On the mayhem-filled streets of a hyper-violent future version of society, marauding criminal gangs have taken control. Police are all but powerless – fighting desperately in the face of overwhelming odds – the public is in hiding and it's now down to hardcore bounty hunters with an insatiable hunger for cold-hard cash to wade into the bloody morass and take down the thugs that have turned the city into a smouldering warzone.
Easy Trigger Games' Huntdown is a retro side-scrolling arcade shooter that takes the 16-bit stylings of the classic run n' gun games it seeks to emulate and ramps up the graphical detail and wanton destruction beautifully. Meaty gunfire rips through walls, splinters wood and tears human targets limb-from-limb in fantastically gory detail; the game's glorious cyberpunk battlefields left a bloody mess of broken bodies and busted backdrops as your stone-cold bounty hunter shoots their way from contract to contract, taking down the bosses of various gangs as they wrestle back control from the vicious thugs and hooligans who have made every street corner and alleyway their home.
The tone here is very much The Warriors, the gameplay a direct call-back to classics such as Contra, Metal Slug, Robocop and Renegade. Platforming, for the most part, takes a firm backseat to straight-up shooting as you mow your way through short, fast-paced levels stuffed full of roller-skating hockey thugs, leather-clad punks and bike-riding greasers wielding everything from iron bars to the very latest in futuristic automatic weaponry.
Choosing from one of three bounty hunters – the zero-tolerance Anna Conda, cyborg John Sawyer or hard-boiled recon droid Mow Man, you (and a friend if you're blasting through the campaign in local co-op) receive your orders from the Wolf Mother, spokesperson for the Shimamoto Corporation, who'll provide you with intel on the whereabouts of five bosses for each of the gangs spread across the various areas of the city. Take down the five bosses and you'll loosen the grip of that gang on their respective area.
Each of the three bounty hunters at your disposal in Huntdown has a different primary weapon but all share the same move set, alongside the ability to pick up a ton of secondary weapons that they'll find strewn around the game's various battlegrounds. As well as getting tooled-up with rocket launchers, remotely-detonated bombs, sniper rifles and futuristic machine guns, your avatar can also dash to avoid attacks, kick nearby foes, slide across the ground, take cover behind objects and in shadowy corners as they march into relentless enemy gunfire.
The ability to push up on the D-pad, Rolling Thunder-style, in front of darkened doorways and alleys to take shelter, popping out to return fire at a goon who's doing exactly the same, is just one those gaming mechanics that immediately makes the gunfights you're involved in look and feel super cool. These moments are further embellished by the whizzing, whistling and loud pings of bullets as they fly by or ricochet off nearby surfaces. Your hunter can only shoot horizontally in front of themselves and – although this rather unique restriction takes a little getting used to – it helps focus the action, making taking cover and using platforms to get a clear line of sight on enemies a vital part of staying alive.
The various areas that make up Huntdown's futuristic cityscape are each broken up into five short zones which all follow much the same pattern; you'll jump out of your futuristic sports car, blast your way through an initial open area then head indoors to fight through a few screens-worth of scum before reaching a boss battle. Clear the boss and you'll get a chance to return to your vehicle before heading back out to rinse and repeat in the next zone of the mission. If there's one aspect of the game that we did feel a little disappointed with it's this lack of diversity in structure, having the flow of levels play out more or less the same every time. Sure, each area is stuffed full of new types of goon and each has their own flavour and style, but there's no escaping the fact that they all follow the exact same script with a little bit of outdoors, then indoors, then boss.
However, this lack of variety in how missions flow is more than made up for by just how good it feels to blast through these deadly gauntlets, the fine detail in every aspect of the pixel-style graphics infusing everything you do with a real sense of satisfying momentum and weight. Your bounty hunter feels great to control as they manoeuvre through gunfights, their clothes swooping and swishing as they jump and slide, their weapons turning enemies into bloody giblets and scenery into smouldering ruins as they leap around platforms and take cover from the crazed mobs piling out of subway trains, emerging from sewers and arriving on all manner of vehicles in an attempt to take you down.
