Hunter

Imagine an open military world in which you can decide entirely for yourself how to accomplish a mission — whether you drive over on a motorcycle, fly off in a helicopter, smuggle yourself in by boat, or simply set out on foot across the island. It sounds like the description of some modern open-world game, except Hunter by Activision came out back in 1991, exclusively for the Commodore Amiga. That's precisely why enthusiasts still revere it today as one of the quiet pioneers of a genre that the Grand Theft Auto and Operation Flashpoint series would make famous a decade later.

The player moves across an enemy-controlled archipelago and receives a series of missions — from sabotage through assassinations to rescue operations — which can be completed in any order and in any way. The key charm is the utter freedom: practically every vehicle, vessel, and aircraft you come across can be used immediately. Tanks, boats, bicycles, a windsurfer, and a helicopter are all available, and the game forces you nowhere. The graphics combined a third-person 3D view with a sprawling map, which felt incredibly open and alive on the hardware of the day.

Hunter wasn't a commercial hit and today belongs more among the cult tips passed around by connoisseurs of Amiga history. Even so, with the passage of years it's seen as a fascinating harbinger of where games would only later head — a free sandbox with its own pace, humor, and an open world to explore. For retro gamers it's a small gem that proves great ideas were being born even at the crossover between the 8-bit and 16-bit eras.