Hunt: Showdown on Xbox One is a video game developed by Crytek. They are the developers of – but will it run – Crysis and originally of FarCry, which has given them the necessary fame they deserve. The game was first developed by the American branch of Crytek, but due to financial problems and the closure of the studio, the development of the game was transferred to Crytek in Germany.
The game has been playable for quite some time through Beta releases, Steam Early Access, Xbox Game Preview, and I can already tell you that this is most definitely not a game for everyone. Sit back and enjoy, here is my review of Hunt: Showdown for Xbox One.
HUNT: SHOWDOWN HAS ITS HISTORY
Unfortunately, the game has seen a fairly stormy development since its first announcement in 2017. Originally designed as a free-to-play online game, they have since released it as a game you need to buy before you can play. Hunt: Showdown is an online shooter that takes place at the end of the 19th century in Louisiana.
Imagine an old-fashioned Cowboy setting, mixed with zombies and monsters of the occult. Old abandoned farms, swamps, grasslands and villages are your playground. And you have antique weaponry like revolvers, shotguns, crossbows, and more. In short, 19th century weaponry.
You mainly play against each other, or Player versus Player. You do this on a fairly large map with a competitive element. In addition to playing against each other, you also have objectives to achieve on the map, the contracts, or Player versus Environment. This usually comes out in the form of beating a boss after finding a few hints and bringing your rewards back to an endpoint, while you are being chased.
DON’T RUSH THINGS
Because of this theme and the chosen setting, Hunt: Showdown has one very important and interesting fact. This is not a fast game. It is relatively slow, which means that you have to work a little more tactically. You shape your character by focusing on shooting weapons or melee. You can therefore choose between a guns blazin’ style of play, or you are the Sam Fisher of the Wild West.
You start the game with a character and a tutorial that I heartily recommend. It teaches you the basics so that you better understand what the game can offer you and how you should play it. It can be a tough game, thanks to both human opponents and the computer itself. The controls are straightforward and recognizable if you play a lot of shooters.
In Hunt: Showdown on Xbox One, you can choose from a variety of clothing, weapons and other additions, so you can adjust your character to your own taste and playing style. However, don’t get too attached to your character, because if your character is dead, he will stay dead. So there is a downside to this game that you should not take too lightly.
Up to the tenth level, your character is safe with all the experience and rewards you gain, but then it may feel like your world is crumbling into pieces when you die and lose everything. Fortunately, you can compete together with a fellow player. This not only makes the game easier, but above all more fun between all that death and destruction.
ALWAYS ONLINE GAMEPLAY
The game continuously takes place in an online environment. Although this is great, the process of actually playing online is not always quick. In fact, a few times I even had to wait ten to fifteen minutes before I was on the map, and then you need to wait a few more seconds for your fellow players if you are teaming up.
In addition to a mix of a kind of Battle Royale / Goal based gameplay (the main game), there is also another mode to play with called Quick Play. This is a more simplified variant of the main game. You can play all modes to earn experience to expand and strengthen your character so that you can perform better in later missions.
You need to improve your gameplay constantly, because enemies become bigger, faster, more agile and more deadly. Fortunately, you have some other tools besides your weapons. You have a kind of sixth sense, which gives you hints where your goals are. If you find them all, this makes it easier to reach your final goal.
You must always keep a good eye on what is going on in the game, because you will definitely not see everything. I mean, you have the opportunity to pick up weapons such as hammers or axes which could make that enemy battles so much easier. Occasionally you will also find weapons from fallen fellow hunters. Don’t worry, a little grave robbery here and there won’t hurt anyone.
DO YOU LIKE A CHALLENGE?
Hunt: Showdown on Xbox One is worthwhile, but in the end much of the same. The environment therefore feels familiar fairly quickly. It is true that the game is full of interesting places, but because you die relatively quickly, you never really have the feeling that you can discover this at your own leisure.
You can do this, for example, in Destiny. You should therefore see this game more as a PUBG. Depending on what you like and don’t like, this may frustrate you immensely. In the game, you may sometimes make the wrong choice and then pretty powerful enemies will rush to you in no time.
Within two minutes of exploring I found myself dead and had to start again. This seems a little too quick for my liking, but hey, that’s just my opinion. The concept of collecting hints to achieve your goals and rewards can be completely useless sometimes.
Now and then your human opponents waits at some distance to keep an eye on you when you are collecting hints. And then at a blink of an eye, just when you thought you achieved your goal, the guy shot you from a stupid distance. This is therefore a game for persistent gamers who really like a challenge.
CRYTEK NOT IN SHAPE
Crytek is a developer who is known for getting the most out of it graphically. And to be honest, the game is very atmospheric and full of potential. But it does not reach the caliber of FarCry or Crysis. This is mainly because the game has quite a few technical shortcomings.
Most important errors: Internet connections that regularly lead to the end of the game and long waiting times in matchmaking. Graphically, there are occasional bugs. Textures that load late, some effects that just don’t look good, frame drops, and even assets that don’t load perfectly or just don’t load at all.
Something that really stands out is the soundtrack, especially – in my view – the iconic opening theme. This immediately sets the tone for the game. Sound is also important, thank you Crytek! Fragments of glass, hanging chains, bells, or all sorts of sound-making items can cause distraction.
I noticed when making my Hunt: Showdown review on Xbox One, a tactically selected sound on a bell can mean the difference between life and death. And sometimes it means your own death. I must say that there are only a handful of games, especially in an online environment, where the soundtrack is so defining.
It is therefore strange that Crytek did not do that little bit more to incorporate a single player component in it or being more focused on PvE in which you are not necessarily punished that severely.
Recently, Crysis and Hunt: Showdown’s Crytek hinted on Twitter to Down Under, or Australia. For many this will be too late and will drop out because of this gameplay difficulty, I am afraid. And that is a shame, because the potential is enormous!
CONCLUSION
Hunt: Showdown on Xbox One is not bursting with gameplay modes, so Crytek really needs to think about how long and extensive they want to continue supporting this game. Moreover, after actually having been out for some time, I expected the online section to work seamlessly and smoothly, unfortunately not.
Graphically not great quality, but certainly above average. The sound is fantastic. Do you want something different than Red Dead Redemption 2, PUBG or Doom or just a combination of these three? Then give Hunt: Showdown a chance. Otherwise there is a good chance that this game is not for you.
Have you tried Hunt: Showdown for Xbox One, or any of the other Crytek games? What do you think of my Hunt: Showdown review? Leave your thoughts in the comments.
Are you interested in more information regarding Crytek? Here you will find some Crytek news articles and make sure you check out our review for Crysis 3.
