Hunt: Showdown is an incredibly intense and sometimes nerve-racking game that will require a lot from you. In return, it delivers an experience and a world you will have a hard time finding anywhere else.
"Hunt: Showdown" is a multiplayer bounty hunting game set in a dark, Victorian-era world. Players must track and kill monstrous targets, while also avoiding other teams of hunters with the same goal. Successfully banishing a target earns a bounty, but escape with it is a challenge as other players will be trying to kill you and take it for themselves. Each match is a tense, strategic experience with permadeath and a focus on teamwork.
The game features stunning graphics and an immersive atmosphere, effectively capturing the eerie essence of the Louisiana bayou.
Gameplay is engaging and rewarding, with a unique blend of PvPvE mechanics that encourage strategic decision-making and teamwork.
The humor and chaotic moments created by unpredictable gameplay and proximity voice chat add a memorable layer of fun to the experience.
The game suffers from persistent technical issues, including crashes, freezes, and graphical glitches, leading to player frustration and loss of progress.
Recent updates have introduced aggressive monetization strategies, shifting the focus from player experience to cash grabs, which detracts from the game's original identity.
The grinding aspect of the game is often described as tedious and frustrating, overshadowing the enjoyment and leading to burnout among players.
gameplay
25,268 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
36%
58%
6%
The gameplay of "Hunt: Showdown" is characterized by its unique blend of PvPvE mechanics, where players engage in intense, strategic encounters while hunting monstrous bounties. Many players praise the game's atmospheric setting, exceptional sound design, and the depth of its mechanics, which reward careful planning and tactical decision-making. However, recent updates have introduced controversial changes, such as bullet drop mechanics and a self-revive feature, which some players feel undermine the game's original design and balance, leading to frustration and a perceived shift towards more casual gameplay. Despite these concerns, the core gameplay remains engaging and challenging, with a steep learning curve that many find rewarding once mastered.
“Once you understand most of the mechanics, decision making and combat are a blast in this game.”
“The gameplay is fun alone or with friends; it's an extraction shooter that feels fair.”
“The gameplay loop is incredibly satisfying, with the right balance of risk and reward.”
“The gameplay is also in a terrible state; it's full of bugs and the servers are completely unacceptable for a competitive shooter.”
“The mechanics changed since 1896 have been terrible and ignored while the push for Call of Duty-like behavior has increased; the game never needed trademarked or celebrity characters but is just a lesser problem to the fact it simply isn't in a fun state.”
“The gameplay loop relies heavily on audio, which feels amazing, but the game is promoting itself as a high-risk, high-reward, high-tension gameplay, which is far from the truth as of now.”
graphics
15,344 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
50%
44%
6%
The graphics of "Hunt: Showdown" have received mixed reviews following the recent updates. While many players praise the stunning visuals and atmospheric design, highlighting the game's unique aesthetic and attention to detail, others express frustration over performance issues, graphical glitches, and a perceived downgrade in quality after the engine update. Overall, the game's graphics are often described as beautiful and immersive, but the optimization challenges and UI changes have led to a less favorable experience for some players.
“The graphics look stunning, even on my low-end machine (GTX 1650), I'm mostly playing medium-high settings with FSR and it plays about 90-100 fps.”
“Stunning atmosphere: the Louisiana bayou is brought to life with haunting visuals, dynamic lighting, and immersive sound design that keeps you on edge.”
“The graphics are absolutely stunning, with gorgeous lighting and atmospheric effects that create a truly haunting and immersive experience.”
“It's sad to see that one of my favorite games, with entirely unique art, aesthetics, and gameplay, has given in to today's live-service crossover slop standard.”
“The amount of graphical glitches, errors, and inconsistencies is so astounding it's not even funny, not to mention the absolutely terrible movement that feels like you're fitted with concrete shoes.”