Adding to this is the constantly high quality – and quantity – of the boss battles you'll come up against. From fast-paced shootouts in wrestling rings to face-offs against cocky greasers riding hoverbikes, sneaky snipers and a standout dust-up against a crazed hockey goalie in a monolithic stadium full of goons, all of the many boss battles here manage to strike a perfect balance between being challenging without punishing you to the point of rage-quitting. Indeed, across the board, Huntdown does a great job of resurrecting this old-school style of run n' gun gameplay whilst leaving the often soul-destroying difficulty of coin-up classics at the door – well, at least it does on normal mode.
There's also a surprising amount of spoken dialogue for your choice of hunter as well as all of the bosses and thugs you come up against during the campaign. The bosses, in particular, are a standout element in this regard and there's lots of personality injected into each and every one of them as a result. There are also lots of fun little retro pop-culture references to pick up on as you blast through Huntdown; one early boss with a very familiar Russian surname repeatedly tells you that she must break you as she tears around the screen, whilst another, a crazed war-veteran, constantly rambles on about "the horror, the horror!" as you attempt to avoid his heavy machinegun fire and grenades. The soundtrack too, an excellent mixture of atmospheric retro-futuristic synth and heavy metal elements will, from time to time, drift into a few bars of something very familiar – there are smatterings of Terminator and Robocop in there for sure, and it's a ton of fun picking out all these little references as you blast through the game.
In terms of replayability, there are three difficulty settings to choose from starting out in Huntdown, with a punishing Badass mode unlocked once you play through the entire campaign, and each level also has a few hidden stashes to uncover or retrieve from fast-moving couriers in order to earn a perfect ranking – you'll also need to kill every goon in an area and avoid death completely if you wish to gain all three medals that net you this achievement. Local co-op is also perfectly implemented and blasting through levels with a bounty hunter pal really does add to the longevity here. Performance-wise on Switch, Huntdown manages to stick to a flawless 60fps in both portable and docked modes, looking and sounding excellent whilst doing so and we didn't experience any crashes, bugs or other issues during our time in either solo or co-operative play. Overall this is a super slick and stylish package that's packed full of excellent boss battles, meaty weapons, satisfying controls and some top-notch graphics and audio.
Conclusion
Huntdown is a delightfully detailed and expertly crafted throwback to old-school run n' gun arcade shooters. The 16-bit graphical style is immaculately recreated whilst adding lots of modern bells and whistles to proceedings, including a fantastic soundtrack and audio design, optional CRT filter and an arsenal of heavy-duty weapons that chew scenery and enemies to pieces as your bounty hunter makes their way from boss fight to excellent boss fight. The flow of levels may be quite repetitive but the moment-to-moment gameplay, overall sense of fun that comes from the level of carnage you can dish out, surprising amount of hammy spoken dialogue and constant pop-culture references all combine to make this one an easy recommendation, and another excellent addition to the Switch's action catalogue.
Comments 83
Hmm, Coffee Stain Studios is a subsidiary of THQ Nordic? We might see a physical release for this down the road.
This game is incredible. It’s already in my top five favorite Switch games. The controls are so fluid, the soundtrack is sensational, and the game is actually challenging. I do wish there was more variety in the level challenges but aside from that I don’t have many complaints.
Game of the year so far for me. Absolutely stunning execution on all fronts with an evident love of the source material (both films and games) from the devs.
This game looks wonderful. Will definitely pick it up soon.
This game is extremely well done. What little I got to play last night, convinced me to come back to it. Soon.
It's such a badass game, might get it during a sale.
What’s up with female Nick Fury in the main image?
Perfect game, for me its a must buy!
Needs online multiplayer coop.
Tempted to go to Tesco to pick up a gift card and get this after some chicken n rice. This looks superb x x x
No online multiplayer, than no buy for me.
SOLD!
...yep mr website sir. That's all I can think to say.
One for the "download someday" list. It looks very sweet.
It's a great and wellmade game, so glad I picked it up. Haven't been as nailed to a game Since katana Zero
Waited 3 years for this game. Played all day yesterday. Exactly what I hoped for.
Looks incredible! Might be a game my bro and I need to play! We loved Blazing Chrome!
