History VideoGame / HuntShowdown

** The [[DeadlyGas Poison Bomb]] is incredibly useful... In very specific situations: It can tear through the HP of the [[TheButcher Butcher]] boss, who is normally quite the [[DamageSpongeBoss bullet sponge]]. But beyond that, the Poison Bomb is generally outshone by the much simpler and cheaper [[MolotovCocktail Fire Bomb]] which has a much larger area of effect, is much more threatening in PvP, and has more overall uses.

** While several of the weapons in the game share their names with their real-world counterparts (such as the Mosin Nagant M1891, the Vetterli 71 Karabiner and the Nagant M1895 pistol) there are several which are based on real weapons, but have fictional names to avoid copyright problems. In general this trope seems to be averted with the weapons for whom the original manufacturer no longer exists.

** While several of the weapons in the game share their names with their real-world counterparts (such as the Mosin Nagant M1891, the Vetterli 71 Karabiner and the Nagant M1895 pistol) there are several which are based on real weapons, but have fictional names to avoid copyright problems.

''Hunt: Showdown'' began its life as a game called ''“Hunt: Horrors of the Gilded Age”'', which was [[WhatCouldHaveBeen quite a different game]]; originally being a [[ThirdPersonShooter third-person, over the shoulder]] [[CoOpMultiplayer co-op shooter]] similar to games like ''VideoGame/LeftForDead''. However, with the close of the Crytek USA office in 2014, the project was moved to the Crytek headquarters in Frankfurt, Germany, and in May of 2017, the newly re-imagined ''Hunt: Showdown'' was announced. The game became available for Early Access on Steam in February of 2018 and is currently undergoing live development.

''Hunt: Showdown'' is a horror-themed [[TheWestern Western]] [[FirstPersonShooter FPS]] set in a late 19th century Louisiana bayou, developed by {{Crytek}} and currently playable in Early Access on {{Steam}}.

''Hunt: Showdown'' began its life as a game called ''“Hunt: Horrors of the Gilded Age”'', which was [[WhatCouldHaveBeen quite a different game]]; originally being a [[ThirdPersonShooter third-person, over the shoulder]] [[CoOpMultiplayer co-op shooter]] similar to games like ''[[Left4Dead Left-4-Dead]]''. However, with the close of the Crytek USA office in 2014, the project was moved to the Crytek headquarters in Frankfurt, Germany, and in May of 2017, the newly re-imagined ''Hunt: Showdown'' was announced. The game became available for Early Access on Steam in February of 2018 and is currently undergoing live development.
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Players must hire and outfit Hunters before starting a match, and while Hunters can [[RPGElements level up]] after each successful match, a Hunter that dies or fails to extract before the mission timer ends will be [[KilledOffForReal lost forever]], including any gear they were holding and any levels they had. Players have a “Bloodline” level that will always gain XP, even when a Hunter dies, but keeping a Hunter alive until the end of a game is far more rewarding than letting them die, [[CaptainObvious for obvious reasons.]]

** There is no real room for mercy, virtue or honour in Hunt's world. Even though the undead monsters are the default “bad guys” of the story, what with being, you know, ''[[CaptainObvious demons]]'' and everything, the Hunters themselves are hardly pure souls.

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* NintendoHard: Initially, the game had very limited matchmaking, essentially only enough to make sure you weren't matched against veterans within your first few hours of play. After that it was a free-for-all, and the game's relatively low player base made it so that relatively new players were being pitted against some of the best players in the game on a fairly regular basis. The devs have since implemented a much more forgiving matchmaking system to try to pit players against opponents closer to their skill level (this has been somewhat contentious, as the game's hardcore playstyle attracted a sizeable SocialDarwinist fanbase who preferred the free-for-all system). The game's core gameplay still makes it a lot more challenging and tactical than the likes of ''Franchise/CallOfDuty'' or ''Franchise/{{Battlefield}}'', however.

** While not available to purchase, the player can find wood-chopping axes littered across the map, which can be picked up and used as weapons or as tools to break down doors. While they're quite slow, they hit incredibly hard and deal [[DamageOverTime Rending]] damage, which makes enemies bleed.
** While normal axes can't be purchased, the player ''can'' buy an axe in the form of the [[AceCustom “Romero 77 Hatchet”]] – [[SawedOffShotgun A sawn-off single-barreled shotgun]] with an [[GunAccessories axe blade bolted to it.]] Functions just like a regular axe, with the added ability to fire shotgun shells.