“The graphics have really become worse: lighting artifacts and ghosting from poor anti-aliasing make the game look rough and ugly.”
optimization
11,434 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
13%
60%
27%
The optimization of "Hunt: Showdown" has been a significant point of contention among players, particularly following the 1896 update. Many users report severe performance issues, including frame drops, stuttering, and crashes, even on high-end systems, which detracts from the overall gameplay experience. While some players have noted improvements in performance with recent patches, the consensus remains that the game requires further optimization to address these ongoing issues and enhance stability.
“Frequent events can be fun, but if the game doesn't run smoothly, it can ruin the overall experience.”
“Now that they have changed the gameplay mechanics and optimized the game further, I think they did a very great job and this is actually the best game I've played in 2024.”
“The game is well designed and optimized; unless you have a potato PC, even a RX 580 nowadays is at like 60 dollars and plays the game well.”
“But not solving the optimization problem that has been going on for years ruins all the fun of the game.”
“The 1896 update was supposed to bring in new players, but failed to retain them largely due to major bugs and performance issues (many still unaddressed).”
“Tl;dr - they removed content from the game to force out a half-baked update, introduced a litany of bugs and performance issues, and are now allocating more resources to battle passes and crossovers instead of addressing core issues with the game's functionality.”
atmosphere
9,355 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
70%
29%
1%
The atmosphere in "Hunt: Showdown" is widely praised for its immersive and haunting qualities, effectively capturing the eerie essence of the late 19th-century Louisiana bayou. Players highlight the game's exceptional sound design, which enhances the tension and suspense, making every encounter feel intense and unpredictable. The combination of atmospheric visuals, detailed environments, and a unique blend of PvP and PvE elements creates a gripping experience that keeps players engaged and on edge throughout their hunts.
“Incredible atmosphere, tension, sound design, and skins.”
“One of the best atmospheres in the multiplayer space if dark southern gothic horror is something you enjoy or think you may enjoy.”
“Stunning atmosphere: the Louisiana bayou is brought to life with haunting visuals, dynamic lighting, and immersive sound design that keeps you on edge.”
“The atmosphere, the feeling of shooting, the hunter feeling it gives are very nice and addictive.”
“The game's unique blend of pve and pvp elements creates an atmosphere of constant tension and excitement.”
“The atmosphere, the maps, the art style, the sound design... it is all great.”
stability
4,106 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
5%
95%
The stability of "Hunt: Showdown" has been a significant point of contention among players, with many reviews highlighting persistent issues such as crashes, freezes, and various graphical glitches. Despite some players enjoying the gameplay, the overwhelming consensus is that the game remains buggy and unoptimized, particularly following recent updates. Users express frustration over losing progress and characters due to these technical problems, leading to a general recommendation to avoid the game until these issues are addressed.
“The game runs great, looks great, and plays great.”
“Game runs great, looks great, runs stable, and the new engine has been performing flawlessly.”
“Devs have done a great job working on the game, it's now stable and rather bug free.”
“Crashes, freezes, server disconnects and lags.”
“This game is so buggy it's practically an alpha even though it's been out for 5 years.”
“The game's a buggy mess still, matchmaking is almost non-existent in its functionality.”
story
3,525 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
11%
82%
7%
The story aspect of "Hunt: Showdown" has received mixed feedback from players. While some appreciate the environmental storytelling and the lore embedded in the game, many feel that the overall narrative is sparse and lacks depth, with no dedicated single-player campaign or compelling storyline to follow. Players often express a desire for more engaging missions and a richer narrative experience, suggesting that the game could benefit from a cooperative story mode to explore its intriguing setting further.
“The story is fun and I do love to read it all and see its environmental storytelling.”
“Every match is a journey filled with suspense, strategy, and storytelling.”
“The lore and backstory is incredible, and I'm absolutely hooked.”
“The story and setting of 'hunt' are being erased.”
“Lore and story: there weren't much to begin with, but almost all of lore bits that existed within the game has been removed with new update (book of monsters, book of weapons, trials, hunters bio).”
