The Hunt: Showdown has gone through many transformations since it was first revealed all the way back in 2014 by the developers Crytek. It was first known as HUNT: Horrors of a Gilded Age and was meant to be set in various parts of the world taking inspiration from Left 4 Dead and Resident Evil.
Instead of taking its players around the world, the developers have instead opted to keep the focus of the game in a 19th Century Louisiana bayou setting. Whether Crytek will add more locations around the globe at later date remains to be seen but they have still given players an incredible setting for one of the most unique multiplayer shooters of the year. Let’s take a look at 5 of the best and 5 of the worst things about The Hunt: Showdown.
10 Best: Survival Horror
The biggest problem with new games in the battle royale genre have is that they are usually too similar to Fortnite and Player Unknown Battlegrounds. Games like these don’t usually bring anything new to the table and the ones that do the gimmick usually loses its appeal very quickly.
The Hunt: Showdown offers something that never gets old in the form of survival horror. The sheer unpredictability of the game’s surroundings, the monsters, and the other players create an incredibly unique horror experience every time.
9 Worst: Needs More Game Modes
There is little doubt that despite just leaving early access that The Hunt: Showdown is a very polished shooter with some excellent mechanics. However, it is very lacking in game modes and maps to explore.
This will undoubtedly have an effect on the game’s longevity for many players. The main part of the game is the Bounty Hunt and then there is the Quick Play and training mode. There is a lot of grinding involved in order to level up so repetition will eventually set in. Thankfully, there is more content on the way but at the time of writing, there isn’t a lot of content for the asking price.
8 Best: The Sound Design
One of the most important aspects of getting the feel of a survival horror game right is its sound design. The Hunt has absolutely nailed this the area of the game at every level especially as it helps build tension when exploring the game’s levels.
Sneaking through the noisy terrain or avoiding a murder of crows while nervously hoping to not give away the player’s or their teammate’s positions induces dread and fear so effectively. Additionally, hearing gunshots firing off in the distance as other players reveal their own locations is something that should be experienced with a good set of headphones.
7 Worst: The Lack Of Characterization
The continued rising popularity of games like Apex Legends and Overwatch is thanks in large part to its distinctive and memorable characters. Despite being multiplayer games players will still connect to their favorite characters creating a dynamic narrative and connection of their own.
The Hunt: Showdown is completely lacking in this area. While it offers players different play styles to choose from the characters themselves are nothing more than avatars. Crytek has worked hard to create an incredible world filled with amazing monsters but there is a lack of characterization to set it apart from other multiplayer games.
6 Best: The Terrifying Monsters
The Hunt: Showdown’s dangerous Louisiana swamplands are filled with all manner of villainous monsters to make the player’s life a misery. Crytek’s abominations are some of the most disgustingly well-designed monsters seen this generation.
Even the most common zombie enemies are grotesque to look at and something to be feared. No matter how good one gets at the game, they should never be underestimated. The Lovecraftian bounties/bosses are by far the most terrifying, the spider, in particular, is horrifying enough to create an arachnophobe out of even the most hardened hunters.
5 Worst: The Lack Of Singleplayer
In addition to the lack of multiplayer modes, the lack of a single-player story mode in a game that seems to be tailor-made for it definitely takes away from the experience and longevity. Furthermore, with the lack of distinctive characters the game needs something to build upon to create its own sense of lore and depth.
The Hunt: Showdown’s horror themes are perfectly suited for a story mode even if the developers Crytek chose to implement a more environmental approach to storytelling like the Dark Souls series, The Hunt seems to be perfectly designed for this approach to world-building.
4 Best: It’s Very Rewarding
It goes without saying that The Hunt: Showdown is a tough and unpredictable game where careful planning and precision can quickly go out of the window. So many things can go wrong in the blink of an eye but for fans of the genre that is part of the appeal.
It’s appealing because tenacious perseverance rewards players that are willing to put the time in. Unlike similar games where the rewards are nothing but cosmetic items like skins that are designed to compel its most dedicated players into parting with their cash. Instead of sinking an unrealistic amount of time for very little reward, with enough XP players in The Hunt can purchase new weapons, traits, abilities, gadgets, and more.
3 Worst: The Loading Times
Make no mistake, the loading times in The Hunt: Showdown can be excruciatingly slow. The map designs themselves are seamless, huge and take a long time to traverse and explore. This would explain the lengthy waiting times, but many inexperienced players are going to get frustrated with getting killed early in matches to be met with another loading screen.
As a result, new or impatient players could be instantly turned off by the frustrating loop of getting gunned down and waiting a long time for a new game again and again.
2 Best: The PvP Is Excellent
The PvE aspect of The Hunt is an extremely well done but its the way it seamlessly works with the dynamic and unpredictable nature of the PvE aspect that makes this game stand apart. Once players have defeated their bounty they have to perform a summoning ritual that alerts the other hunters on the map to their location which leads to conflict.
There is also an overwhelming feeling that another hunter could have the player in their sites watching their every move just biding their time. There’s an inescapable feeling of paranoia that no other game of this type can match.
1 Worst: Needs More Bosses
When The Hunt: Showdown was in early access players only had two bosses randomly generated for the Bounty Hunts. This was a small number and obviously players expected a lot more when the game received a full release.
Unfortunately, Crytek added just one more bounty boss character into the mix so, in addition to the small number of maps and game modes, it’s seriously lacking in content for a full game out of its early access phase.
NEXT: 10 Horror Video Games To Play Before Resident Evil 3