** The [[GiantSpider Spider]] boss is a particularly noteworthy example, being a skittering, chittering, arachnid abomination with a [[NightmareFace disturbingly human face]] and twisted, elongated limbs.

** A notable example is the Mosin Nagant Avtomat – A prototype automatic drum-fed rifle made from a converted bolt action. While it certainly looks scary, and is [[MoreDakka absolutely a force to be reckoned with in a gunfight]], it has quite a few flaws that come from being a 19th century prototype weapon: It has no select fire, and will shoot two bullets for every trigger pull, which can be problematic seeing as its ammo is quite scarce in the game world, and its reload mechanism is incredibly awkward and slow. Additionally, it boasts the highest price tag in the game! Making it highly situational and somewhat complex to use effectively. Taking all these problems into account, it can easily end up ''doubly'' AwesomeButImpractical for anyone expecting a standard assault rifle while using it.

** While they're fairly mundane in most other shooter games, semi-automatic and automatic weapons become this in Hunt, which takes place at the end of the 19th century, where most weapons are either single shot, or operate with some kind of manual cycling action between shots. The Dolch 96 pistol, the Crown & King Auto-5 shotgun and the Mosin Negant Avtomat are noticeably modern in comparison to most of the game's arsenal, and the difference in how they feel to use is palpable. It's no wonder they have such high prices in-game! [[FridgeLogic For the time period, they're state-of-the-art tech.]]

** Even present in fictional variants, such as the [[ImpossiblyCoolWeapon Mosin Nagant Avtomat]] – Because it's made from a converted bolt action rifle, it can still reload using stripper-clips... ''Two'' of them. And as with the normal Mosin Nagant rifles, reloading the Avtomat too early will mean needing to load individual cartridges. With the regular five round Mosin Nagant, this isn't too much of an issue, but the Avtomat can hold ''ten'' rounds, so reloading it at the wrong moment can take up a lot of unnecessary time.

** A notable example is the Mosin Nagant Avtomat – A prototype automatic drum-fed rifle made from a converted bolt action. While it certainly looks scary, and is [[MoreDakka absolutely a force to be reckoned with in a gunfight]], it has quite a few flaws that come from being a 19th century prototype weapon: It has no select fire, and will shoot two bullets for every trigger pull, which can be problematic seeing as its ammo is quite scarce in the game world, and its reload mechanism is incredibly awkward and slow. Additionally, it boasts the highest price tag in the game! Making it highly situational and somewhat complex to use effectively.

* TruthInTelevision: As explained below in UnexpectedlyRealisticGameplay, the guns shown are incredibly accurate to their real-life counterparts. Including, surprisingly enough, the chain revolver and Mosin Nagant Avtomat, both of which exist.

* AceCustom: While many of the weapons in the game are based on real world examples, there are several that have been modified by the Hunters for various uses. These include more mundane examples like a lever-action seemingly outfitted entirely for bludgeoning enemies, or the “Nagant M1895 Brawler”, which consists of a [[BoringButPractical knuckle-duster welded to a revolver.]] To more out-there examples like the “Caldwell Conversion Chain Pistol”, which is [[MoreDakka a revolver that's had its cylinder replaced by a 17 round ammo belt]], and the “Mosin Nagant Avtomat”; [[ImpossiblyCoolWeapon a prototype machine gun made from a converted bolt-action rifle.]] Both of which, we should point out, have [[TruthInTelevision actually happened]] in the [[https://fishgame.com/2014/11/belt-fed-revolver/ Josselyn Chain Pistol]] and [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Huot_Automatic_Rifle Huot Automatic Rifle]]

* AceCustom: While many of the weapons in the game are based on real world examples, there are several that have been modified by the Hunters for various uses. These include more mundane examples like the “Nagant M1895 Brawler”, which consists of a [[BoringButPractical knuckle-duster welded to a revolver.]] To more out-there examples like the “Caldwell Conversion Chain Pistol”, which is [[MoreDakka a revolver that's had its cylinder replaced by a 17 round ammo belt]], and the “Mosin Nagant Avtomat”; [[ImpossiblyCoolWeapon a prototype machine gun made from a converted bolt-action rifle.]]

