Update: More than a thousand hours more and 'Hunt: Showdown' has become my most played game. The latest update (1896) added a load of new features: a new map, an updated engine, improved prestige system, a new wild target, more accessibility, and a wealth of new cosmetic skins. Don't let the "review bombing" fool you - that's primarily about an overhauled UI; the actual gameplay and devotion of the developers far overshadow the inadequacies of the new UI. The new UI is a WIP and will hopefully see big improvements soon!

TLDR: PvPvE in a demonic bayou - the gunplay, tension, memories of clench victories, and desire for revenge will keep you coming back.

I got into Hunt: Showdown just before the 'Light & Shadow' event. I had put it off because I'm usually not a huge PVP fan but I jumped into it with a friend after hearing positive things from another one who had it since the EA days. We played some trios, which for the new beginner is absolutely brutal. Now, it has been almost two years and I have no regrets. The satisfaction of coming out of some insane standoffs makes this game incredibly memorable. The atmospheric details and the sound effects make "reading" your surroundings an essential to good planning, positioning, and competitive play. I wouldn't be surprised if this game makes it into my top 3 most played games.

Hackers, cheaters, & glitch abusers do occasionally occur but the devs do try to deter it and regular updates hope to combat the ever present "cheats as a service" that threaten popular live-service PvP games.

I was looking forward to this and I'm not disappointed. It is different than ZAT - they turned it into a lot more of an Arcade-Shooter but improved it in a lot of areas too. If you played Strange Brigade it is easy to see the marriage between that and ZAT(part 3) in ZA4: Dead War.

-Each character has their own strengths and weakness making character builds more varied and a bit more interesting. Plus you can pick perks to tailor to your playstyle.
-Horde mode is more progressive, as it was in Strange Brigade.
-New kill combo rewards, heavy weapon category, traps, and limited inventory/supply turn previous tactics into more of a run-n-gun style play (again like SB and ZATpt3).
-Laying prone is a thing of the past but you can still sprint, crouch, and vault.
-The game isn't as gritty - following the direction of Part 3 of ZAT - and has a lot more splatter and dry British humor.
-There are lots of Easter Eggs and nods to pop-culture abound.
-Excellently optimized. Long maps and well detailed.
-Several new enemy types.

Sure it is a bit steeply priced even after waiting a year for it to come out on Steam, but the game has a lot more to offer than ZAT or SB and with Season Pass 1 & 2 it would seem that the game is doing well and probably won't be steeply discounted for a long while yet. Hope to catch you all in the game!


Updated after 80hrs more of play:

Some campaign levels feel short towards the later end of the main story but overall there is a good mix of layouts and map diversity. I'm looking forward to replaying them all with a full party of four.

I reviewed the Season Passes separately and you can find the reviews on the Season Pass pages. But in short, Season Pass One is a great deal: the maps, weapons, and new characters make it worth getting the Super Deluxe Edition of the game. Season Pass 2, although having also nice maps and great weapon additions, offers little else worth note (ie: some of the bonus cosmetics are nice but mostly bad filler). Season 2 is inferior to the first and should be, in my opinion, reduced in price accordingly.

Season Pass 3 was announced in 2020 for 2021. I'm looking forward to it.