Do you see that in the distance? What is that? A car-sized spider…? Great. It’s time to explore an arachnophobe’s worst nightmare: Huntsman. An immersive single-player horror game that revolves around arguably humanity’s most feared animal – the spider.

Developed by independent studio OnTheHouse Studios and published by Ten Image Publishing, Huntsman is currently available to play on Steam/PC. 

Welcome to Atherton Labs, a top-secret and spider-infested research facility where you’ll be working security. You don’t have a fear of spiders or anything like that, right? Because it’s here at Atherton Labs where you’ll be tasked with searching for clues while keeping an ever-watchful eye out for giant, hairy, creepy-crawlies.

Evade and survive through the halls of the derelict lab while avoiding AI-controlled arachnids. Will you be able to find your way out, or will you end up as spider dinner? 

Huntsman gameplay is really quite simple. You’ll mostly be running through the dark, unsettling hallways of Atherton Labs while adding loot to your inventory, collecting clues, and attempting to avoid the massive 8-legged monsters along the way.

You’ll have the option to pick up several objects while exploring the lab. You can throw objects at the spiders as distractions, hopefully aiding you in a clean (and fangless) getaway. Frustratingly, I found it difficult to grab certain objects unless my character was crouching.

You also can’t open doors if you have an object in your hand, which makes progressing through the lab somewhat tedious at times. During your exploration of Atherton Labs, you’ll find notes scattered throughout. Collect these notes to gain access to the full story of what happened here in the abandoned lab. Press TAB to open your inventory to view your current objective and items you’ve collected along the way, including notes and evidence. 

While exploring the lab, you’ll surely encounter various types of overgrown spider enemies. You cannot fight them, so avoid them or distract them with thrown objects. I enjoyed the various types of spiders featured in the game, including huntsman spiders, trapdoor spiders, tarantulas, and orb weavers.

Their AI movement feels realistic, and approaching them feels scarier. Although the spider movement is decent, being killed by them is lacklustre. It would be entertaining to see different animations when the spiders catch and kill you. It was actually refreshing to hear your character groan upon death, something different from the minimal base-game audio.

There isn’t much to report on when it comes to game audio in Huntsman. The spiders running sound like a basketball dribbling, and the powered-down lab is extremely quiet during most of your exploration. There is no music and a noticeable lack of dialogue. Yawn. Huntsman also has very simple visuals that make it feel dated. The lab itself distinctly lacks detail, especially considering it’s a place you spend so much time in.

Where are all the people? It feels as if nobody else has ever died in this lab. It would’ve been a nice touch to see the bodies of other people who fell victim to the giant monsters that constantly roam Atherton Labs, a reminder of what could happen to you at any moment. I was also expecting to see much more cobwebbing around the facility, considering it’s a permanent home to such large arachnids. 

The Huntsman story doesn’t feel original, and the game itself is missing personality. I found the tasks we are given in-game to be painfully monotonous. I’m not afraid of spiders, and I can’t help but feel like the horror aspect of Huntsman is lost on me as someone without arachnophobia.

This game was made specifically for people with arachnophobia, and unfortunately for the game developers, that isn’t me. But for those with arachnophobia, by all means, feel free to use Huntsman as exposure therapy! 

Written by: Nattia Jones