The World of Darkness is one of my all-time favorite franchises. Though dark fantasy is a genre as old as the first bump in the night, few do it as stylishly as WoD did. From the classic sanguine intrigue of Vampire: The Masquerade to the esoteric weirdness of Mage: The Ascension, every game dripped with flavor. And yet amid the supernatural, one group stayed true to the defense of humanity.
And these hunters finally make their grand return to gaming.
Hunter: The Reckoning - Deathwish is an upcoming action RPG developed by Teyon. The players take on the role of a Hunter, deadly yet deeply traumatized warriors against supernatural evil. Set in the dark alleys of New York City and beyond, the game is no power fantasy. You don't have access to the powers of DnD classes. You are human, perhaps a bit more gifted and stronger than most, but flesh and bone still.
While all World of Darkness games are tragic in some way, I always found Hunter particularly depressing. Every Hunter, no matter how skilled, became who they are because of supernatural trauma. They rage against the unseen because they themselves are unseen, cursed to secret knowledge. Developer Teyon seems to understand this perfectly with its teases. Not to mention, the studio has proven capable of adapting cult classics.
Their latest project, RoboCop, was praised as a hidden gem, so close did it stick to the original vibe of the 80s classic. If Teyon can recapture Hunter's style through this game, then it's done a better job than other adaptations. The RPG aspect is also exciting for me, because I've been itching to bring my Hunter OCs to life for years.
Hunter: The Reckoning - Deathwish is set for an October 2027 release, just in time for Halloween. But with every World of Darkness project nowadays, I still have a bit of caution. Games such as Bloodlines 2 have bruised me before, so I hope Teyon takes its time bringing Hunter to life.
It's not quite Hunter-net.org, but the Wargamer Discord has plenty of folks to chat World of Darkness with!