The 90’s Euro shooter graphics look fantastic, definitely checking this out.
Immediately took a shine to this one as soon as I saw the trailer. It was so Amiga, I couldn't take my eyes off it.
I'm goin to get it, but not decided what machine to get it on.
Enjoyed Blazing Chrome immensely so I’m a all over this.
It must be such a pain hand drawing pixel art. Imagine having to get all those little squares straight...
I must own this physically. Please make it available physically! It is Love at first sight. They totally nailed it.
Will wait a few months for the inevitable half price sale
Not necessarily the place for this, but then again can’t think where else to post this...
Unreal have just unveiled a game tech demo, running in a PS5, using the Unreal 4 Engine. It looks FANTASTIC - mind blowing the level of realism they’ve managed to achieve.
Anyway - if y’all get the chance, check it out - preferably on a big 4K screen. Utterly beautiful.
@Shiryu oooohhhh yeeeeeah....the perfect blend of beef and spice...
I’m really impressed by what I’ve seen here. I’ll give it a go I guess.
Ohh- this looks delicious. Adding it to my queue now! 😎
Wow- this is incredible. May has been amazing for games so far- this, lonely mountains downhill, void bastards, fury unleashed, jet lancer and ion fury tomorrow?? If only we didn't have to go to work...oh wait......
He's been a man ever since he was a boy!
Hilarious trailer. I'm going to be all over this like a hot flannel.
@Shiryu you win the Internet for using Macho Man Randy Savage.
@NoNoseNosferatu Once you have the game you will understand, YEAH!
@andyc777
That's "female Snake Plissken".
She's TFU.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UkZoPBO7i2A
@Shiryu THE CREAM WILL RISE TO THE TOP, YEAH.
They did a great job with the graphics considering the art style but this is a genre that I really grew out of.
Sounds great. It's on my wish list and I'm tempted to just get it without waiting for a sale.
@andyc777 Don't know where to put it? Well, you could for example make a new forum topic about it, and add the official video from Unreal Engine's YouTube channel as well.
Oh, and by the way: it's Unreal Engine 5, not 4...
But yeah, definitely beautiful. And running on a PS5. Just imagine how good it will look on the more powerful Xbox Series X...
Looks great, sounds great, and I've only seen positive reviews so far.
This definitely goes onto my to buy list for the end of the month.
Good stuff...
@ThanosReXXX I really did say the Unreal 4 engine, huh? Guess that’s proof if ever it were needed that it’s been a long old day. Ten to nine, and think I’m just about ready to get into bed for the night...
@andyc777 Ah, don't feel bad. We all have those days every now and then, so it can happen to the best of us.
I get most good looking games on switch on first sight. I already had it in my collection when I read people online fawning over it so lol I had to play it. It sure is outstanding. Pairs well with Streets of Rage and Animal Crossing. Especially if one has a retro den as I do. It just works so well on a Sony tube TV via a framemeister and sat beside posters and arcade units I’ve collected. Hats off to the developers!
I love this game. I would not change a thing....ok I lie. I would love for someone to come up with a game like this but use graphics reminiscent of the old RoboCop arcade game. Any between this game and Fury Unleashed I am in heaven.
Tempted 🥳 This sounds pretty amazing
@PortablexombieV2 I was blown away the first time I saw the Robocop arcade machine! The graphics and sound were/are awesome 😊😊👌🏻
Awesome game. It is A 10/10. It is perfect in its own genre. Not just style, it has substance.
Not feeling the derivative art style (would've preferred if it'd been inspired by the RoboCop and/or/vs. Terminator comics rather than the games), but I'm still looking forward to this!
@ThanosReXXX Ah- I see you’re man of taste and culture as well.. 😎
When i start with Anna Conda i remember instatly Snake Plissken from New York Escape, the scenarios are like the Warrior movie and the game itself remember my childood and the hours i "spent" playing "Demolation Man" .
This game enter in the Hall of Fame of videogames, with a lot of 80/90 references it's a most to have and only 20 euros for this gemn?
