The exquisite tension of the pervasive unknown,” is how general manager David Fifield describes Hunt: Showdown in a sentence.
Fifield joined Crytek in July 2022 after working on huge games like Halo and Call of Duty but fell in love with Hunt, determined to work on this weird multiplayer FPS. “The atmosphere is moody and forlorn, the landscape is corrupted and threatening, the tension builds with every step that you take, every noise that you hear… and that just keeps building and building, far longer than a typical shooter lets that build up before it just breaks into a gunfight.”
Anyone who’s stepped into Hunt knows exactly what Fifield is talking about. When it launched into Early Access five years ago, it made a strong impression by putting you in a hostile setting with disturbing AI monsters and other players, giving you cowboy-era technology to deal with them. That core experience has remained intact. In its three maps, plentiful overgrowth – maybe the most in the genre – obscures sight lines and makes it possible to stage authentic ambushes. Listening is a rich skill within Hunt, with even a snapping twig in the woods being a helpful source of information. Half a decade later, its emphasis on atmosphere, audio-visual fidelity and gritty gunplay sets it apart from other shooters.
This story is from the June 2023 edition of PC Gamer.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 8,500+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber ? Sign In
This story is from the June 2023 edition of PC Gamer.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 8,500+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber? Sign In
SUNDOWNER
Wipe out a cult with one bullet in CHILDREN OF THE SUN
KENWAY AHEAD
Smooth sailing and pearly whites in ASSASSIN'S CREED IV BLACK FLAG
COUNTER INTUITIVE
PICK & POKE your way through this gorgeous tabletop roguelite
DOUBLE TROUBLE
Whatever happened to MULTI-GPU setups?
MICROPHONES
A good microphone can be the difference between a professional sounding triumph, or a crackly, tinny disaster
BORING PLATFORMER
In a good way! The superb drilling of PEPPER GRINDER is sublimely chaotic
MEIER'S BASTARDISATION
MILLENNIA attempts a spirited but messy coup to Civ's throne
LOOSE MORALS
BROKEN ROADS: a cerebral narrative adventure
CROWN WARS: THE BLACK PRINCE
Tactical medieval combat with a gory edge
NO REST FOR THE WICKED
One of the smartest Soulslikes I've played in a long time