Open Country is receiving a lot of negative reviews. However, it isn't THAT bad. Yes, there are some minor issues. But hey, that's what patches are for. I picked this title up on PS4 Pro, $14.99. If you have on console or plan on getting at some point, I highly recommend turning the camera sensitivity down. Also, you'll want to turn the aiming sensitivity all the way down. Believe me this will make the game easier to control and play. The camera and aiming at standard are super quick and jerky, it can almost make a person nauseous and impossible to hunt animals.
Open Country is a survival game where you have to eat, drink, sleep, and monitor your temperature levels. Your character has stats similar to a soft RPG where placing skill points makes everything you do better, and easier for daily survival. There is a story to follow, and several quests to complete in order to obtain skill points.
This game reminds me of an arcade version of DayZ, minus the infected and a-hole players trying to kill you. When building/crafting, your character doesn't go into animations taking several seconds to complete. The objects or items you're creating appear immediately after finding a spot to place them. You can upgrade things you craft, and there are plenty of textiles around to collect. Like DayZ, items you create or use do apply wear and tear, just not as harsh or quickly.
Open Country's hunting mechanics are not like the other hunting games on the market. As mentioned, this game has an arcade feel to it, so don't expect a thorough, detailed, realistic experience like a simulator would provide. However, there are meters that appear when hunting to indicate if the animal can see or hear you. Also, birds flying away can cause panic to the animals you're hunting. You can also detect animal tracks to help direct you to their locations.
One of the nice things about Open Country are the graphics. There are a lot of areas with lush foliage, trees, river beds, and vegetation in general. Sometimes so much, it's hard to find the things needed for crafting, or various plants and fungi you can cook/eat. With that, a nice ability Open Country has is a "hunter's sense" your character can use at any time. This ability highlights everything you can collect for crafting and eating. One thing the game doesn't tell you (at least I didn't see) is using this ability drains your energy and food levels a bit at a time. So manage wisely when using.
All for all Open Country has been fun so far. Something quick to play to pass the time, or to take a break from a game you're investing tons of time in. Again, there are issues that can make the gameplay wonky. Not to mention the cheese dialogue all the characters have, and their goofy facial expressions with poorly timed lip-syncing. Seriously, all things a gamer can easily look past.
If you're looking for something more challenging, then you definitely want to turn towards games like Green Hell and DayZ. I'm a sucker for survival games, so I wanted to give Open Country a try. I'm happy I did.