Hunt: Showdown, a revisit to my 2000 whenever review.

This piece was written, like, a year or two ago, when I had been playing Hunt regularly, because the state of the gaming scene was in such a tragic state that there were 2 to 3 FPS out there that people were playing. There were very few good single-player games, and very few triple-A titles that were of decent quality.

This was written in the early days, before the radical shift in word stability, and before going down the long and darkened road which we have all found ourselves on in the tail end of 2025. It is a little light-hearted compared to the things I write now. I'm tired of living through upheavels and crises, like any other millennial out there. 

I'm tired of worrying if my country is going to be pulled into a war. I'm tired of the rich Oligarchs who try and run governments by throwing money at policy, messing with our lives and having the power over us that they do. It's not fair to those of us who are living under their shadow because their ancestors were the first to invent something. The reality is, there are very few millionaires and billionaires out there who didn't come from some sort of money or were given money by their ancestors, who did terrible things to get ahead of everyone else. Weird tangent, but it's something we all can relate to. 

Video games are what some of us use to get a break from all that stuff I was just talking about. I am lucky and blessed enough to be able to live comfortably in one of the world's most expensive cities. I didn't do anything special to get here; I just keep pushing onwards, trying to survive in this dire situation we all find ourselves in. 

I made decisions I was never prepared to make with the help of my loving and beautiful wife, and they happened to be the right ones. Not everyone who is reading this is that lucky. I hope that life changes for you, I hope that you can enjoy security and safety, and I hope that my words connect with you in some way, be it through this blog or through my stories or published works.

Hunt: Showdown. I've put a lot of time into this game, as it stands, I've played 80 hours of it -about as much as my 800 hours of Apex Legends, I'm pretty proud of that- and about 70 hours of it was me dying all the time and learning to accept the frustration that you feel when losing a hunter you put a lot of time and energy into.

Hunt: Showdown is one of those magical games that frustrate you and anger you, but you'll love every minute of it. Every cent you lose because you failed to aim properly or forgot to reload, every one of your Hunters that gets shot in the back or torn apart by Hell Hounds rends your soul, but will force you to adapt and change.

It's great... You will die... a lot. But when you pull the trigger and you hit an enemy hunter, watching them go down, that is some of the most satisfying gameplay you will ever experience in a first-person shooter.

Crytek created and published this game in February of 2018, with the lead designer being Dennis Schwarz. In 2022, the game is still well-populated and going strong, unlike a lot of titles that are around for a few months and then die out (a la Call of Duty: Whatever it is now...).

The shooting mechanics are great. Within the setting of the late 1800s, you will venture into the stunning survival horror realm toting weapons like block-loaded rifles, lever-action carbines, single and double-action revolvers, very few bolt-fed weapons, and a single automatic rifle that is hell to go up against but quickly runs out of ammo. Among these weapons, you can equip yourself with rudimentary grenades and traps to help in your journey to hunting greatness.

If the choice of 1800s armament and weapon play hasn't piqued your intrest, you take these basic armaments into the vast Louisiana Swamplands that are infested with a demonic virus that has twisted its poor residents into angry zombies and hellish monsters, looking for that sweet payday. If you manage to survive these harrowing hunts, you get to upgrade your Hunter with perks that change your game up. If you die, you lose everything, including your equipment and bounties.

The sound design is spot on and one of the most important features of the game; the ambience is chilling, and your chest tightens every time you hear another hunter's footsteps crunching through the foliage or gunfire in the distance. The TTK (Time to Kill) is spot on; people are usually unable to take more than two shots, depending on where the opposing hunter shoots you, what range, and what weapon they use.

All the weapons and equipment feel unique, whether you are firing a single-action revolver or a bolt-action rifle; they all feel different. This is a fresh change to the FPS genre.

The game is great to play alone or with friends, and the difficulty is akin to a Dark Souls or a Rogue-like. If you enjoy being challenged and a feeling of accomplishment after every Hunt you survive, this is the game for you.

The beautifully dreary and dark apocalyptic vistas, the challenging hunts, and the PVP RPG mixed PVE survival horror is a genre few have ventured into, and Crytek has done it very well. I would suggest anyone who is into these types of games to try this out.

Though it has predatory microtransactions allowing people to buy Legendary Hunters that come equipped with one-time special weapons or equipment, and the Blood Bonds (Premium Currency) are hard to accumulate but can be granted through gameplay along with the main currency, Hunt Dollars, the balance of the game isn't really changed from it.

The good thing about purchasing Legendary Hunters is that you can rebuy them anytime with a bit of an advantage, being given three random perks. You will also get to keep the cosmetic skin of whatever weapon or equipment the hunter came with to repurchase when you unlock that particular item through the easily navigated progression system.

This game doesn't feel like a grind, unlike many games out there now. You can jump on randomly and play and still feel like you're able to keep up with everyone else. This is also supplemented by the ranking system that puts you with Hunters of similar skill and level.

There are a few different modes of play within the game. The Bounty Hunt mode is the main mode, where you go into the map and are pitted against at least 12 other Hunters, all trying to grab the same bounties on the map. The great thing about this mode is that everyone waits until the other hunters are loaded in, so people with slower computers or what have you won't have to worry about the opponents getting an edge.

There are very few weapons or item drops on the map, so you have to rely mostly on the equipment you chose to take into the hunt. However, if you manage to kill other Hunters and survive, you can take the stuff they came in with and take it back out with you to use in another match.

Between the ruthless monsters roaming the map, tough-as-nails bounty monsters, and the lingering threat of opposing Hunters looking to take the bounties for themselves, this game is a wonderful marriage between PVE Survival Horror and PVP FPS.

I would highly suggest this to anyone looking for something new to play in a stagnating industry. Hunt: Showdown, check it out!

In 2025, STILL CHECK IT OUT! It's awesome!