“The story feels more like a random assortment of ideas thrown together than a serious attempt at a compelling narrative.”
music
2,924 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
53%
45%
2%
The music in "Hunt: Showdown" has received widespread acclaim for its atmospheric and immersive qualities, with many players praising the haunting soundtrack created by the in-house band, Port Sulphur. The main menu music, in particular, is frequently highlighted as a standout feature, often described as catchy and memorable, enhancing the overall experience of the game. However, some players express disappointment over recent changes to the soundtrack, feeling that the new music does not match the quality of the original compositions.
“The game is gorgeous and keeps getting better, the music is top tier, and the gameplay loop is fantastic.”
“The whole vibe of this game is immaculate, the soundtrack, the player menus, the weapon designs, character designs, monster designs it's all *chef's kiss*.”
“The music, setting, atmosphere etc. are an incredible mix that enhances the experience to the utmost.”
“The new music seems very edgy and just annoying.”
“Launched the game had my eardrums bleeding from the music the battlepass forced in my face tried to connect with a friend for it to fail every time and then I quit the game.”
“New lobby music is the worst thing I've ever heard in my life!”
monetization
2,683 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
5%
54%
41%
The monetization strategy of "Hunt: Showdown" has drawn significant criticism from players, who feel it has shifted from a player-focused model to one that prioritizes aggressive cash grabs. Many reviews highlight the prevalence of microtransactions, particularly for cosmetic items, which some players argue detracts from the game's original identity and immersive experience. The introduction of battle passes and frequent promotional events has led to perceptions of the game as increasingly predatory, with players expressing frustration over the intrusive nature of ads and the overall user interface, which they feel complicates gameplay and detracts from enjoyment.
“I respect the game, its gameplay, the dedication, art style, and the way of monetization.”
“The monetization in this game is not even close to other live-service games, such as Overwatch (yes, I have a problem), and there are no pay-to-win mechanics.”
“The monetization method is generous and cosmetic-centered.”
“The game has become less player friendly, chasing monetization and other FPS gimmicks rather than embracing the stuff that made it unique.”
“Was a big fan of this game but it now just feels like a buggy cash grab that the developers are no longer passionate about.”
“This game used to be my favorite shooter, but between letting the gameplay decay through buggy interactions and bad design decisions, heavily pushing for ever more greedy monetization, and giving up its identity in that pursuit I can't recommend it anymore.”
grinding
1,395 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
1%
19%
80%
The grinding aspect of the game has received overwhelmingly negative feedback, with players describing it as tedious, frustrating, and excessively time-consuming. Many reviews highlight the cumbersome user interface and the repetitive nature of tasks required to progress, particularly in relation to battle passes and unlocking new content. While some players appreciate the game's core mechanics and potential for fun, the grind often overshadows the enjoyment, leading to a sense of burnout and dissatisfaction with the overall experience.
“It's not grindy, it's not pay-to-win, it's super fun, especially with friends.”
“You only need the base game to use every weapon; weapons unlock very quickly, and there is no grinding in this game unless you want more cosmetics.”
“Risk is higher than battle royale type games since you can lose your hunter/equipment, but not as high as Tarkov since Hunt is not grindy and does not gate items/weapons/skills behind arbitrary tasks.”
“The game is awesome but broken to the point of being tedious and annoying.”
“Not sure what they did to make the game so tedious and cumbersome just to play it properly.”
“The tedious and depressing nature of playing in this optimized way has seeped into the player base itself, leading to a community that, while significantly smaller than other live service products, is every bit as rancid and uninviting as the most notorious of them.”
humor
1,248 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
97%
3%
The humor in "Hunt: Showdown" is a standout feature, with players frequently highlighting the game's ability to create hilarious and chaotic moments, often stemming from its unpredictable gameplay and quirky bugs. The proximity voice chat adds a layer of comedic interaction, leading to memorable exchanges and unexpected alliances, while the game's dark humor and absurd scenarios keep players engaged and entertained. However, the humor is sometimes overshadowed by technical issues and frustrating mechanics, which players find both amusing and aggravating.
