With nearly 2,000 hours in-game, and typically sitting at 6*, I'm confident I have an extremely strong grasp on this game's vision, gameplay, strengths, and weaknesses. Clearly, with 2k hours, it's one of my all-time favorite games. What Hunt does well, it does best-in-class, or stands alone as a trailblazer in the gaming industry.

I'll preface this with what it does well:

-The new map: Mammon's Gulch. With every map the dev team releases, it's clear they learn, listen to the community, and iterate with constant improvement. Stillwater is blatantly the weakest map with glaring issues. Then, Lawson, which improves upon many of the issues of Stillwater, though still with large stretches of open land, some poor compounds, and pathing that could use improving. Desalle, prior to this update, stood out as the superior map of the three, and was unsurprisingly the most recently added to the rotation. Seeing this continuous improvement is heartening, and shows there's clearly talent on the team, and passionate level designers who understand this game's needs and gunplay. Mammon's Gulch makes Desalle look half-baked by comparison - it's truly a triumph of a map for this dev team, and they should be unbelievably proud of their success here.

-The gunplay. While this will inevitably draw some complains from other long-time players and 6* PC players, it's still true. Yes, Mosin / long ammo remains the meta. Yes, Avto, Nitro, Crown and Dolch are still unbelievably strong, and it's tilting to die in scenarios where you lose for no other reason than you chose to run an objectively inferior loadout. However... in my mind, that's part of the challenge, and fun, and adrenaline of how fights can unfold. I'm a full-time Crossbow + Shotbolt player, and I've hit and retained 6* from this loadout alone. It's "inferior", but plenty competitive, as it has one of the highest skill ceilings (alongside other options like the bow). Now, with the gunplay changes that any ammo can headshot at any range, and with bullet drop and the new map's verticality somewhat diminishing the ultra-long range engagements, there've been far fewer tilting cross-map Mosin Spitzer Sniper engagements that, unless you're running the same, are outright un-fightable. Ultimately, the gunplay feels like it's in the best place it's ever been, even with strong meta picks remaining on the table. If a Dolch FMJ tags me, that's on me for not gunning them down before they had a chance to get a shot off.

-The core gameplay loop. The concept of this game as an occult western with wild traits like Shadow Leap, audio-focused hardcore PvP engagements, and fantastic art design boss/AI PvE engagements, leads to an immersive experience unlike any other. While balance changes that make the PvE element more difficult (looking at you, most recent melee weapon nerf) place additional focus on a *less* fun aspect of the game (I feel the PvE should be secondary to the PvP - making them more difficult just makes the task more tedious, not more fun), there's no way around the fact that once you load into a game, you're likely going to enjoy the experience once you get the hang of it. Though, there's an admittedly extremely steep initial learning curve for new players, as basic Ai like immolators, hives, and bosses like Scrapbeak will inevitably cause some embarrassing and frustrating deaths for new players until they get the hang of how to handle all non-PvP aspects of the game without even having to think about it.


So while this all sounds extremely positive, I have ~2k hours in-game, play regularly, and clearly love this game... why would I "not recommend this game"?

"Review bombing" as a term carries this connotation that people go out of their way to express frustration with overly negative reviews as a way to "punish" a company for what the company often believes to be a minor issue. I'm not leaving this review as part of a "review bomb", nor do I think that's what this community is doing. Veteran players and the core playerbase aren't coming out of the woodwork to vent mere frustration at a change of pace, or a new direction. New players are coming in droves to Hunt - which is great! However, I know numerous people personally (and you can read countless more examples online) who tried the game, and have decided to give it a pass due to the issues that are prompting these negative reviews.

Steam reviews ask if we, as owners of this game, would recommend it to a new player. And, bluntly, in its current state, no, we wouldn't.

The biggest issue that's being mentioned in all these other negative reviews is:

-The UI. No, they're not being overdramatic, and neither am I when I say this is the worst UI I've experienced in any game, ever. I work in digital marketing, often collaborating with my company's UI team, where we rigorously test, pilot, and adjust any new UI updates according to feedback. We also design with one of the most important core concepts of good UI in mind: get people to where they want to go in as FEW OF CLICKS AS POSSIBLE. Identify the most used / high-traffic regions (simple heatmapping can identify this, or even just playing the game yourself and timing how long the new UI takes versus the old one to buy, modify, then equip a hunter, and start a game), and optimize your UI around those core elements. This UI somehow seemed to try to do the opposite. Even when they teased it, the community expressed their deep concern, but the team asked us to "give it a chance" to use it in-game. We did, and all the original criticisms not only still stood, but things were far, far worse than we ever anticipated. The UI is the first thing a new player will see, and it's quite literally HOW you play the game. It's clunky, broken, confusing, and a downright waste of time. This alone is genuinely worth steering new players away from, because frankly I don't want their sentiment toward the game forever tainted due to a horrible first impression.

