Hunt: Showdown also makes a good impression on Xbox One and PS4.
On Xbox One, the atmospheric multiplayer shooter Hunt: Showdown was shown longer. Now there is also the PS4 version, which also plays with the Update 1.2 equip. The adjustments made by the developers mean that we slightly correct the rating upwards.
PS4 vs. Xbox One: Solid performance on all platforms
The jump from Xbox One to PS4 made the creator of Hunt: Showdown well. Visually, the two console versions differ little, but there are a few special features in terms of resolution.So the PS4 Pro comes to a resolution of 1440p, while the Xbox One X has a proud 1800p. This ratio is reversed on the standard consoles: The PS4 comes to 1080p and leaves the normal Xbox One with 900p behind. Occasional stutters, however, have to accept both standard consoles and cannot always maintain the solid 30 fps on PS5 and Xbox One X.
Off to the swamp
Hunt: Showdown is a pure multiplayer game and sends up to twelve hunters on one of two cards, each of which is quite extensive with one square kilometer each. The goal is to hunt and kill boss monsters (such as a giant spider) hidden on the map, and then use a trophy (meaning lavish bounty) to reach one of the randomly placed exits on the map. Not only other players stand in your way, but also commercially available zombies or other mutated creatures like the so-called swarm mother.
Before each round, which we can do alone, in a duo or in a trio, we buy our equipment with in-game dollars and gained experience points. If we die, all items and the level progress of the corresponding hunter are over – ergo: our hunter is over and must be replaced by a new one. On the other hand, if we return victorious, there is money and experience points for the hunter with which we can equip perks such as “Sprint longer” or “Quieter melee attacks”.
The bounty of the boss monsters, here you can see the disgusting giant spider, is the coveted trophy that all hunters are fighting for (Xbox One X).
So that the whole hunter’s ghost does not become too frustrating, we also move across our bloodline with every round. Their progress determines which weapons and equipment we can buy. We cannot lose anything here, unless we reset the rank if we wish to climb a prestige rank.
The main battle is with old repeating or semi-automatic rifles. Fully automatic weapons do not currently exist – with one exception. Ammunition is also rare; who shoots wildly in Hunt will not get far. Careless shots are also dangerous, because your opponents can hear you over long distances and thus assess where you are.
Stealth in multiplayer, but right
The really spectacular thing about the staging of Hunt is the sound design. As we roam through the forests and swamps, we hear noises such as creaking wooden planks, flies, water or the eerie animal world. The sounds are not only a nice addition for more atmosphere, but playfully essential. Each monster type has its own behavior pattern, which is associated with individual sounds.
After a few rounds we can see whether the hell dogs are still in front of us or whether the swarm mother has already rushed her poisonous insects at us. Even normal zombies can become a problem, especially since they often appear in larger groups and scream at us or throw torches at us. We can only attack the fiery Immolator with blunt melee weapons or from a great distance, because the guy is really explosive.
The swarm mother has poisonous insects on you. Not only does it hurt, it also blurs your vision (Xbox One S).
The ambient sound also plays an important role. If we are not careful, we scare birds, step on loudly cracking branches or walk through crunching glass. This not only brings up nearby zombies, but also enemy players who now pretty much know where we are. Since a headshot is almost always fatal, the wrong sound can quickly cost us our lives and thus our equipment. In addition, the internal voice chat within your group can also be heard by everyone in your area. So silence can be gold.
It’s almost mandatory to play Hunt: Showdown with headphones. At best, you can benefit enormously from surround sound, but a stereo headset is sufficient. With sound over normal boxes you are clearly at a disadvantage.
Tactical depth
Alone or together with up to two partners, we are looking for clues that reveal the position of the boss monsters (Xbox One X).
You heard almost no enemy shots throughout the round. Are they all dead, or are they very careful? How many opponents are still alive? Where could the enemies prepare a trap? All of these questions keep popping in your head as you sneak through the dark forest, being careful not to step on a large branch. Who knows, maybe the next enemy is already behind the next tree. In addition to the great sound design, Hunt’s second major strength is tactical depth and the bottom line is the thrill that results from both. Especially in a duo or trio with a well-rehearsed team, the mistakes of the opponents can be recognized better over time and used against them.