** A notable example is the Mosin Negant Avtomat – A prototype automatic rifle made from a converted bolt action. While it certainly looks scary, and is [[MoreDakka absolutely a force to be reckoned with in a gunfight]], it has quite a few flaws that come from being a 19th century prototype weapon: It has no select fire, and will shoot two bullets for every trigger pull, which can be problematic seeing as its ammo is quite scarce in the game world, and its reload mechanism is incredibly awkward and slow. Additionally, it boasts the highest price tag in the game! Making it highly situational and somewhat complex to use effectively.

** On the other side of the spectrum, there's the [[ImpossiblyCoolWeapon Mosin Negant Avtomat]]: A prototype automatic rifle built out of a converted bolt-action gun. Easily the most fearsome weapon in the game when used in a gunfight, despite it's AwesomeButImpractical nature. In some cases, the mere ''[[OhCrap sound]]'' of this monster letting off rounds is enough to make Hunters turn tail for the nearest extraction point, rather than face off against it in a firefight.

** Hunt's developers have [[ShownTheirWork gone out of their way]] to make sure the guns in the game behave realistically, especially in terms of how they reload. While early semi-automatic, pump-action and bolt-action guns can all be used alongside the older single-shot, break-action and lever-action weapons, many of them exhibit realistic limitations that were present in their real world counterparts:

** Similarly, both the Dolch pistols and the Mosin Negant rifles can be reloaded using stripper-clips, but only while empty. Reloading them early means each cartridge needs to be loaded individually. Fine if you've only fired a few shots, but not so great if you're down to one or two.
** Several guns, such as the Specter 1882 and the Mosin Negant rifles will eject perfectly good bullets if they're reloaded with a round already chambered. This can be circumvented using a trait called “Bulletgrubber” which allows the ejected ammo to be caught in midair, but still requires that it be loaded, so reloading after a single shot will still mean having to load two bullets.

** Even present in fictional variants, such as the [[ImpossiblyCoolWeapon Mosin Nagant Avtomat]] – Because it's made from a converted bolt action rifle, it can still reload using stripper-clips... ''Two'' of them. And as with the normal Mosin Negant rifles, reloading the Avtomat too early will mean needing to load individual cartridges. With the regular five round Mosin Negant, this isn't too much of an issue, but the Avtomat can hold ''ten'' rounds, so reloading it at the wrong moment can take up a lot of unnecessary time.

** Another fairly impracticable weapon is the Nitro Express Rifle. While it isn't a prototype or experimental gun, it ''is'' incredibly expensive for what it offers: A double-barrelled, big bore elephant gun with the highest damage stat in the game, but also with a pathetically small ammo reserve of 4 spare rounds (not to mention the only gun that uses the ultra-rare “Special” ammo), massive recoil, awkward ironsights and a blast that can be heard half a mile away. All of this in a very expensive package makes the Nitro Express a seldom-used weapon, despite being the only weapon capable of killing a fully healthy rival player with 1 shot to the upper torso.

** A few examples exist, with one notable one being the Concentration Bomb: A spring-loaded coil of razor wire rigged to a basic impact trigger. When thrown, it violently unwinds into a massive tangle of barbs and edges that causes Rending damage to anything unfortunate or foolish enough to run into it, and clearing it requires a lot of time and the potential of exposing your position to enemies. The Concertina Bomb makes for the perfect area-denial tool, and can also function as a particularly nasty grenade for active combat situations. All of it in a very cheap and simple to use package! The only downside is that this item isn't unlocked until rank 98, which is only two levels away from the current level cap. However, it's possible that tier-3 Hunters can be hired with one already equipped before it is unlocked in the shop.

** Similarly, both the Dolch pistols and the Mosin Negant rifles can be reloaded using stripped-clips, but only while empty. Reloading them early means each cartridge needs to be loaded individually. Fine if you've only fired a few shots, but not so great if you're down to one or two.

** Even present in fictional variants, such as the [[ImpossiblyCoolWeapon Mosin Nagant Avtomat]] – Because it's made from a converted bolt action rifle, it can still reload using stripped clips... ''Two'' of them. And as with the normal Mosin Negant rifles, reloading the Avtomat too early will mean needing to load individual cartridges. With the regular five round Mosin Negant, this isn't too much of an issue, but the Avtomat can hold ''ten'' rounds, so reloading it at the wrong moment can take up a lot of unnecessary time.

