still, Mistfall Hunter remains an enjoyable extraction RPG. Yes, it removes much of the genre’s traditional frustration, but this isn’t as beneficial to the experience as the devs likely hoped.

Back to first impressions though, and another of the game’s noticeable distinctions is its eschewing of extraction’s usual shooting for Souls-inspired combat. It’s not as difficult as FromSoftware’s typical masochism though, with wider hitboxes and mid-swing repositioning underlining an arcade feel. Combat, on the whole, is where the game shines brightest, with its six unique classes bringing genuinely different playstyles, approaches, and flexibility to battle.

The heavy-hitting Mercenary feels like the ideal starting class, with its straightforward hammer swings crushing opponents in just a few blows. The Withered Knight sacrifices the Mercenary’s raw damage for mobility, rewarding frontline pressure. Shadowstrix is quicker still, with a skillset routed in subterfuge and burst damage. The Sorcerer commands devastating area-of-effect magic, and together with Blackarrow becomes a medium-to-long-range option that excels in the hands of skilled players. Support class the Seer is next to useless in solo missions, but becomes invaluable in group expeditions.

"The heavy-hitting Mercenary feels like the ideal starting class"

Every class packs a two-weapon loadout, with unique skills tied to each. Individual talent trees unlock your skills’ power potential, while a mix of attachable gems and pre-journey tonics shape your build further through a vast range of resistant, restorative, and passive effects.

The idea here is to choose the bonuses which embellish your class’ innate skills. Take the Shadowstrix, for instance, whom you can shape into a relentless meat slicer by choosing shorter cooldowns and reduced stamina usage. Suffice to say there’s plenty of room for unconventional experimentation too, with the build options for each class not just presenting a canvas for your imagination but a range of different problems you’ll encounter face-to-face on the battlefield.

As a result, PvP skirmishes can be surprisingly drawn out. While extraction games’ greatest annoyance – for casuals at least – is getting shot from distance before you’ve even raised your crosshairs, through Mistfall Hunter’s melee-heavy design you’re encouraged to close in on your enemies, and it levels the playing field significantly.

And, supporting this, the other thing the game does well is it understands that losing shouldn’t feel frustrating. See, most extraction games punish death severely, but Mistfall Hunter cushions the blow. If you’ve lost your sharpest tools, combat bags outfit you with mid-tier weapons and consumables, with your on-site auctioneer Pip often gifting you one for free after defeat. Soekja, the Guiding White Crow who dishes out extra objectives during matches, occasionally retrieves your lost items without the need for a combat bag. Also at basecamp, Twig and his mate undertake scavenger hunts for a small fee, while a merchant sells an array of items for a reasonable price. Even dying to bosses isn’t the end, with a revival system giving you a short window to climb back into your fallen body. These systems mean that even if you’re only extracting half of the time, you’ll keep moving forward.

You’ll level up quickly in the early exchanges, unlocking talent nodes and weapon skills. Loot is abundant too, with you finding high value trinkets easily to sell on for Gyldenblod, which can then be exchanged for stronger weapons and armour. There’s always momentum which will undoubtedly appease many players, but the ease at which you can keep the wheels turning does introduce its own problem.

"The other thing the game does well is it understands that losing shouldn’t feel frustrating. "

Centring on Pip’s auction house, the process is sound in principle. See, if you’ve any surplus weapons you can chuck them into the in-game economy for another player to purchase. But this means the strongest weapons and armour are always available, so long as you manage a successful extraction with plenty of loot. If you build up a healthy stockpile, there’s little frustration when you lose as you can just buy back stronger. The inherent risk in each expedition is nullified. The loot gathering loop becomes a process of gathering items to sell.

Likewise, camp upgrades require specific items, but if you’re missing anything in your inventory you can simply buy what you need. The lengths Mistfall Hunter goes to maintaining your progression is commendable, sure, but it’s debatable how meaningfully it can foster long-term commitment. See, the experience boils down to a numbers game – loot is fuel for progression, nothing more. The treasure you recover is rarely desirable, and the weapons you find are seldom more powerful than what you’re already wielding.

Stack onto this the multiple extra currencies which emerge to be spent in a handful of online shops on cosmetics, mostly, then the game’s progression becomes pointedly addicting. While these overlapping economies aren’t unusual for the genre, they nevertheless dilute what Mistfall Hunter does best: weighty, measured combat and satisfying buildcraft. The game consistently respects your time, but through a tangled web of vendors it becomes less respectful of your attention. Its design devolves to keeping you engaged, with expedition outcomes secondary.

Worse still, the game’s premium cosmetic offerings leave a sour aftertaste. They’re prohibitively expensive unless you’re willing to grind for multiple currencies or spend real-world money.

And, bafflingly, the game doubles down on its devolutions by locking solo players out of the second map. With only two maps available at launch, that’s half the experience. Even though you’ll struggle to take down elite bosses on your own, solo excursions are sombre, contemplative, worthwhile endeavours, where you can focus on your own objectives without aligning with a squad’s. Make no mistake, team-play is still fun and rewarding, but if long-term progress consistently relies on others then you can’t advance as efficiently as possible.

"The game’s premium cosmetic offerings leave a sour aftertaste. "

Still, whether solo or squadded, Mistfall Hunter’s bleak fantasy world is an attractive one to inhabit, even if it rarely surprises visually. Hallowgrove’s crumbling dockyards, abandoned industry, and corrupted forests suggest a civilisation consumed by the enveloping Gyldenmist, lending a grounded sense of place beyond loot chasing. Both maps are pleasingly vertical too, with intertwining paths and elevated vantage points giving a sense of freedom instead of being funneled along. Waypoints are indispensable early on as objectives often sit a level above or below you, but navigation soon becomes organic thanks to distinctly characterful areas.

The presentation isn’t quite as confident elsewhere, however. Music is used sparingly, leaving tense encounters feeling oddly subdued, while enemy sound cues rarely play a crucial role like they do in other extraction games. And, despite regular server warnings, latency notifications, and occasional disconnects, moment-to-moment performance was stable and dependable.

In summary, Mistfall Hunter is a solid showing overall. It recognises that extraction games don’t have to be relentlessly punishing by ensuring every expedition feels worthwhile, whether you escape with a bountiful amount of loot or die trying. Combat is thumping, and class experimentation truly feels limitless. Yet, as the hours pass, a growing web of currencies and increasingly group-focused objectives undermine the elegance of its ideas.

And that’s the frustrating thing: developer Bellring Games proves that the experience can work as a solo player, with combat, classes, and buildcrafting compelling enough to sustain attention away from its myriad addicting systems. Mistfall Hunter is good, but by overly softening extraction’s tension it feels an update or two away from being truly remarkable.

This game was reviewed on PlayStation 5.