Hunter: The Reckoning — The Beast of Glenkildove
By William Brown
☆ (9/10)
I am very, very impressed with Hunter: The Reckoning — The Beast of Glenkildove (“Beast”). William Brown must have some sort of academic background, because the game is just … quietly confident with its haunting atmosphere, bleak choices, broad freedom, and overall prose. I don’t even know where to start with this review, but I will always endeavor to do my best.
I try to get into the nitty-gritty and summarize the pros and cons of a work in the first part of my reviews. But with Beast, that kind of list almost feels beside the point. My biggest takeaway is the narrative as a whole. Sure, there are things I didn’t love—the frequent hard stat checks, some choices feeling more rigid than they should—but those feel small compared to what the game is doing overall. I wasn’t just making decisions based on strategy or outcomes; I was making them based on what I was willing to believe. And once you commit to a view, it’s hard to shake it, even when the game nudges you otherwise. It made me realize how quickly I default to certain assumptions, and how easy it is to justify them after the fact.
It’s rare when a game makes me think. And I found myself reflecting on what type of person I am. How far can I extend mercy? What is duty compared to safety or freedom? And, honestly, how much of my judgment is shaped by what I’ve already decided to believe? This game highlights the “interactive” portion. You shape the game, and it shapes you. Thank you to the staff for the free copy!
Pros:
Perspective. The biggest pro is how the game treats the Beast less like a fixed truth and more like a reflection. It’s basically a mirror: you get back what you bring to it. If you go in thinking the werewolves are just monsters that need to be put down, that’s what they become: violent, irredeemable, something to hunt. But if you’re open to the idea that maybe there’s still a person in there—someone who can think, speak, maybe even feel—then the game lets that exist too. It ends up feeling less like you’re uncovering what the Beast “really is” and more like you’re deciding what it means. Brown has created an interactive self-fulfilling prophecy. Is the Beast a monster or a man, or both? There’s room to play it cautious, even compassionate … but also to just decide, yeah, no, these are monsters, and I’m putting them down. Neither path feels like the game is correcting you. It just follows your lead, which makes it feel less like a morality test and more like a reflection of your own instincts.
Atmosphere. Other CoG/HG works, like Vampire: The Masquerade — Night Road or Hunter: The Reckoning — A Time of Monsters, are mysterious and suspenseful. But Beast has something the other titles don’t: the feeling of being spooked and uneasy. I’ve never been too afraid of werewolves—they’re furry-adjacent, right?—but god, Brown has woven a world that is so grim, so dark and dour. I mean, I knew I was in deep shit from the first line: “The moment you set foot on the trail up to the O’Donnell place, you know you are being watched.” This “watched” motif resurfaces in subtle and not-so-subtle ways, creating a lingering unease that never fully lets up. Brown NAILS a feeling of eerie, persistent dread that makes you feel like the monster is always one step behind you, even when nothing is there. Literally, you are both the hunter and hunted. Love that thematic shit!
The setting helps a lot with the tense atmosphere. I have absolutely no knowledge of Ireland, so I can’t speak to the accuracy, but I adore the ~vibes~ of it all. But the Irish countryside seems to lend itself perfectly to the WoD: long roads, rolling fields, nothing around, and then suddenly a house that looks like it’s been there forever. The town’s the same way. Small, close-knit, and you’re clearly not from there. People aren’t outright hostile, but they’re not exactly warm either. There’s a hint of otherness about you. There’s a ton of Irish folklore, some dabbles into Catholicism and Anglo-Saxonism, which helps flesh out the setting. If I weren’t playing a game called Hunter: The Reckoning, I would think everyone was NUTS with all this talk about superstition and fables.
Good introduction to the WoD. I quite enjoyed Night Road, but having … what, ten different vampire clans tossed at me at once was crazy. Beast, in comparison, is much easier to understand for a beginner. There are some vampires and werewolves, but no direct lore dumps or mention of the ten clans. The Society of St. Leopad is featured, but the focus is on werewolves. There is a mention of a pack, but again, nothing as in-depth as Night Road.
Good introduction, in general! The first couple of chapters switch from the present time, you as an adult going back to Ireland, and flashbacks to your youth with your friends. Usually, I find beginnings the most boring part of a story, but Brown’s opening is surprisingly strong, especially in how it eases you in before pulling the rug out. It starts light: just a group of friends messing around, exploring places they probably shouldn’t, the kind of setup that feels familiar enough to settle into! And then, bam. The game politely reminds you—one of your friends was attacked by the Beast. Not in a dramatic, over-the-top way, just dropped back in like a fact you’re supposed to sit with. It reframes everything from “this is fun” to “something is very wrong here.”
Emotional and tough choices that matter. There are so many decisions that feel genuinely important, not just in a “pick A or B” way, but in a “you don’t fully understand what you’re choosing between” way. You start off thinking in simple sides—werewolves vs. humans—but the deeper you go, the more it fractures. Alliances shift, histories overlap, and suddenly it’s not just A vs. B, it’s C and D and old grudges you weren’t around for but are still expected to navigate. I honestly lost track of who stood where at times, which is why a glossary or codex would’ve helped—but at the same time, that confusion reinforces how you’re just a puny human in conflict with forces beyond your understanding. A lot of decisions had me sitting there for a minute or two, hovering, because I could tell they mattered even if I didn’t know how.