Because the game mostly focuses on a few, but always random, locations, the teams try to outmaneuver each other and lure them in traps – however, it takes a while for a kind of routine to appear, at least in the basics. The learning curve is comparatively steep in Hunt. Over time, however, extremely exciting and satisfying cat and mouse games can arise.
Incidentally, larger teams are not automatically an advantage. If you are a solo player, you will get more bounty if you are successful and can hide more easily. In the trio, on the other hand, you will have to contend with resource scarcity, because all ammunition boxes or plunderable hunter corpses can only be used twice. You also have to share the same bounty with one more player.
From prison to church
Different times of the day and fog support the dense atmosphere of the game (Xbox One S).
Hunt manages to put the two maps Stillwater Bayou and Lawson Delta in a very atmospheric scene. Due to the different times of the day and the varied locations, the cards do not get boring even after many rounds. We explore sawmills, old forts, a prison, churches or dilapidated farms. Each of these so-called compounds offers many tactical points of attack, escape and running routes that change over time into flesh and blood.
In addition to the normal bounty hunt mode, quick play or quick play is added. Here we only play alone and start with a weak weapon. Better equipment can be found all over the map. Whoever found four clues first, is marked and hunted for all others. At the latest when the time runs out, all players, except for the bearer of the marker. The short solo rounds are good for in between. At the heart of the game, however, is the large bounty hunting mode.
microtransactions
You can buy the premium currency blood stamps for real money. This is mainly used to buy skins for your hunters and weapons. Smaller comfort settings can also be used outside of the game with blood counters. For example, for a small price, you can remove your hunter’s perks to make room for another perk. This is not a playful advantage for paying players, because there are blood tokens after each round. For a skin you have to save quite a long time in the normal way. The small comfort functions, which are never necessary anyway, can be used without any problems simply by playing.
Normal zombies alone are not a threat. Nevertheless, they can alert opponents with screams or become a problem due to their number (Xbox One X).
What makes the Xbox version different?
In terms of content, the console version is congruent with the PC. You are currently playing on two maps, against three possible boss monsters and have a variety of different repeating rifles, revolvers, shotguns and crossbows available. The repertoire is still being expanded, but it is already very neat and offers space for many different builds or tactics.
The biggest difference to the PC version is of course the control with the controller. So far it works satisfactorily, but Crytek had to make some fine adjustments in some places. In the meantime, controller support is working properly.
The technology
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On Xbox One X (left), the game looks much better thanks to sharper textures. Nevertheless, there are also fancy effects here and there on the normal console (right).
Graphically, Hunt has to make significant cuts, especially on the normal Xbox One (S). Muddy textures are the order of the day here. It looks much better on Xbox One X. Compared to the normal console, this scores with sharper textures, more beautiful water and better edge smoothing. If desired, the game also runs in 4K. The graphics quality on the X does not match the maximum settings on the PC, but it still looks chic in most cases. There are hardly any frame drops on either console.
The negative is that many textures load very late and objects pop up before our eyes. This not only looks ugly, it can also distract you in tense moments. From time to time we also stumbled across bugs such as stuck zombies, or AI opponents whose model stopped after they were actually killed. In addition, matchmaking sometimes takes a long time and still only sends us in half-full games. That will certainly get better as the number of players increases.
The menu is completely overloaded and confusing. This is especially true on the Xbox, because the controller operation makes it even more annoying (Xbox One S).
Now we come to the menu navigation. With Update 1.0, Crytek has also fundamentally revised the main menu. The result is controversial in the community and the criticisms are very clear on Xbox One. The menu is completely overloaded and littered with small icons. Now we can jump through the different tabs with the shoulder buttons and use various functions with the directional pad, but we don’t achieve everything.
We have to reach filters in the shop or the settings menu with a cursor. It works similarly in Assassin’s Creed: Origins or Destiny 2. However, the symbols in Hunt are sometimes very small, which makes navigation annoying. In addition, the majority of the buttons are simply unnecessary and therefore just annoying. The menu is far from convenient even on the PC, but with a controller it’s a real cramp.
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