** Another fairly impracticable weapon is the Nitro Express Rifle. While it isn't a prototype or experimental gun, it ''is'' incredibly expensive for what it offers: A double-barrelled, big bore elephant gun with the highest damage stat in the game, but also with a pathetically small ammo reserve (not to mention the only gun that uses the ultra-rare “Special” ammo), massive recoil, awkward ironsights and a blast that can be heard half a mile away. All of this in a very expensive package makes the Nitro Express a seldom-used weapon.

** Seems to be a Class-0, with at bare minimum the rural Louisiana area having been affected by some kind of demonic invasion which has caused a massive collapse in infrastructure and society, and has rendered almost all living creatures in the area into mutated, [[ZombieApocalypse undead monsters]]. However, other parts of the country, and presumably the world, seem to be faring okay. There's enough of a civilisation around that hunting the new monstrosities is a lucrative business, complete with organised groups of Bounty Hunters who make routine trips into the Louisiana bayou to hunt the biggest and baddest monsters in exchange for cash.

* AKA47: While several of the weapons in the game share their names with their real-world counterparts (such as the Mosin Nagant M1891, the Vetterli 71 Karabiner and the Nagant M1895 pistol) there are several which are based on real weapons, but have fictional names to avoid copyright problems.

* ApocalypseHow: Seems to be a Class-0, with at bare minimum the rural Louisiana area having been affected by some kind of demonic invasion which has caused a massive collapse in infrastructure and society, and has rendered almost all living creatures in the area into mutated, [[ZombieApocalypse undead monsters]]. However, other parts of the country, and presumably the world, seem to be faring okay. There's enough of a civilisation around that hunting the new monstrosities is a lucrative business, complete with organised groups of Bounty Hunters who make routine trips into the Louisiana bayou to hunt the biggest and baddest monsters in exchange for cash.

* AnAxeToGrind: While not available to purchase, the player can find wood-chopping axes littered across the map, which can be picked up and used as weapons or as tools to break down doors. While they're quite slow, they hit incredibly hard and deal [[DamageOverTime Rending]] damage, which makes enemies bleed.

* AntiFrustrationFeatures: While the game doesn't pull many punches, there are certain elements of this.

* AntiHero: Most of the Hunters appear to be this, with the lower ranking ones being down-on-their-luck civilians [[OnlyInItForTheMoney turning to hunting as a means to earn a quick buck]], and the higher ranking ones implied to be [[SociopathicHero literal murders and psychopaths]], some of whom even wear human skulls as accessories!

* ArtificialStupidity: Intentional in most cases; most of the enemies are blind and will only react to sound stimulus. Otherwise, they will simply patrol around semi-randomly and won't actively seek out players.

* AwesomeButImpractical: Several of the items in the game tend to fall into this category, often intentionally: Given the game's setting and time period, many of the newer weapons and tools are either hugely expensive, experimental, situational, or all three.

* AwesomeMcCoolName: Given that the Hunters have randomly generated names, which can include titles and nicknames, you can sometimes find Hunters with names like “Captain Jack Justice”, “Sheriff Butch Howard” or “Vance “Babyface” Malone”.
** The name pool also includes names from various nationalities, so this extends out in multiple lingual directions.
** Of course, this can also work in the [[GenericName opposite direction.]] For every Marcus Cain, there is at least one Hubert Smith or equally ordinary name.

* BlackAndGreyMorality: There is no real room for mercy, virtue or honour in Hunt's world. Even though the undead monsters are the default “bad guys” of the story, what with being, you know, ''[[CaptainObvious demons]]'' and everything, the Hunters themselves are hardly pure souls.

* BodyHorror: And how! The game features some truly unsettling enemy designs, all the way from the basic zombies to the boss monsters.

* BoringButPractical: Several of the more reliable tools are this. Either through virtue of being cheap, effective, simple to use, or a combination thereof, they tend to make up the “bread and butter” of most players' kits.

* CursedWithAwesome: In-universe, according to the lore, all the Hunters are suffering from this: Their Dark Sight ability is described as being unpleasant to experience, as it's essentially a way for the Hunters to “sense” the presence of hellish energies. And while they can use it to track down their targets by finding “clues” across the map, these clues come in the form of holes in reality, from which hellish energy radiates. Uncovering a clue, according to the lore, briefly puts a Hunter's consciousness in the mind of their target, forcing them to feel everything that the [[BodyHorror twisted, deformed and monstrous]] bosses are feeling. While this is good for locating said monsters based on their surroundings, the experience is described as being quite traumatic for obvious reasons.

* ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin: While the monster designs in the game are quite unique and creative, the same cannot be said for some of their names...

