Hunt: Showdown, A Review

I figured I would take a break from all my serious writing to complete a quick review for Hunt: Showdown.

Recently (as in this morning) I finished writing a heavy piece called "The Owl Spirit" for one of the lovely challenges Vocal runs. It was depressing, dark, but had a nice ending. I felt that to help get rid of some of that negative energy I would review this excellent game to replace some of that bad energy.

Let me do a 360 here and tell you about this game I've spent a huge amount of my free time. Which I have a lot of now because I was fired from my previous job after reporting my boss for discrimination. (I will write an article on that mess when I finish conversing with my Lawyer)

Anywho, Hunt: Showdown. I've put a lot of time into this game, as it stands, I've played 80 hours of it -about as much as my 800 hours of Apex Legends, I'm pretty proud of that- and about 70 hours of it was me dying all the time and learning to accept the frustration that you feel when losing a hunter you put a lot of time and energy into.

Hunt: Showdown is one of those magical games that frustrates you, angers you, trolls you, and you'll love every minute of it. Every cent you lose because you failed to aim properly or forgot to reload, every one of your Hunter's that gets shot in the back or tore apart by Hell Hounds rends your soul but will force you to adapt and change.

It's great... you will die... a lot. But when you pull the trigger and you hit an enemy hunter, watching them go down, that is some of the most satisfying gameplay you will ever experience in a first-person shooter.

Crytek created and published this game in February of 2018, with the lead designer being Dennis Schwarz. In 2022, the game is still well-populated and going strong, unlike a lot of titles that are around for a few months then die out (A'la Call of Duty: Vanguard... or Battlefield 2042).

The shooting mechanics are great, within the setting of the late 1800s, you will venture into the stunning survival horror realm toting weapons like block loaded rifles, lever-action carbines, single and double-action revolvers, very few bolt fed weapons, and a single automatic rifle that is hell to go up against but easily runs out of ammo. Among these weapons, you are able to equip yourself with rudimentary grenades and traps to help in your journey to hunting greatness.

If the choice of 1800s armament and weapon play hasn't peaked your intrest, you take these basic armaments into the vast Louisiana Swamplands that are infested with a demonic virus that has twisted its poor residents into angry zombies and hellish monsters, looking for that sweet payday. If you manage to survive these harrowing hunts, you get to upgrade your Hunter with perks that change your game up. If you die, you lose everything including your equipment and bounties.

The sound design is spot on and one of the most important features of the game, the ambiance is chilling and your chest tightens every time you hear another hunter's footsteps crunching through the foliage, or gunfire in the distance. The TTK (Time to Kill) is spot on, people usually unable to take more than two shots, depending on where the opposing hunter shoots you, what range, and what weapon they use.

All the weapons and equipment feel unique, whether you are firing a single-action revolver or a bolt action rifle, they all feel different. Which is a fresh change to the FPS genre.

The game is great to play alone, or with friends, and the difficulty is akin to a Dark Souls or a Rogue-like. If you enjoy being challenged and a feeling of great accomplishment after every Hunt you survive, this is the game for you.

The beautifully dreary and dark apocalyptic vistas, the challenging hunts, the PVP RPG mixed PVE survival horror, is a genre few have ventured into, and Crytek has done it very well. I would suggest anyone who is into these types of games to try this out.

Though it has predatory microtransactions allowing people to buy Legendary Hunters that come equipped with one-time special weapons or equipment, and the Blood Bonds (Premium Currency) are hard to accumulate but can be granted through gameplay along with the main currency, Hunt Dollars, the balance of the game isn't really changed from it.

The good thing about purchasing Legendary Hunters is that you are able to rebuy them anytime with a bit of an advantage, being given three random perks. You also will get to keep the cosmetic skin of whatever weapon or equipment the hunter came with to repurchase when you unlock that particular item through the easily navigated progression system.

This game doesn't feel like a grind, unlike a lot of games out there now. You can jump on randomly and play and still feel like you're able to keep up with everyone else. This also is supplemented by the ranking system that puts you with Hunters of similar skill and level.

There are a few different modes of play within the game, the Bounty Hunt mode is the main mode, where you go into the map and are pitted against at least 12 other Hunters, all trying to grab the same bounties on the map. The great thing about this mode is that everyone waits until the other hunters are loaded in, so people with slower computers or what have you won't have to worry about the opponents getting an edge.

There are very few weapons or item drops on the map, so you have to rely mostly on the equipment you chose to take into the hunt. However, if you manage to kill other Hunters and survive, you can take the stuff they came in with and take it back out with you to use in another match.

Between the ruthless monsters roaming the map, tough-as-nails bounty monsters, and the lingering threat of opposing Hunters looking to take the bounties for themselves, this game is a wonderful marriage between PVE Survival Horror and PVP FPS.

I would highly suggest this to anyone looking for something new to play in a stagnating industry. Hunt: Showdown, check it out!