Hunt: Showdownisn’t a game for the faint-hearted. The PvPvE extraction shooter has long ranked among my favourite online shooters, and on these pages I’ve spoken aboutits fiery events,how great it is as a stealth game, and even spoke to developers Crytek abouthow Hunt: Showdown was made.
But much though I love ol’ Hunterz, I can’t deny that it does little to initiate you into the challenges that await in the bayou. Throughout its first five years of existence, its excuse for a tutorial entailed you basically doing a full extraction mission solo with no other players on the map (which, let’s be honest, doesn’t really prepare you for a game in which other players are such a key part of the experience).
Now, however, that’s all changed thanks in part to Geralt of Rivia, or more specifically the guy who voiced Geralt, Doug Cockle. Crytek have added a shiny new tutorial in which Cockle voices a mysterious southern-twanged cowboy, who guides you step by step through the basics of playing Hunt: Showdown. Naturally, there’s no voice more comforting when hunting monsters in the bayou than that of gaming’s greatest monster hunter himself. What makes it even more novel is that–apart from strangers monotonously saying where they’ve spotted other teams–Hunt: Showdown hasn’t really had any voicework in the actual game until now.
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And you canreallyhear the Geralt in there too, not least because ol’ Cockle doesn’t quite nail the southern accent, so it kinda sounds like Geralt trying (semi-successfully) to do an accent he’s not quite comfortable with. Don’t get me wrong, the gravelly Geralt voice sounds perfectly appropriate for Hunt’s setting, and I for one actually like the fact that rather than being full-on sucked into this anonymous cowboy character, I feel like I’m chatting to Geralt.
It’s also no secret that Doug Cockle doesn’t actually sound all growly and Geralt-like in real life; he just sounds like a dude, and has to put on that distinct Geralt gravel, so I wouldn’t be surprised if the instructions from the producers at Crytek prioritised him sounding like Geralt (y’know, for the celebrity factor) rather than an authentic Southern ruffian circa 1890.
Most importantly however, the tutorial is actuallygood, with not-Geralt guiding you through various areas one by one, getting you familiar with various weapons, monsters, and scenarios. It uses dummies in place of players in situations where you might usually encounter them (such as near a clue when it’s glowing red), and introduces you to the basics of Dark Sight and environmental hazards.
Funnily enough, the boss encounter against the Butcher in the tutorial is actually freakishly hard, throwing you into a scenario that just wouldn’t happen in the game proper. Despite the Butcher having low health so you’re able to dispose of it quickly, Cowboy Geralt locks you into what’s basically a bare square arena with the creature, unable to escape and barely able to get out of its melee range (in the actual game, boss areas are much bigger, and you can always escape from the boss area, heal up, then head back inside; of course you’re usually playing with a team as well). So don’t worry if you die a few times in this tutorial (I certainly did), because in this one way the main game is actually easier.
A proper tutorial headed by a Geralt with a dodgy southern accent is a cherry on top of this devilishly dark online shooter. With the great monster hunter by your side, what better time than now to give Hunt: Showdown a shot?
