Hunt: Showdown, developed by Crytek (the studio behind Crysis), presents a compelling premise: a fusion of zombies, mutated arachnids, and other horrors set in the 19th century American frontier, complete with cowboys and period-appropriate weaponry. As an online multiplayer game, it necessitates competition with other players, allowing for either cooperation or a race to complete the objective first. A diverse arsenal is available, with more powerful equipment unlockable through extended gameplay.
The game exhibits impressive graphics and meticulous attention to detail. During testing on the editorial team’s Xbox One X, the 4K resolution delivered a visually striking and atmospheric experience. The enemy designs are suitably unsettling, and encounters within dimly lit environments, such as stables, often result in sudden, brutal attacks.
However, this is where my unreserved praise for Hunt: Showdown concludes, as several shortcomings must be addressed. As previously mentioned, this is primarily an online player-versus-player (PvP) experience, similar in design to Vigor. Players compete for the same objectives within a shared environment. Unfortunately, the server population during testing was sparse. Much of the time was spent navigating the environment solo, locating clues using an in-game “magical power” to pinpoint the lair of the final boss, and then attempting extraction. This boss-driven, capture-the-flag gameplay loop can quickly become repetitive, and the limited presence of other players reduces the opposition to primarily AI-controlled zombies, which exhibit simplistic behavior and are easily dispatched.
The game offers three difficulty settings, each providing a distinct gameplay experience. The highest difficulty presents a significant survival challenge. Training modes are also available, allowing players to hone their skills before engaging in live scenarios.
The overall challenge can feel somewhat diminished, leading to a sense of tedium. A particularly jarring element is the rapid disappearance of enemy corpses, which detracts significantly from the game’s immersion and visual fidelity. While the necessity of this feature, likely due to the demands of an online environment with numerous persistent objects, is understandable, the implementation could have been improved. Instead of simply vanishing, the development team could have implemented an animation depicting decay or disintegration, mitigating the outdated aesthetic reminiscent of early first-person shooters.
In conclusion, Hunt: Showdown boasts a stylish presentation and a compelling core concept, but ultimately falls short of its full potential. The consistently low server population, particularly concerning for a game heavily reliant on player interaction, is a significant issue. While pre-release access for journalists often explains sparse player counts due to limited availability, the fact that Hunt: Showdown has been publicly available for a month raises concerns. The game achieves a passing grade, but its shortcomings prevent a higher recommendation.