Awesome ending. Major spoilers ofc, but here’s the ending I got: “You’re saying you’ll help me?” “Don’t get ahead of yourself, pal. I’m saying we’re going to talk. Not every sin can be forgiven, you know. There’s a reconing for everyone. Tonight, it’s yours.” She is looking directly at the vampire in the rear mirror. The vampire notices a scar running straight down the driver’s face, as though made with some horrific claw. And oddly, what the vampire feels at the thought of a recokning is relief. And a terrible kind of gratitude toward this Hunter, for taking on the burden of judgment. I haven’t killed anyone," he says. “But I’ve come close. And I’ve hurt a great many, in order to keep myself alive.” He looks out at the road speeding past. “Where are we going?” he asks, dully curious. “Where does this road go?” The Hunter laughs. "It’s somehow mocking and sympathetic all at once. “This road? The road goes wherever you want it to go.” And if that passage doesn’t fucking encapsulate my philosophy, I don’t know what the hell does!
Cons:
Cryptic and difficult stat checks. While I admire the ambition to have a whopping 9 Attributes and 15 skills, it simply got too out of scope for Brown. I had this issue with The Magician’s Workshop, as well, where it seemed arbitrary as to what skills were tested when. For example, the first real stat check tested the following pairs of stats: Wits & Clandestine, Athletics & Dexterity, Intelligence & Science & Technology. To my great chagrin, I could not pass any. I had high Wits, Intelligence, Charisma, Leadership, and Resolve—and none of the above combinations. Why were those stats picked, especially when other stats were similar? Take Athletics. How is that different from Strength? Or Clandestine versus Subterfuge? Why could I not use the normal Intelligence + Charisma build to talk my way into the situation? I could forgive the one-off, but the whole game is filled with these types of checks. As a result, it feels like the game is promoting a build instead of, you know, having fun. It’s frustratingly punishing in comparison to other CoG titles! The game also features an XP system, but I don’t recall how to get XP. By doing, I assume? Still, if you’re already struggling, you’re going to be hard-pressed to scrape together enough experience to catch up.
Hand-waving and (some) linearity. Bit of an odd con, I know, but Brown has a simple, straightforward cadence while still portraying vivid settings. However, his writing becomes clipped at times. Many times, the whole group will get together, and everyone will go their own way with their own plans. You are told “Claudia is researching monsters on the forums” or “Daniel is going to the fields to investigate and report back.” There’s a lot of telling, rather than showing, what’s happening. Flow-wise, it’s important to read what everyone actually said, rather than be told what I learned after the fact. Like, when did we decide on that? Don’t I get a voite? There are also some moments where you are forced to make suboptimal choices for the plot (I’m thinking of investigating the caves with fungi).
Hand-waving pt. 2. There are some moments when I wish to discuss an important topic with a character, but am not allowed. For example, Kitty’s romance is a slow burn. There comes a moment in your youth when you can kiss her. However, she keeps brushing the topic away for years. Why can’t I talk to Kitty about our relationship at this moment? Of course, for the ~dramatic reveal~ that she is engaged. Still, it doesn’t feel good. There’s another instance that frustrated me, where your Aunt Marie picks you up from the hospital after losing a fight to the Beast. You get a gnarly, noticeable scar on your face and neck. However, she does not address this, and the narrative merely glosses over the aftermath by saying you collapse into bed, exhausted. Lastly, why do I have to hide Áine’s night escapades from Kitty? She’s right there! The information given should be shared at the moment it makes sense, not saved for dramatic effect later.
Too many important choices. Did I put choices that matter as a pro? Yes. Am I saying there’s too many important choices? Also, yes. But to me, as silly as it sounds, some things are too important to be forced to choose between. For example, it’s difficult to be emotionally attached to the different plot beats and characters when you’re forced to choose between them. I can’t get to know Kitty, Marie, Claudia, Áine whilst preparing for the Beast. Some choices actually frustrated me: I was bummed when I had the choice to develop my romance with Kitty or see what her fiancé wished to speak about. Both seem important character development-wise, no? It’s vital to the story to bond with Marie’s daughter, but players usually prefer to focus on romance. It’s stronger for the story if we can do both! Many side characters and plotlines will go untouched.
I have some great games coming up to review … Vampire: The Masquerade — Sins of the Sires, Vampire: The Masquerade — Out for Blood, Werewolf: The Apocalypse — The Book of Hungry Names, Vampire: The Masquerade — Parliament of Knives, The Vampire Regent, and A Kiss from Death. I’m torn between The Vampire Regent, and A Kiss from Death. We’ll see what I review next 
Slice-of-life setting. I have mixed feelings about this design choice (clearly). It’s well-done and detailed—almost too much so. You are granted your powers early, but you can’t focus on them 100%. Instead, you’ll be stuck at your office job, which has its own plotlines. You can decide if you want to work towards a promotion or try to backstab your boss. The conversations with your coworkers, friends, and possible ROs are rather mundane. You’ll literally ask how their day is going, how their family is, how their health is, etc. I’m not sure how to feel. On one hand, this does help the characters feel like normal people rather than genre archetypes. On the other hand, the slice-of-life focus sometimes dampens the excitement that the premise initially promises.
Sorry if I missed it – I skimmed the review bc I haven’t read the game yet.