Hunt: Showdown (PS4) - Video Game Review
I'm usually loathe to try multiplayer-only games, but this one specifically spoke to my southern roots so I felt it was worth the attempt (it was also on sale, but I won't talk about that). I don't necessarily have anything against multiplayer-only games, however I typically play games for their story and these types of titles rarely bring much to the table on that end. With that being said, I felt it was time to try something new and this one made for a nice break from the more intense games like my previous run of The Last of Us Part II. I played this one on PS4, but it is also available on PC and Xbox One.
1The Hunt: Showdown is a multiplayer-centric first-person shooter that was developed and published by Crytek. It was originally released on PC in 27 August 2019 and for Xbox One on 19 September 2019. It was later ported to PlayStation 4 on 18 February 2020. The overall reception for the game has been fairly good, however most of the most grievous complaints seem to be about the game's lack of content.
The game is set during the late 1800's in a swampy bayou of Louisiana. You play as a hunter who must navigate the marshes and kill all sorts of gothic monstrosities before hightailing it back to civilization with your trophies in-tow. You'll cycle through numerous variants of hunters, so don't get too attached to them (especially as death happens frequently in this game). You can eventually unlock/purchase legendary hunters who have backstories, but they are also only temporary and can be killed or retired as well. In regards to world-building, you can unlock research journal entries in the main menu that provide context as to the monsters you're killing and the weapons your killing them with.
You can tell Crytek put some love and care into this game as there is a lot of fine details in the research journal entries, as well as the overall aesthetics. Locations have names and all of the legendary hunters/items all seem to have some anecdotal information embedded somewhere in the game. Despite all of that, there's a major lack of story in this game. The monster research journals discuss the creatures you encounter in the game, but there's no explanation as to why Louisiana has become plagued with monsters, nor as to the origins of these hunters who are apparently willing to murder each other as readily as the creatures they track.
2As if killing this thing weren't hard enough, I gotta deal with other hunters jumping into my business...
I get it, people, this is a game where gameplay takes centerstage, but I find myself with no attachment to much of anything in the game as there's little to no context behind anything. If the game wanted to exclusively focus on gameplay, I might be more forgiving as games like Fortnite and PUBG have their place, but this game tries to have its cake and eat it by offering an interesting world and premise, but doesn't follow through on it.
Players can choose between four overall activities in the game: Contract Hunt; Quickplay; Trials; and Training. I was actually glad the game sort of mandated some single-player training when I first booted up the game as it protected other players by making me learn the game before joining other full games. New players also get some forgiveness on losses for their first ten matches as the game makes their hunters unkillable for that first set (they can still be downed and take damage in games though). I thought this was a nice touch, as many online multiplayer games seemingly just throw players in the deep end with little to no clue as to how to even play.
*I don't usually have a section called "Interface" in my game reviews, however I felt this aspect of the game deserved its own slot. You'll see why below.
Unfortunately, the game struggles on some aspects of user-friendliness still. First and foremost, I found a glaring flaw in that the user settings can only be accessed while in a match! I have no idea why this is, and I spent a good chunk of time looking in the main menu area for these same settings but couldn't find them (if I'm wrong, please let me know in the comments). Handling stuff like aim-assist and microphone controls while in a game just doesn't gel well considering every second counts in a match, and navigating the menu leaves your hunter vulnerable as they literally just stand there until you're done tweaking. Some of the equipment and skills were a little fuzzy in the details on how to properly use too. For example: I didn't know how to properly use the snake talent until I prestiged a few times and I just happened to see a player do it.
3
If the tabs weren't enough indication, this menu was not made with a controller in-mind
This is one of those games that you can tell was made for PC first and then somewhat crudely ported over to consoles. The main menu is a slog to navigate as you have to scroll a dot around the menu to act as your cursor. There are times when you might click to equip an item but the equip bar grays out as though you can't equip it, however this is apparently a bug as double-clicking an item will equip the item every time. This is a small detail, but cumulatively, it makes me recommend playing this on PC if you are able simply so you can avoid some of these more cumbersome controls.
