The 80’s were an awesome time when it came to movies. Sci-fi films were brilliant, action movies were at their best and we got a new style of film noir that merged genres. Many games have tried to capture the feel of an 80’s movie, especially action and cyberpunk and only few come close. I loved the Expendables, which was a great throwback to the action films of that era, and now Huntdown seeks to follow as the next great action movie inspired game, while also bringing in the cyberpunk feel.
Huntdown sees you play as one of three bounty hunters in a futuristic setting. Corporations run everything and gangs run rampant creating havoc. You will take out these gangs and bring in the leaders to collect the bounty, while using a number of weapons along the way. The game is mostly a run n gun style game, but there are some neat twists on the genre. For starters, the game makes heavy use of cover mechanics, as seen in 3D games like Gears of War. Ducking behind a crate or inside a door is a skill you will need to master quickly or you will not get far.
As you go on your hunts, you will start out with a basic weapon while finding numerous sub weapons along the way. Your basic weapon does not run out of ammo, but your sub weapons are limited. That said, you will also find melee weapons and projectiles like grenades, which function differently and need to be adjusted to. Enemies will drop health and more ammo or sub weapons, so do not worry about running low. That said, you can only carry one sub weapon at a time, and some sub weapons are much better suited to boss fights than to standard enemies. As such, you will need to make a judgement call at times over which sub weapon to take and which to leave behind.
Boss fights are very strategy oriented here, and just going in guns blazing will get you killed quickly. Part of the fights are playing keep away, part are pursuing the boss, and part is placing yourself strategically so that you can attack and not take damage for the few seconds you stand still. If anything, Huntdown is a thinking person’s run n gun game and has a lot of polish and depth to it that others lack. Mastering the intricacies ( and finding all the secrets), will take time but is worth it in the end.
The game is great story wise, with multiple shout outs to 80’s pop culture, such as movies, music, tv and more. The visual style perfectly captures the cyberpunk feel the developers were going for and the choice of music is the only weakness. Its not a bad soundtrack, don’t get me wrong. It just doesn’t feel as unique as it could have been, and feels like they were trying too hard to capture and 80’s vibe without it sounding exactly right. Still, that is the only real weakness like I said, which shows how good the game actually is.
All in all, Huntdown is an amazing experience and one I fully recommend. It will challenge you in all the right ways and give you a new way to experience run n gun games and see them in a new light.
Disclaimer: A review key was provided