“It’s brutal, unpredictable, and full of hilarious disasters.”
“Funny moments, frustrating moments, a whole entire glass case of emotions with this game.”
“Hunt: showdown, developed by crytek, is a side-splittingly hilarious game that combines intense monster hunting, chaotic gunfights, and a whole lot of terrified screaming.”
“I'm pretty sure they have forgotten about the OCE server because the server is so glitchy it's not funny.”
“Each level of rank has such a huge fluctuation of skill within said rank it's not funny.”
“This breaks the game and makes it not funny to play.”
replayability
764 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
45%
51%
4%
The game boasts high replayability, with many players praising its unique mechanics, diverse strategies, and the unpredictability of each match, ensuring that no two games feel the same. While some users express concerns about bugs and limited content affecting long-term engagement, the overall consensus is that the game offers an addictive experience with endless replay value, especially when played with friends. Despite some criticisms regarding performance and content variety, many players find the game to be a rewarding and engaging experience that encourages experimentation and skill development.
“If you're looking for a challenging, heart-pounding shooter with tons of replayability, this game is a must-try!”
“The incredible replay value comes from the fact that no two matches are alike.”
“Endless replayability: with its procedurally generated maps, diverse enemy types, and multiple objectives, no two matches in Hunt: Showdown are ever the same.”
“Before I headed into the game, I expected it to be a 5/10 (just from the looks of the main screen and a few seconds of the trailer), but after playing for 2 hours, I realized it's a 6/10 with no replayability.”
“Fun at first; but the game gets stale extremely quickly and repetitive. It's fun at first to kill a few hours, but I highly do not recommend it if you're looking for replayability.”
“In a world where the most popular games are usually constantly evolving, a semi-competitive multiplayer game like Hunt: Showdown really suffers from a lack of replayability.”
emotional
400 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The emotional aspect of "Hunt: Showdown" is a significant focal point for players, eliciting a wide range of feelings from joy and excitement to heartbreak and frustration. Many players express deep emotional investment in their characters, with the loss of a beloved hunter often described as devastating, while the game's intense gameplay and community interactions can lead to both wholesome moments and emotional turmoil. Overall, the game is characterized as an emotional rollercoaster, where the highs of victory are often countered by the lows of defeat, creating a complex and engaging experience.
“Losing a hunter you’ve invested time in is heartbreaking but also adds to the adrenaline rush of each hunt.”
“It’s honestly heartbreaking to see a game that set a new bar for immersion start to abandon what made it special.”
“This game is so emotionally exhausting, yet I can’t get enough of it.”
character development
134 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
55%
42%
3%
Character development in the game is highlighted by its impressive character designs and atmospheric visuals, which contribute to a unique and immersive experience. While many players praise the aesthetic quality and detail of the character models, some express disappointment over the lack of depth in character progression and narrative, suggesting a reliance on cosmetic updates rather than meaningful development. Overall, the character design is generally well-received, with a mix of intriguing and unsettling elements that enhance the game's haunting atmosphere.
“The character designs and enemy models are both intriguing and unsettling, contributing to an overall haunting atmosphere that is both captivating and terrifying.”
“The character design and overall aesthetic is superb and helps the game carve out a sense of uniqueness among other FPS games out at the moment.”
“I recommend this game to anyone who wants to have a good time with friends and who loves character development!”
“The only things keeping me from recommending it is the absolute terrible character design.”
“All the lore has been removed and replaced with constant season pass-like battle passes, the character designs are moving away from gothic horror cowboy and moving towards movie tie-ins, the mechanics of the game discourage the careful approach to gameplay and encourage just sprinting in with a few of the most powerful weapons.”
“The learning/character development curve is too flat.”