Sound just might be this game's high-point. Almost as soon as the game boots up, it recommends that players use a quality set of headphones to play with. I will mimic this recommendation as sound is critical to how the game is played. As mentioned earlier, there's little to no HUD in the game, which means players can't track opposing players with a mini-map or other features that are standard staples in most games. Sound is how you track other players though. Dynamic audio will give gamers clues as to where other players are by feeding sound to the player from the direction of where the sound came from. Things like gunshots, footsteps, and disturbed wildlife (fuck the crows) all provide clues as to where other players might be. That same stuff can betray the player as well as they must be careful in where they step and how they decide to play or else they risk warning opposing players on their whereabouts.
I typically played matches in teams of three, which is generally more fun for me as I suck at this game (and most PvP games in-general). I found it annoying that communication between players is relatively limited though. There's a very basic ping system that allows players to point out things, but it's literally a choice of one of two dots (one is red and makes a clashing sound that is generally used to point out dangers). I hate to say anything good about Resident Evil: Resistance, but it would be nice if Hunt had some canned phrases for hunters to use if they decide they don't want to do voice-chat. I personally hate voice-chat, so it sucked that I couldn't voice simple things like "I'm sorry" or "thank you" like I can in Resident Evil: Resistance.
4From a graphical perspective, this game is absolutely stunning! I have no doubt that this game looks even better on a high-end PC, but even the PS4 makes some of the swamps various vistas look stunning. The lighting is really nice as there are numerous matches that take place during different times of the day, while indoor areas are even more thrilling as they're usually pretty dark. I noticed a good chunk of delayed texture pop-ins from time to time on the PS4, but I'm not sure if that's attributable to the PS4, or the game itself (to be clear, I'm playing on the PS4 Pro).
There are two different currencies in this game: dollars and blood bonds. Dollars are used to buy most things like weapons, equipment, and higher tier hunters, however blood bonds are specifically for unlocking legendary hunters and legendary items. Earning blood bonds over time is fairly easy and not too much of a grind, although you'd have to play for a good deal of time if you want to unlock everything. You can use real money to buy more blood bonds if you like, but all the legendary stuff is purely cosmetic so it has no in-game value beyond showing your teammates that you spend too much time playing this game. Unfortunately, some of the legendary hunters and items are blocked behind paywalls so if you want to play as the Revenant or the Archaeologist, no amount of blood bonds will unlock them. I found this kind of disappointing and strange as so much of this game is accessible already. If you're really hankering to play as a legendary character, you can play as them in the Trials Mode, however you won't be able to see yourself (except your hands and legs). Overall, I don't find spending more money on this game worth it at this time.
There's no real end to this game. If you hit Rank 100, you can prestige and start all over with the benefit of one of three options: a big boost on dollars, an experience booster, or a random legendary item. I prestiged twice (I'm around Rank 80 at the time of this writing) and I generally don't mind starting from scratch. It's fun working up the ranks again, however once the experience of doing this gets thin, there's little more to enjoy.
The Best of the Best: Your team getting both marks in a Contract Hunt and making it to the extraction point right before the enemy hunters gun you down.
The Worst of the Worst: The interface is a nightmare. I'm not sure how much is solved by simply playing this on PC, but it certainly saves a good deal of head-aches by probably just navigating the main menu with a mouse and keyboard.
Would I Recommend?
I had a blast with this game, and it makes a nice thing to go back to and mess with from time to time. I really recommend getting this on PC if you have something high-end. The console version isn't bad, but I have no doubt the PC version is the most optimized. With all that being said, if you can find this game on sale, I think it's worth a buy. If you have friends to play it with, I have no doubt it's even better.
----------------------------------------------------Spoiler Comments--------------------------------------------------
- I truly feel sorry for any of the random players I get teamed up with as I'm awful at this game. Even when I have the jump on an opposing hunter, I'm more likely to shoot a perfect outline around their bodies than actually hit them with either of the guns I'm carrying. I would equate my competence level at this game to "friendly NPC" in that I can help kill marks and monsters, but I typically stand no chance against other players and I may occasionally still die from marks. If you ever see a hunter by the name of "Calhooey" in your party, I recommend disconnecting the internet as soon as possible.
(2) RE. (2020). Butcher image. Re-Actor. Retrieved from: https://re-actor.net/hunt-showdown-how-to-kill-all-three-bosses-silent-fast/.
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