The deadliest prey is not bear, nor boar, nor even bloke; it’s mushroom. Lurking in the leaf litter, the wrong fungus can lure you in with fairytale fanciness then kill you stone dead. Let’s salute the true brave hunters, the people heading into the virtual woods to face down mushrooms in Morels: The Hunt. Released today, it resembles your traditional hunting games like theHunter in that you roam around open-world wilderness filled, look at animals, unlock high-tech gear, and come home with a tasty dinner. Except you’re hunting mushrooms, and shoot only photographs. Having often wished pretty hunting games had strolling modes, I’m game.



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I do not like that game-y ding and +1 when they find a mushroom, but I’m well up for the rest.

Go for a nice stroll, find pretty fungus, see some cute animals, snap some photos, buy nightvision googles and ride an ATV on xtreme night shroomhunts… yes, thank you. I cannot get over how much developers Abrams Studios crib from traditional hunting games. Delightful. It also has a mode to explore the levels freely as a critter.

Morels: The Hunt is out now on Steam for £15.49/€16.79/$19.99. That’ll be my weekend sorted. I’m predicting prettiness, charm, and, y’know, probably jank.

Now if you want a walking simulator turned into a hunting game, I’ll point you towards Ultimate Pâté. Roam colourful hills, meet exotic animals, and blast them with a honking great shotgun to produce different blends of pâté. Oh, and I can’t talk about hunting mushrooms without mentioning Lieve Oma, a lovely game about going mushroom-hunting in the woods with your grandma.