Huntdown

Genre: Action-Platformer

Players: 1-2 Co-Op (Local)

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Review:

Huntdown is an Action-Platformer released across all major platforms in 2020 that takes place in a world that seems styled after the Robocop films – corporations now rule society, gang violence has run amok, and human life is cheap and usually meets a horrible, bloody end. However, where Robocop addresses the issue of violent crime by privatizing and mechanizing the police force, Huntdown has bounty hunters acting as one-man armies blasting through the gangs to take out their leaders.

Much as with Robocop, Huntdown has a very tongue-in-cheek vision of a dystopian future that’s very rooted in the aesthetics of the ’80s. The game’s pixel art visuals are reminiscent of classic 16-bit games, but with a lot of detail in the environments, including delightful animations of police mechs in the background, police forces charging ahead of you only to get blasted away, homeless drunks lining the buildings you go through and reacting dispassionately to the violence unfolding in front of them… this game does a great job of giving players a good feel for the sort of hilariously crapsack world the game takes place in.

However, even more than that, there are all sorts of fun little pop culture references, with many of these delivered by the game’s delightfully cheesy voiced dialogue. One of the game’s three playable characters, a cyborg, absent-mindedly quotes Robocop and then has to correct himself. One of the early level bosses is clearly modeled after an amalgamation of Hulk Hogan and Macho Man Randy Savage, and even the opening narration is delivered with an over-the-top self-serious voiceover that reminds me of the leader of the titular organization in Team America: World Police. All of this is backed by a pretty rockin’ electric guitar-heavy soundtrack that, again, really evokes the ’80s and ’90s era of videogames this game was styled after. Really, I cannot say enough good things about this game’s presentation, as it absolutely nails what it’s aiming for.

When it comes to the gameplay, what sets this game apart more than anything is its cover mechanic, with the game really pushing for players to step into the backgrounds to avoid incoming fire, or duck behind cover. Players can’t get shot by gunfire when doing so, but cannot attack either, and are still vulnerable to melee attacks, explosions, and other area attacks. As a result of this, gunfights in Huntdown tend to be more focused on timing than this genre usually sees, and that helps the game to stand out.

I also really want to commend this game’s local co-op mode. Many games in this genre make this mode feel like a bit of an afterthought, where two players are playing the game at the same time but not necessarily “together”. In Huntdown, players really do need to coordinate your approach – explosive and incendiary attacks can inadvertently damage your partner, players will have to decide who will be hogging which of the limited ammo sub-weapon pickups, and if either player dies the other can even rush over to revive them. Given how this game could have just included a cookie-cutter co-op mode and it would have been fine, it is fantastic that the game went above and beyond to deliver a really well thought-out co-op experience here.

If there’s one flaw I can point to, it’s that movement seems a bit on the sluggish side, which means that dodging bullets isn’t going to be like most games in this genre – you’ll rarely have the time to jump to avoid them, so it makes good use of cover all the more important. It’s probably an intentional choice, but it’s still one that may trip up players used to more fast-paced entries in the genre. I also wish there were a bit more variety in what your character can do, although the game manages to provide variety in the form of its different kinds of enemies.

Overall, Huntdown is an absolutely fantastic entry in the Action-Platformer genre, one that provides some good-quality well thought-out gameplay, excellent multiplayer, and a fantastic presentation with some great tongue-in-cheek nostalgia. Fans of the genre should absolutely give this game a try.

tl;dr – Huntdown is an excellent Action-Platformer that really captures the look and feel of a dystopian ’80s-style future, a la Robocop. The combat here is fairly unique for the genre due to its use of a cover mechanic, and the co-op is excellent. This game may be a tad sluggish, but overall this is an excellent entry into the genre well worth getting.

Grade: B+

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This game has been nominated for one or more of eShopperReviews 2020 Game Awards:

Runner-Up: Best Action Game

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