* TheGunslinger: Most of the Hunters will be some variation of this, given the setting and the available weapons. Can be [[UpToEleven taken up to eleven]] by selecting the “Fanning” trait, which allows single-action revolvers to be fired rapidly.

* HeroicMute: For the given value of [[BlackAndGreyMorality “Heroic”]], the Hunters are this. While they will let out grunts of pain and scream when killed, none of them so much as utter a word in between.

* TheHunterBecomesTheHunted: Quoted word-for-word in one of the game's taglines, and a notable game mechanic: While the players themselves are Hunters, ostensibly tracking down undead and demonic monsters, they can also hunt [[HuntingTheMostDangerousGame eachother]]. Many players prioritise this over going after the boss monsters, in fact, as eliminating your competition early is a good strategy. Given the game's minimal UI and lack of traditional enemy radar, you need to track down your enemies through the use of sound clues and evidence that they leave in their wake.

* HollywoodSilencer: Played straight in the case of the Negant M1891 Silencer variant, which reduces the normally loud revolver to an almost silent whisper. Bonus points for this version of the gun being [[TruthInTelevision real]], but anachronistic by several decades. In real life, a firearm needs both a suppressor and subsonic ammunition in order to truly achieve this effect.

* HuntingTheMostDangerousGame: A valid strategy, considering that other hunters often pose a threat in the form of competition. Killing hunters also brings XP rewards anywhere from 100 to 1000 depending the tier level of the hunter! And the “Hunting” aspect of this trope is played straight, as there is no traditional “Radar” system or kill notifications, meaning other players must be tracked using sound clues and trails of evidence.

* KillItWithFire: One of the most useful strategies when dealing with most monsters, as well as other players: With a few exceptions, fire will kill most AI opponents within seconds, and when used against players, fire damage will burn away permanent HP if not dealt with quickly.

* LightningBruiser: In a nasty twist, even some of the regular Mooks can become this! Although it's most exemplified by the two bosses, the [[GiantSpider Spider]] being more toward the “Lightning” side while the [[TheButcher Butcher]] is more of a “Bruiser”. Make no mistake, though, both bosses are fast, durable and capable of dealing a lot of damage very fast. Taking them on without being adequately prepared is a recipe for disaster!

* MercyKill: If the supplementary lore is anything to go on, this is the case for most of the enemies, and especially the bosses, all of which are implied to be in constant, unending agony. [[BodyHorror Given the way they look]], it's no surprise. Even the least severe examples are literally rotting, festering corpses, while the more extreme cases have some truly horrifying implications...

* MoreDakka: Despite being set in the late 19th century, when the only automatic weapons were early, experimental machine guns that could only be effectively used on tripod mounts, this is ''still'' possible to achieve in-game! The easiest and cheapest way is to simply upgrade your Hunter with the “Fanning” trait, which allows them to rapidly fire single-action revolvers from the hip. While the unmodified pistols don't really allow for too much, there is one sidearm that shines with this trait - The [[AceCustom Caldwell Conversion Chain Pistol]] – A revolver with its cylinder replaced by a long ammunition belt, allowing it to store a whopping 17 rounds! Paired with the Fanning trait, this gun essentially becomes an old-west style machine pistol!

* ImprovisedWeapon: Several of the gadgets available to the hunters are homemade or experimental, especially some of the explosive weapons, but with a few other examples.

* SimpleYetAwesome: A few examples exist, with one notable one being the Concentration Bomb: A spring-loaded coil of razor wire rigged to a basic impact trigger. When thrown, it violently unwinds into a massive tangle of barbs and edges that causes Rending damage to anything unfortunate or foolish enough to run into it, and clearing it requires a lot of time and the potential of exposing your position to enemies. The Concertina Bomb makes for the perfect area-denial tool, and can also function as a particularly nasty grenade for active combat situations. All of it in a very cheap and simple to use package! The only downside is that this item isn't unlocked until rank 98, which is only two levels away from the current level cap. However, it's possible that tier-3 Hunters can be hired with one already equipped before it is unlocked in the shop.

* UnexpectedlyRealisticGameplay: Hunt's developers have [[ShownTheirWork gone out of their way]] to make sure the guns in the game behave realistically, especially in terms of how they reload. While early semi-automatic, pump-action and bolt-action guns can all be used alongside the older single-shot, break-action and lever-action weapons, many of them exhibit realistic limitations that were present in their real world counterparts: