Late 1890’s. The turn of the century marks the last days of the wild west. As part of a secret hunting society, you and your prospective partner(s) are bounty hunters, tasked with the extermination of numerous hell-spawn that now plague the Louisiana Bayou. In a PvPvE match (player vs player vs environment), players are pitted against one another in the hopes of leaving the treacherous swamps… alive if they can. The aim is to outsmart and outgun one-another in order to leave with the bragging rights and rewards of the bounty.

The bounty is earned by defeating a larger boss at an unknown location in the map. These are found by working your way through the various infected creatures in the swamp and discovering clues at nearby farms and compounds. The bosses come in three forms, The Spider, The Butcher and The Assassin, each with their own set of deadly moves. Once located, the intention is to defeat one of said bosses and “banish” it from this world. This takes time. Once complete, you pick up your bounty from the dead monster and exit the map via one of a number of extraction locations, marked on the map. You win! Points and cash all round to buy some shiny new guns and perks for your next run.

If only it were that simple… you’re not the only hunters out there.

Before we continue, hit that play button right there. This game’s soundtrack is badass and makes you feel like one too as you kit out your hunters. This dark lullaby greets you each time you load up the game and will have you humming along in no time.

Boss Lair

There are numerous ways to anticipate, ambush or defend from other players. I shan’t detail them all, but you can get very creative with the tools this game provides you with. If you get to the boss first and successfully slay it, you can lay traps at the entrances and exits to the compound or building you find yourself in. You will find tools nearby such as bear traps or you can bring trip mines to catch intruders off-guard, or at least alert you to their presence. When defending your bounty, you are the focus of attention, as the banishing process will highlight your location on the map for all other players to see. Let alone the racket you probably made killing the thing.

Alternatively, if you are late to the party, you will be the intruder. Whilst plotting your way into the booby-trapped fortress before you, you must also consider your position and surroundings as other hunters will also be on their way. Or perhaps you’re in their sights already.

The third most common tactic is to watch it all unfold from a distance, letting someone else do the dirty work, observing gunfights, taking note of weapons, the number of hunters and where that all-important bounty is. All the while planning your ambush of the bounty carriers as they flee to the exit. This is especially viable if you’re outnumbered or outgunned.

There are dozens of other ways to approach these situations and infinite scenarios within the playstyle and loadouts of hunters. Often matches can end up being lengthy stalking missions or races to the exit. The ultimate payoff is not necessarily in being the best shot with the most kills (although it is nice), but knowing you outwitted someone to become victorious, is so vindictive and often its own reward.

Should you survive but the bounty got away, you may extract and keep your hunter for another day. They will gain experience points based on other activities and kills you achieved during the match.

Sound design

Sound is the single most important aspect of Hunt: Showdown. Every. Sound. Matters. Every noise you hear is a hint to your environment. Crows, monsters, dogs, chickens, gunshots, snapping twigs, water, footsteps, tools, doors, gates, horses, ducks. Yes, this game is full of noisy farm animals. All these things and more, contribute to the atmos of the bayou, giving you warnings on what to avoid or where to find hunters. The animals in particular will give away a hunter’s position if they are in close proximity, but all can be avoided or silenced with a deft touch. Different creatures make different sounds at different stages of “alertness”, which are very recognisable and should not be taken for granted. Often silenced or melee weapons are a stealth players best friend, capable of traversing the map like a ghost and defeating bosses without a single gunshot being heard.

Almost everything that you come into contact with will have a unique sound that can give away your position at any time. Obviously range and position is accounted for and the loudness of each effect will help you locate the direction and distance of said noise. Whether you wish to avoid or engage, is up to you.

The sound design is incredibly detailed and perhaps the strongest feature of this game. Get yourself a decent pair of surround sound headphones before you play this one. It really is the difference between life or death.

Permadeath

Speaking of death. If you die in the game, you die for real! Well, maybe metaphorically you’ll die a little inside. Why? Because that hunter you’ve bonded with, putting your blood sweat and tears into levelling up with perks and shiny gear. Yeah, it’s gone. All of it. Get used to it ‘cause ya gonna die a lot! This game is not only hard but punishing too and the hunters you’re up against know what they’re doing (most of the time). This gameplay mechanic plays into the lore as you are technically hiring these hunters with in-game currency (don’t worry, not real money. This game has very little in the way of microtransactions and they are very non-intrusive).

If your hunter survives enough games and hits a certain level, you can give them mercy and “retire” them. You will lose your hunter but keep their gear and gain xp for your “Bloodline” which is a permanent levelling system for progression, as opposed to the individual hunter levels. This allows you to unlock higher tier hunters, weapons and gear. The higher the level of your hunter, the more xp gained from retiring them. High risk, high reward. Pretty much the motto of this game, yet there is no shame in extracting early to save your hunter. In fact, if you can recognise when to call it a day, it is often wise to do so.

Partners

Not all is lost when you go down. Your friend(s) can save you if you play in a pair or a trio. They can revive you at the cost of one of your health bars. Killed an enemy player? Don’t relax, find his partner before they pick him up. If the partner is a no-show or you think they may be lying in wait for you, you can lure them out by setting the downed hunter on fire. Given time, this will “burn out” the hunter, making them permanently lost. This puts pressure on the surviving partner to come out of hiding and expose themselves in an attempt to save their friend.

Communication is key and at times you can pull of some amazing manoeuvres like a well-coordinated SWAT team. The introduction of the “ping” system has been a great addition to the game. It allows you to place a marker on-screen that your whole team can see, highlighting points of interest like spotting a hunter or warning your friend they’re about to stumble into a murder of crows. This feature is particularly handy when playing with random partners who may be a little microphone shy. Having said that, using the in-game mic will be heard by other players, giving away your position, but sometimes they can make for some hilarious interactions between players.

Dark Sight

Dark Sight is the supernatural vision/sense that hunters possess, perhaps as a result of some kind of initiation to the hunter’s society. This allows hunters to scan the environment for clues, track bounties and see hunters through walls when in possession of said bounty. Like everything else, using Dark Sight will produce a spooky noise, so beware.

Another important spooky noise is one that can sometimes be found at the clue locations. Upon approaching a clue, you may hear a strange noise accompanied by an orange glow emitting from the clue. This means other hunters are close so get ready. If you have taken a clue, it becomes dormant and will not glow. Same applies for the enemy, but you cannot be sure if they have taken the clue yet or not. They may be approaching as you are, or be making their way out after collecting, unaware of your presence. One thing that can help is if the clue is “hollow” before you get there, it means it has been used and that someone else has already been here.

When in possession of the bounty, you are gifted with a boosted version of Dark Sight which allows you to see nearby hunters for a limited time. Now you can plan your escape or brace for the impending siege. It’s also pretty handy to quickly locate hunters whilst in combat. Note that in this screenshot my partner is highlighted in blue, whilst the nearby hunters are the orange wisps.

Weapons and items and perks

The arsenal at your disposal is probably most comparable to one you might find in Red Dead Redemption. A wide array of gunsmith masterpieces, consisting largely of bolt-action rifles and single-action revolvers of the late 19th century. But it’s the way they handle that makes this game so unique. Most of the weapons are slow and require patience and finesse to use. The first time I played and shot my Romero 77 shotgun, only to realise that was my only shot in the chamber, I was intrigued with an audible “Oh? So, it’s like that is it?”. Something about the importance of considering every shot I take, quickly set in and I was gripped by this new style of gameplay I had not encountered often before. Perhaps comparable to a survival horror like Resident Evil in that every bullet counts and you don’t know where you’ll find your next, or even get the chance to reload.

There are a lot of variants and stats between each weapon that make for some interesting meta and loadouts that can make or break any confrontation. Some items I consider essential to bring along. The knuckles dusters allow you to deal blunt melee damage for taking out Immolators, a monster that will explode if shot or pierced. Every item has its purpose, but I won’t list them all today. Regardless they are all thematically embedded into the lore and timeline that sets the scene for Hunt: Showdown.

Upon surviving, a perk point is rewarded for each level your hunter gains. These are then spent on perks, believe it or not. These range from a selection of special abilities that will enhance your hunter to gain a competitive edge. Perks such as quiet movement, faster healing and reduced fall damage to name a few, all have their benefits. Some are more situational than others, so spend wisely. One of my favourite aspects of the perks though, are the images used to represent them. The artistic direction here really delves into the harrowing setting and conjures up some grotesque imagery. They appear as if they were scrawled on an old parchment by some madman.

Early access and dev support

I have been playing this game since it was in early access last year. As a result, I have witnessed the tiresome lengths that the passionate development team at Crytek have gone through to update this game and flesh it out into what it has become now, in full release. Not without its complaints, the roadmap and regular update posts have really kept the player base alive and through healthy discussion and the occasional meme, the subreddit has flourished into a base of fun content, feedback and advice where hunters share tips and tricks. The developers keep regular contact with their players through Reddit and Discord, listening and responding to the majority of feedback. It really feels like we’ve helped shape and improve the game together (bar maybe the janky menu). Updates and roadmap can be seen at https://www.huntshowdown.com/roadmap and the subreddit at https://www.reddit.com/r/HuntShowdown/

Closing thoughts

After 200 hours with the game, the learning curve has been a long one and I still make mistakes that make me want to eat my hat. My hindsight is 20-20, I just need to work that into my foresight.

The world building and aesthetic of a rotten wild west keeps me coming back just to be immersed in that universe. As unpleasant as that may sound, the atmosphere and tension you feel in this game is like no other. The confrontation with other players is so unpredictable and exciting that each encounter is unique.

Despite this I find the game hard to recommend as it is definitely an acquired taste. That taste being salt and regret. The gameplay loop is punishing and brutal and hunters are upping their game and their aim every day. Don’t get me wrong I LOVE this game, it’s seriously enjoyable and gratifying at its best, it’s just a rough journey to become competent and having the ability to hold your own, which I still struggle with. I go through phases of hating this game where I can’t seem to make any kind of breakthrough and I get super salty when other hunters outsmart me. It’s humiliating but I need to remind myself it’s a game and to go in with a positive attitude and just play cowboys with my friends. Put on a country tune and go rootin’, tootin’ and a’ shootin’! It really can be a laugh and we often play better the less we care. So I guess that makes everything I’ve written here redundant….. I think it’s time for bed.

Side note: The game is gorgeous and requires a decent rig to run, but it does have some great glitches. Here is my friend dressed as a Playmobil priest.

I hope this gave a little insight to the world of Hunt: Showdown. Surprisingly, I have a lot more to say about this game regarding specific elements, items, strategies and lore, but I’ll save it. They’re the sort of things you pick up and remember as you go along, finding your favourite playstyle and learning to counter them too. Placing yourself in your enemy’s shoes is key to winning most confrontations. “What would I do? Where would I go?” These kinds of thoughts will help you second guess your opponent but alas, human nature is as unpredictable as it is predictable.

Take care hunters and good luck.

Nighty night,

Miles

Bonus video. If you’re new to the game or are currently a player who struggles like myself, this video was incredibly insightful and taught me a few new tricks…