After two years of playing, which admittedly is still not that much in the grand scheme of things, I believe it is finally time to write a review for this game. And, to start things off, it has been one of the single most enjoyable games I've played in my time, so despite several very obvious flaws, I have to give it a positive review. I'll also say it right now, for people not too familiar with the game, that when I say "COTW" I simply shorten the name "call of the wild".

POSITIVES:
- The graphic department has outdone it's job on every occasion. Every single map is absolutely stunning, and despite several weirder choices (trees in caves on Emerald Coast?) the maps are 100% a huge positive in the case of COTW. Sure, there are hiccups here and there, Hirschfelden still has some rocks inside pre-built cabins, but overall the scenery is gorgeous.
- The animals and their anatomy, from what I've seen at the very least, seem to be top-notch as well. Not all animal models are as beautiful as the scenery, mind you (I've heard bad things about Bison models, though personally I don't see much issue with them, to each their own I guess), but most are still awesome, and the TruRAC system for antlers and horns on the animals that have those adds to that by a mile.
- The free version of the game comes with maps with really expanded solo questlines, so that playing alone is still enjoyable and has its merits in obtaining cash fast. The quests are nothing groundbreaking, but they do tell a coherent-esque story, and they're pretty fun to follow along with. Now, I know this extends to the earlier DLCs of this game as well (I can vouch for Medved Taiga, the story there is great too), but I've noticed a dip in quality of the story in newer maps (Emerald Coast story is probably the single worst excuse for a "story" I've seen, I'll be honest) BUT, that's a topic for separate reviews. When it comes to base game, the stories are great.
- Each map comes with at least one Diamond (highest* score rating animal) and some form of a rare pattern at all times, so that the player isn't completely bent over by the rng. Sure, they likely won't be easy to find, but they're THERE, so you can't get a low roll and be left with nothing at all.
- YOU DON'T NEED TO OWN THE DLC MAP TO PLAY ON IT! It was an absolute shock for me when I learned that. You are 100% free to join any online session on a paid DLC map even if you do not own the DLC this map is in. This means that each and every map is able to be experienced without buying additional DLC content.

Having said that, it's far from all good...
NEGATIVES:
- Some design choices when it comes to animals are... questionable. Note that I'm not talking about the graphics here, as I previously stated those are great - the problem is primarily in animal size classes. For some reason a lion is higher size class than a moose or a crocodile? This may not seem like a big deal, but it does artificially inflate the difficulty of the animal as you won't be able to take it down with lower caliber ammo.
- A bunch of what I consider "must-haves" are locked behind paid DLCs. This includes tents, tripods, bloodhounds, night-vision binoculars and waterfowl decoys (for free maps, waterfowl from paid maps have decoys in the map DLCs... mostly). The trophy lodges are also paid, and they DID release a free lodge lately - which is an improvement, though I heard it is apparently species locked to animals that are only available in the basegame? I haven't tested it myself, though, so take that with a grain of salt. Now, it's important to say here that it's 100% possible to play the game and enjoy it without those DLCs above, but they do make the experience significantly easier and if you're trying to compete you'll have a drastic disadvantage if you don't have those.
- Somehow, the game seems to be in a more sorry state with each update... As of writing this (September 2023), the game is still great, but I am worried about the direction it's taking. A while ago we had a problem with certain species of animals (Grey Wolves on Yukon being the most notable from my experience) where they just wouldn't flee - they'd stand in spot meaning you could decimate entire populations if you wished to do so. Now, this got fixed by now, but somehow we have even more bugs now after that got fixed... Player animations appear to be completely broken, some animals STILL refuse to move (though far rarer than before now), online sessions will randomly kick you out sometimes for the fun of it, sometimes on online session some animals will just start stuttering or phasing in and out of terrain... And, we've had that one problem for months now, where apparently the FPS, internet connection or something else entirely appears to affect your character speed. When I am hosting the game on a good PC, my friends move at about 1/3 of my speed. Why? Your guess is as good as mine.
- The DLC quality has dropped. You could argue that the addition of purely cosmetic DLCs is bad - I won't. If they don't mean we get less content DLCs then let them be. At least they don't offer an advantage over anything. The real problem is visible with Emerald Coast. Graphically the map is absolutely stunning, but it seems... so low effort... Like I said before, the story is the worst excuse for one I've ever seen in a video game, and some other aspects seem to be immediately rushed, as well, such as the Magpie Goose decoys being labeled "Greylag Goose" on the map... The DLC is still fun, but there is a very visible dip in quality, and it is a worrysome thing to think about.

All in all, however, I'd say that if you can look past the bugs, COTW is an amazing and very enjoyable game to play, be it alone or with a friend (personally I suggest multiplayer, though, but that's subjective). As of September 2023, the game is still great, and despite some questionable choices and apparent lowering of quality control, it is still one of the most enjoyable games I've played and can still thoroughly reccomend it.