Big Buck Hunter: Ultimate Trophy

Big Buck Hunter: Ultimate Trophyis bringing the arcade action home to video game consoles for the first time in seven years. The Big Buck Hunterseries has been around since 2000, but it hasn’t received too many home releases during its lifespan. Now, fans of the series will be able to enjoy all the hunting action they’d like without having to continuously pump quarters into a machine, or go through the trouble of tracking down an operating arcade.

Big Buck Hunter: Ultimate Trophy isn’t just a re-release of a single arcade cabinet, but instead a compilation of some of the best the series has to offer from across its 25-year history. There are also some new features exclusive to this version of the game, so even die-hard fans of the series will still have something new to experience. Digital hunters will want to keep themselves updated on all the latest to do with the game, including when it’s coming out and what to play it on.

Big Buck Hunter: Ultimate Trophy Release Date Details

Big Buck Hunter Will Be Released On April 11, 2025

Digital hunters may want to start saving their quarters sooner rather than later. Big Buck Hunter: Ultimate Trophy will be released on April 11, 2025. There is no staggered release here, so the game will be available on all platforms and through all stores on the same day. As of right now, there are no listed pre-order bonuses, or anywhere to actually put in a pre-order for the game. It being so close to release, this likely means there won’t be any special content for pre-ordering the game. That said, it’s worth checking once orders become available, just in case.

Alongside the base game, Big Buck Hunter: Ultimate Trophy will also be getting the “Mythic Hunting Pack” DLC on April 11. Day one DLC is usually not very well-received by the gaming community, as many believe that - since the content was already made and ready to go - it should just be included in the price of the base game. While these arguments certainly have merit, it can vary on a case-by-case basis depending on the quality of the DLC, and the price of both it and the base game.

Big Buck Hunter: Ultimate Trophy Platforms & Price

Big Buck Hunter: Ultimate Trophy Costs $39.99

Big Buck Hunter: Ultimate Trophy will launch simultaneously on Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, and PC. PC players have the option of purchasing from Steam, the Epic Games Store, or the Microsoft Store. Regardless of platform, Big Buck Hunter: Ultimate Trophy will cost $39.99 at launch. The “Mythic Hunting Pack” DLC which launches with it will be available for $14.99.

As Big Buck Hunter: Ultimate Trophy is a bit cheaper than the typical AAA title, some players may be willing to forgive it for having paid DLC released alongside it. Unlike a lot of games now, there is also one version of Big Buck Hunter: Ultimate Trophy, instead of several different price points. It may be more palatable to think of buying the base game and the DLC as simply buying the “Deluxe Edition” of the game. Looking at upcoming titles like Monster Hunter Wilds' Deluxe Edition, a $15 up-charge isn’t unheard of for tacking on some DLC.

Big Buck Hunter: Ultimate Trophy Gameplay Changes & Trailer

Big Buck Hunter: Ultimate Trophy Introduces New Gameplay And Graphics

As it leaps from arcade cabinets to consoles, the biggest change for the Big Buck Hunter series in Ultimate Trophy is how players interact with the game. Whereas the arcade cabinets have physical, gun-shaped controllers to use, home consoles will rely on their standard controllers. This isn’t a Rock Band or Guitar Hero situation where the game comes packaged with a big plastic accessory players will need to find a place for.

While some of the consoles Big Buck Hunter: Ultimate Trophy is coming to have motion controls, they aren’t standard on Xbox controllers, and many PCs don’t support them without special add-ons. This means the game likely won’t have a big emphasis on motion controls, at least on platforms where it’s not built in. That said, there are also a lot of new features coming to Big Buck Hunter in Ultimate Trophy.

One nice change is that the visuals and environments have all been remastered. This means that, although there are Treks and hunting Sites directly from across the history of the arcade cabinets, the game won’t be sporting graphics from the year 2000. Although the environments and animals all look more life-like, Ultimate Trophy thankfully preserves Big Buck Hunter’s arcade aesthetic when it comes to its shooting. This means no gory deaths, and even the in-game guns themselves look like their arcade counterparts as opposed to real firearms.

Big Buck Hunter: Ultimate Trophy is also huge compared to previous home releases from the franchise. It has 27 Treks and 135 different hunting Sites, making it three times larger than previous console versions. There is also a wide range of game that the player can hunt, everything from Whitetail Deer to more exotic animals like Cheetahs or even Woolly Mammoths. In addition to the main hunting sites, there are also 27 bonus games, including ones from the arcade versions of the game version, like Pappy’s Moonshine Factory and Space Attack.

Players can choose to hunt alone or with friends. The game’s local multiplayer allows for simultaneous play, or allows players to take turns. Simultaneous play works similar to the arcade, where both players will share a screen, but have different colored reticles to know who is aiming where. This allows for a nice facsimile of the arcade experience.

Finally, the base game also includes a wide variety weapons to use while hunting. This includes weapons previously available in the arcade versions, and also the brand-new crossbow. When players have finished hunting, there is also a trophy room for displaying their most impressive hunting achievements.

Any players who purchase the Big Buck Hunter: Ultimate Trophy DLC will get some additional bonus games. They will also get two new animal Adventures where they will hunt zombie deer who can only be killed with headshots and a massive deer dubbed Buckzilla. The current information on the DLC says there are more features, but no details are given on what exactly those are yet. More information will likely become available closer to the game’s release date.

Source: GameMill Entertainment/YouTube