Summary
After making its return with abig name change and new engine,Hunt: Showdown 1896has had quite the mass revival. As players flock back to appreciate the uniqueness of this extraction shooter once again, Crytek continues to prove that this gem is one that stands out from the masses of other similar titles right now. With an addictive game loop and plenty of variation between matches, there’s a lot for players to get stuck into.
With the recentThe Harvest Of Ghosts updateto the game,Hunt: Showdown 1896now adds an exciting limited mode Bounty Clash into the mix too. Finally delivering some way for players to jump quickly into PVP action, this popular new addition has seen a quick rise to success. Fighting a handful of teams in close combat for one bounty token,Hunt: Showdown 1896has never been this dangerous, fast-paced, and fun ever before.
5Just One Bounty Token
Strategic Thinking Needed
A core detail aboutHunt: Showdown 1896’s gameplay falls in its loop of fighting bosses and claiming bounties to extract with. But Bounty Clash as a mode switches this up, giving teams just one bounty token rather than two for their banishment of the boss target. While this may not seem the biggest change, such a small detail can completely change how players go about their fights.
As the most competent player should now be tasked with gathering the bounty, the rest of the team is left in the dark awaiting their call-outs. Reliant on those 5 seconds alone, and a teammate that knows where to look for teams around them, this mode really encourages a lot more strategy than ever before.
4Only One POI
Small Location, Close Combat
Unlike the main survival extraction mode forHunt: Showdown 1896, Bounty Clash sees players reduced to where they can go. Instead of being able to access the entire map searching for clues to locate one boss, players now have a new way to play. With just one named location on the map available to them, players are forced into the action and unable to leave.
With a warning offered if players attempt to leave this small circle, Bounty Clash pushes everyone to get busy battling for that much-wanted bounty. Trapped in this limited area, each team needs to fight between them to be the last ones that make it out alive. Or perhaps just make it to the extraction points with the bounty token, whichever comes first.
3Pledges Can Change The Game
Restore Missing Health
Like the main game mode forHunt: Showdown 1896, Bounty Clash incorporates the ability for players to pledge for some very useful aids in battle. These are located often centrally on the map, inside buildings, and are more of a challenge to reach. With enhancements like healing and a restoration of health chunks for both the claiming player and their teammates, the one pledge token it costs is often more than worth claiming.
While many may already strategically use the boss banishment for restoration, this extra opportunity is one that can be taken advantage of more than once. Completely changing the game for teams that were perhaps close to burning out, these can put people right back into the action and eager to fight.
2Four Teams Close-Up
Action Is Imminent
UnlikeHunt: Showdown 1896’s normal mode, Bounty Clash does things a little differently. With four teams spawning across the small area of one named location, it’s likely players will instantly hear footsteps or see movement nearby. With little time to prepare, this is a mode that needs constant concentration and focus.Even hunter choices should be consideredfor ultimate stealth, as standing out is a quick way to get players killed off early on.
Whether players are at Mammon’s Gulch and seeing others running along the tracks or behind the rocky terrain, or perhaps the buildings and fields that other locations offer, there’s a variety of ways to play to best find advantage in every position.Strategic weapon loadoutsare necessary for the combat too, considering what players will need for these more intimate fights and prioritizing best. Even perks should be carefully considered, increasing players' chances of winning against the others close by.
1No Boss Fights
Get Straight To Business
WhileHunt: Showdown 1896’s normal enemies are still scattered across the open locations, Bounty Clashcompletely removes the sometimes lengthy boss battles. Instead, players will only need to interact with the already beaten boss’s body on the floor, waiting to banish it and then picking up the bounty token whenever they’re ready. Without this need for any kind of fight, players won’t waste any ammo or health in anything other than straight-up PVP.
Getting into fights with players seems to be Bounty Clash’s main priority, pushing people into combat early on. Whether players still decide to seek the banishment is up to them, with plenty of time to tackle fights and still return to claim the bounty token later down the line. Just make sure that the prized token doesn’t end up extracted by someone sneaky through it all.