The music remember the 80's serie B movies, the dialogs remember the Warrior movie and the graphics are precious, thank you Easy Trigger and Coffe Stain to remember we don't need good graphics, we need games to make a trip to our memories and to our dreams, and this game it's was a ticket for my childhood!
Streets of Rage 4 and Huntdown in the same month it's something special!
@Magician 100% already confirmed by the developers.
This is a straight 10.
@Shramm Good graphics, these are beautiful graphics. moving works of art.
@YANDMAN yop you know what Im talking about (oh switch its so bad, look at that graphics...and so on )
@DevlinMandrake that what i think when i start play it. Escape from New York / Los Angels refereences.
Wow played last nite and going in again in a mo. This is so fun. It makes me smile that no matter what the future brings with all this tech and advancements in this medium with all these fancy graphic names and games requiring 100 gb, that it’s games like this which are stylistically beautiful, simple to play and 16 bit style that will bring me the most joy x x x x
@Shramm
Definitely. Escape From New York is one of my favourite films and Plissken is a legend. The first thing I thought when I saw the trailer is that Ana is based on Plissken.
There are loads of other references in the game. There's a minigun called Ol' Painless (Predator), there are film posters for Aliens, Akira and The Thing in one stage and I swear the yellow pods with robotic legs at the start of level 3 are pulled from Akira. And Bad Boy Bob on level 3 is a reference to the scene where Snake Plissken is forced to fight Ox in the wrestling ring.
@NoNoseNosferatu I certainly like to think so, and any classic arcade-alike is always welcome in my book.
And in case you're wondering: yes, I do own a copy of Escape from New York as well.
Downloading now, this game just looks the business. And looks like a lot of effort and nostalgia went into. Can't wait to play it.
Games like this prove you don't need top of the range graphics or realism. Just good ole' fashioned run'n'gun
@ThanosReXXX did we just become best friends?
Also- John Carpenter films are awesome. I adore that man and his work, even his music is top notch.
@NoNoseNosferatu Well, that all depends on whether or not you prefer the classic zombie movies over the modern "zombies are fast-moving predators", and if you're not one of those "60fps or it's unplayable" gits...
@ThanosReXXX I love both versions of said flesh eaters. I don’t care for the 60fps debacle at all. Lol.
@NoNoseNosferatu Ah... too bad about the zombies. Re-animated corpses just can't move fast. It's a scientific fact, and nothing is scarier than seeing death coming at you slowly but surely, all while knowing that escape is inevitable. These World War-Z type "infected" (they're not even calling them zombies anymore) are just stupid.
In that respect, at least The Walking Dead is still doing it right. And the title of that series also says it all...
@ThanosReXXX one of my favourite zombie flicks is Return of The Living Dead- they had runners all over the place. Slow movers are fun to blast apart in games though; as for the cinema- I love them in all shapes and sizes. Like Peter Jackson’s Brain Dead (DeadAlive) where the infected are essentially suffering from an extreme form of rabies. Lol.
@NoNoseNosferatu Don't get me wrong: some of these movies or games can be fun or interesting in their own right. I've played and enjoyed the Left 4 Dead games, and one of my favorite and sadly WAY too short-lived series was The Passage (only one season was made, in case you don't know it, but it's still worth the watch)
It's just that I prefer "real" zombies, and due to them being re-animated corpses, with the accompanying rigor mortis, they would simply never be able to move fast.
@ThanosReXXX I agree with you there. Lol.
@NoNoseNosferatu Oh, and on a side note: I also love the character Nosferatu. I've seen the original black and white movie, and the excellent movie "Shadow of the Vampire" with John Malkovich, which is basically a fictionalized documentary about the making of the movie Nosferatu, but you probably already know that.
But just in case you don't: it's highly recommended viewing material...
@ThanosReXXX I’m an avid fan of horror/science fiction films and I’ve always wanted to see Shadow- I downloaded the film just now, will offer my thoughts when I finish it?
Thank you for the recommendation; Willem Dafoe is one of my favorite actors of all time.
@NoNoseNosferatu Yeah, he's pretty good as well, but Malkovich takes the trophy in this movie, in my opinion.