-The engine. Yes, I know this update made certain vistas prettier. Yes, I know performance is improved on SOME GPUs. However, generally, optimization has been questionable. Entire compounds can take even nice computers down to half their average FPS. High-end GPUs are experiencing massive screen tearing, shadow bugs, and more. While i'm sure these issues will be sorted with time, this isn't my biggest issue with the engine. In fact, it's an issue we've had since before this update, and it's quite literally game-breaking:
Derendering. Essentially, walls, windows, and other visual obstructions (that you can shoot through) disappear completely depending on your settings. Thus, any player can adjust their render distance to "low", and quite literally see through entire buildings - sometimes even within the same compound! This allows for you to be shot while you're inside a building, by someone who sees you floating mid-air on their screen, or crouched next to an open window that, to you, is completely closed. As the victim of a derender, you have quite literally no way to combat it, other than by getting behind a non-penetrable wall (thick stone - but not brick, as this can sometimes be penn'd by Nitro). In a competitive shooter, an engine deficiency that quite literally gives wallhacks to enemy players is unacceptable. Sure, Crytek says they'll punish players caught doing this, but they only actually follow through if there's recorded proof submitted via their website - hardly a user-friendly system, and it's done absolutely nothing to discourage this type of play. If you don't know what walls derender, or are aware that this is a "feature" of Cryengine, as a new player you'll die in places you didn't think possible, to what appear to be hacking players. This will keep happening, with no punishment going to those players doing this, and thus make both new AND experienced players alike want to uninstall this game.

Do I recommend this game? Not until it's fixed.

The "Hunt: Showdown 1896" update has been a major letdown, and the problems go far beyond the universally criticized new UI. The real disaster lies in the poorly implemented MMR (matchmaking rating) system, which has completely thrown off the game’s balance. It feels like the UI designers swapped places with the engineers developing the matchmaking, resulting in a mess on both fronts.

Before this update, while you could encounter sweaty players and campers, the game still offered some balance—after a couple of tough matches, you could land in a more manageable lobby. Now, just having one player with a 6-star MMR on your team almost guarantees being placed in the most unbalanced, sweat-soaked lobbies imaginable. This happens even if you’ve invited newcomers, dragging them into frustrating matches where the game feels impossible to enjoy.

Previously, even top-tier players could expect their MMR to drop after a few losses, which kept the game dynamic and fair. Now, the new MMR system locks players into high-skill lobbies, making it nearly impossible to enjoy balanced gameplay. The update has ruined the progression and balance that once made "Hunt: Showdown" enjoyable, leaving players frustrated and disappointed. Until these glaring issues are addressed, it’s very hard to recommend buying this game in its current state.

The transition to 1896 is the nail in the coffin, sadly.
I can overlook an ever-worsening UI. (Btw, have you tested it at all on PC?)
The new map is great in terms of level design.

Sadly, however, Crytek decided to ruin the old game in favor of their service game agenda.
The transition to the new engine leaves players with less fps overall while not fixing common issues for players like netcode/hitreg/trading (why would you ever do this?)
The 1 hit kill spear on any range on any bodypart is absolutly unjustified and griefs the complete melee-weapon-balance of the game.

Me and everyone I know quit the game—sadly. Before Hunt: Showdown was our go-to game for playing w the boys. The historic gunplay mixed with the intriguin-created world made an incredibly immersive scenario and thus a welcome change to the high-end military stuff like cod or tarkov. Disregarding the entire Lore from this patch on is somewhat understandable because barly any user digs deep on it, yet for me and some others it was a welcome addition, once further ebraceing my liking for the game.

Don't go the same route as Piranha Bytes, listen to the people.

the jokes getting old can you just revert the menus jesus christ the shareholder that wanted this change needs to be hanged

I do love this game, it is my go-to game, my favorite.
But at this state of the game it is almost unplayable. With this engine upgrade that promised optimization... Yeah... no...
It has never been more unstable than this from what I can recall. All from framerate issues for a lot of players, de-syncs and random crashes/freezes that allows to reconnect but does not allow solo-revives to mention a few. And that's without talking about the UI changes. I can understand where the devs come from with trying to make it more console friendly, and I am all for it. The previous UI was not really console friendly. BUT this was not the way. Without talking about how buggy it is right now, by trying to make it "console friendly" (which as a PC player I don't really see much of an improvement) they made it extremely difficult for new players to navigate. By all the confusing sub-menus and navigation between lobby and roster. For example the time required to buy and equip a new hunter in this UI compared to the previous one is quite significantly longer.

That goes but I still like the new map and the new boss (it is a bit too easy to kill) but I see the potential of the game. The devs just really need to sort out the critical issues. Preferably before new cosmetics and skins are released.

