GREAT GAME WITH A GREAT TRAILER
Huntdown feels like a game I would have played growing on my Sega Genesis or Super Nintendo. Some of the best pixel art I’ve seen in a long time, solid side scrolling run and gun gameplay, and a 80s cyberpunk aesthetic. *chef’s kiss* What a wonderful throwback.
The plot revolves around the Huntdown, which is where one of the three playable characters (all with their own attitude, weapon, and sub-weapon) is tasked to go in and take down the gangs overrunning the city. Like the classic movie The Warriors each gang has their own aesthetic with plenty of variation in the enemy designs within each gang.
PLATFORMS: PS4, XB1, SWITCH, PC, MAC, LINUX
MSRP: $19.99
PRICE I’D PAY: $19.99
Each level ends with a fight against one of the gang higher ups and each boss fight feels uniquely different despite gameplay being reduced to a jump, a dash, shooting, and throwing a secondary weapon. It’s impressive how much is done with so little.
Levels also reflect this with how much detail is in them. In one level, a movie theatre was torched and falling apart and in the background was a movie poster for John Carpenter’s The Thing. The design of this game is extremely strong in every aspect. I picked up a sawed off shotgun expecting it to basically just be another shotgun but with maybe more damage, but it actually had a different spread and couldn’t fire as far, which was also true for the enemies that used it as well. There’s also an abundance of various weapons, which all work and look very differently.
I think this game really excels with the modern design choices the developer implemented. Sure, the music is not chiptune but instead modern electronic music and the characters all speak without being lowered in quality to the point of sounding like Altered Beast, but the main modern aspects come from the gameplay. Huntdown is challenging, but not punishing. There isn’t a lives counter, but instead a medal for not dying in levels. It’s a fair way to reward skilled players while not punishing less skilled players by locking off later levels. This game is challenging, but it feels so good being able to work through sections that were giving me some trouble.
The only real place this game stumbles is the lack of online multiplayer. I understand that setting up online multiplayer can be costly for indie developers, but I can’t tell you how the co-op is because we are currently in a pandemic and this game feels like something I would play with a friend over the course of a day. Luckily, the Steam copy has a screen-sharingfeature that means there is a workaround for the lack of online multiplayer, but I am on console unfortunately.
If classic run and gun games are something that piques the interest, Huntdown is a must buy. I am glad the amazing trailer was for a fantastic game. A throwback that doesn’t reinvent the wheel but works out some of the finer kinks of the genre.
Review copy of game provided by publisher.