And sure, let me know. I'm curious what you think about it. For reference's sake, you should also look up the original black & white movie on YouTube, which is simply called Nosferatu. After you've watched that, you will be far better able to appreciate how much care went into representing that movie and the surrounding story in Shadow of the Vampire.
@ThanosReXXX Nosferatu (the original film) is one of my favorite silent films of all time, along with Metropolis and Das Cabinet Des Dr Caligari! Ooh- I’m getting even more excited for Shadow, now.
@NoNoseNosferatu Well, I'll be looking forward to your verdict, then.
This game is great. It and sor4 have been a cool step back into the games I used to play. I love the sound in this game.
@ThanosReXXX watching it tonight after work; I watched it for a few moments this morning. Cracking good stuff so far.
@NoNoseNosferatu Ha, I had a feeling you'd like it. By the way: I was completely mistaken about who had the best role here. It's definitely Willem Dafoe as the vampire, although Malkovich is a VERY close second.
Somehow the parts got switched in my head, since it's been quite a while since I've seen it.
@NoNoseNosferatu After you've seen it, you may also appreciate all the movie trivia:
https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0189998/trivia?ref_=tt_trv_trv/
I say after specifically, because of potential spoilers. But I do always love these trivia lists...
@ThanosReXXX an honest mistake, mate. I love dark comedies like these with a slight meta narrative. A wink to the audience and avid film buffs alike; ya know?
@ThanosReXXX IMDb is a hoot with those trivia columns. Will dive into them after the flick. (Spoilers make my skin crawl, lol)
@Nerdfather1 I love the game also. But hopefully they'll do a sequel with more variety in level design.
For example, a lot of the levels (especially early on) are played during night time, and there's a whole lot of buildings and concrete.
It would have been nice to break up that monotony early on, with some levels shown at sunset, giving the level a beautiful "orange" glow.
Little things like this would have been very welcome, so hopefully the devs can read this and improve in the future.
What initially put me off was the name, It literally sounded like a mobile port and also because I never heard anything about this game building up to it's release. Upon probably watching one of the greatest opening cinematic intros to a retro game, I can wholeheartedly say 'Huntdown' is the perfect name for it.
GOTY so far for me. An unprecadented level of detail has gone into the pixel graphics, sprite animation and the soundtrack. A pure tribute to classic 80s/90s movie videogame adapatations. There is also full voice acting which really brings the world to life.
I can agree somewhat with the level structure and the same side objectives you get in every level. But it seems this game was developed with speed running in mind. And it will take some real practice to be able to tackle these short but action packed levels without getting killed.
The game is amazing, through and through, if you like run and gunners, you'll love this. It is also very challenging but never unfair, enemies all have distinct 'tells' and bosses have attack patterns you can memorise. But you can quite easily die a good 20 odd times per level.
In terms of replayability, I believe another difficulty unlocks after completing it on hard mode. You can also try and tackle the additional 3 challenges on every level. Which I am positively sure will keep you very busy for a while especially the 'one life' challenge. Getting those perfect ratings on each level is going to take some practice.
This is top tier and is up there with critically acclaimed indie titles such as 'Katana Zero', 'Celeste' and 'The Messenger' and not to be missed.
Honestly if you’re not playing this game you’ve been left behind. It’s better than it has any right to be.
Just played this today and it's genuinely great. The level of quality in every aspect of the game from presentation and graphics to controls and gameplay is very clear. Brilliant stuff.
@DockEllisD And it is imo.
@DockEllisD Actually, now that I go back to check out Blazing Chrome again it might be better in many ways for it's sheer variety of gameplay styles and the satisfaction of the outlandish weapons and the multi-directional shooting and so on, but both games are just brilliant so it's win win all round.
@Shiryu , LMAO BAD BOB
GREAT GAME! Sick sleaze and gore 16bit!!!!
I'm a "15m session" kind of player at this stage in my life. Huntdown is EXACTLY the kind of game I am looking for. I've been pecking away at it for going on 2 years now and I'm something like 66% through. exquisite.
Nlife got this one wrong, 10/10 😗🎶
This is currently £3.59 in the sale. Been meaning to pick it up for ages - here we go!
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