I struggle to see myself playing Hunt as regurarly as I did before until these issues remain. I hope to see fixes in the next patches hopefully soon.

TLDR:
The current state of the game is difficult to like, not friendly to new players. Can't recommend this with good faith right now.

Hopefully the next patches to come change my views on it.

I hope to be able to see you in the bayou soon. But not at this time.

The engine enhancements and content refresh have brought a whole new level of excitement and immersion to the game. The improvements truly elevate the overall experience, showing the developers' commitment to delivering top-notch gameplay. The latest updates to Hunt: Showdown are fantastic!

The new interface, with its vibrant main menu and dynamic promotions, allows a more intuitive design and makes getting to the gameplay more exciting! The new features and layout provide a fresh perspective to make navigating the game an adventure in itself. Recruiting and equipping a hunter has never been more engaging. The comprehensive system for managing hunters and their gear adds depth and personalization to the experience. Every aspect of the game has been thoughtfully designed to enhance player interaction and enjoyment.

One aspect that players might find a bit challenging is the process of recruiting and equipping a hunter. The system involves several clicks and screen transitions, and managing items can feel a bit intricate due to the grid layout and mixed skin displays. However, this complexity also means there's a lot of depth and variety to explore. Once you get the hang of it, you'll likely appreciate the customization options available. It’s a great opportunity to experiment with different setups and really make your hunter your own. Especially in the off chance you accidentally spent 5-15$ in premium currency because you erroneously double clicked an un-obtained skin.

You'd think the best part of dying in an extraction shooter is having to re-obtain your perks and gear. Instead, with this new update, it's the delightful endeavor of clicking through 20 screens to get geared up and playing again.

Overall, these updates are a major win for Hunt: Showdown, showcasing a fantastic evolution in gameplay and presentation. The game continues to impress and offer an exhilarating experience for players!

Ok so... Hunt: Showdown 1896:
Is the current UI an unintuitive mess? Yes
Is it even buggier than before? Also yes
Is the game a masterpiece? Definitely yes.

I played all extraction shooters on the market, and I mean ALL of them. Hunt is the most balanced well made extraction shooter out of them all in my opinion. Just the sound design is better than in all of the similar games.
Is the game overall perfect? No. But I trust that this new version of the game will be brought back to it's former glory. Just be a lil patient guys.

Rating: ★★☆☆☆ (2/5 stars)

Hunt: Showdown is a game that stands out in the crowded landscape of multiplayer shooters. From its atmospheric graphics to its compelling blend of PvPvE gameplay, it offers a truly unique experience that few titles can replicate.

As a player who has been involved since the alpha testing phase, I have witnessed both the highs and lows of this game, and unfortunately, it seems that the current state of Hunter: Showdown leaves much to be desired.

Atmosphere and Graphics
The game excels in creating an immersive environment that is both haunting and beautiful. The graphics are impressive, drawing players into the grim world of 19th-century Louisiana. The sound design further enhances this experience, with the sounds of nearby hunters or swamp creatures ramping up the tension with each encounter.

Gameplay Elements
The core gameplay is filled with strategic depth. Players must navigate a treacherous landscape filled with deadly creatures while also contesting with other bounty hunters. However, numerous gameplay and balance issues have plagued the experience over the years.

Neglect from Developers
Regrettably, my enjoyment of the game has been overshadowed by a series of frustrations stemming from the developers' apparent lack of care for the player base. While there have been numerous known bugs, including exploits with ladders and cheats allowing players to manipulate in-game mechanics, it feels like these have been left to fester for far too long. Meanwhile, the developers have prioritized releasing new DLCs and cosmetic items, seemingly more focused on monetizing the game than addressing critical issues impacting player experience.

A glaring example of this is the quick response to a bug related to the in-game currency (BB), which was addressed within 24 hours. However, more significant problems, such as cheaters gaining unfair advantages through shaders and persistent server issues, remain unresolved.

Community Feedback Ignored
Despite the passionate community that has submitted valuable suggestions to enhance gameplay and fix recurring issues, the overwhelming majority of advice appears to go unheard. This has led to mounting frustration among dedicated players who feel their voices are ignored, especially after witnessing the UI overhaul that many consider a disaster.

Conclusion
Hunt: Showdown has the potential to be a remarkable title due to its unique mechanics and atmosphere. Unfortunately, it is let down by developer negligence and a lack of responsiveness to player concerns. As someone who has continually returned to the game, it pains me to say that the current trajectory suggests a prioritization of profit over player experience. For those considering diving into Hunt: Showdown, I urge caution, as the game's inherent potential is overshadowed by unresolved issues and apparent disregard for its community.

Looking at the sun is more pleasant than looking at the UI

New patch comes in:
game performance is unstable, some compunds lower my fps to 30 on low (used to have stable 80 on high)
New menu is one of the worse cancerous console braindead ♥♥♥♥ i've ever used