Take back the streets from ruthless gangs, organized crime, crime lords and other baddies in this 2D action platform shooter where you can play as three different bounty hunters with their own special weapons and abilities.
AS THE GAME IS RATED M – FOR MATURE WE ONLY REVIEW TESTED THE GAME WITH GAMERS AGES 15 AND OLDER.
General Gameplay
Huntdown is action shooter with you take the roll of one of three different bounty hunters that clean up the streets where the police are powerless to stop them. The game is presented in a side scroller shooter style where two players in local co-op can play on the same screen. Game Visuals for Huntdown are presented in a 16-bit style but very stylish in its look. The characters, enemies, backgrounds are all like a throwback of action shooters from the 90’s style of gaming. All the game graphics are very easily seen on the screen and without any problems telling what on the screen is. The game does not offer a colorblind mode and it is not needed as the game colors and graphics are quite easy to see. The game is very graphic in its action (we will cover this more in our family friendly section) and done in 16-bit detail where everything is clear enough to see. In our play testing, outside of the mature content that gave the game a M – For Mature rating, we did not see anything that would be offensive to older gamers. Audio in Huntdown is done in a 90’s sci-fi fashion. The game has all of the expected sounds that you would hear from a shooter, from gunfire, explosions, both character and enemy banter throughout the game, as well the general game announcer to let the gamer know when they reach a boss level or picked up a sub bounty. The game soundtrack is a midi style rifts that accompany the gameplay. The game is presented in 5.1 surround sound and sounds well in a 2.0 stereo sound setting. The game soundtrack and spoken audio is done clearly where you can hear everything that is going on in the game. As the game has spoken dialog, there is some language in the game itself but as the game uses this audio to tell the story of the game, the language is what you would expect from a story driven game like this. Outside of the M Rating for the game we did not hear anything offensive for older gamers playing Huntdown. Controls in Huntdown are quite easy to pick up and play the game. The game controller setting is designed to be more shooter oriented so you have the standard settings that would make the game more playable for shooter fans and non-shooter fans. The left thumb stick moves the character where there is a jump button, weapon swap, to use the secondary weapon. The controller setting is remarkably simple and easy to use. In our play testing we did not have any trouble playing the game with the standard controller settings. As the game is designed for use with the standard controller for the console that you are playing on, there is no need for a special controller to be used.
Game Visuals Audio Controls
“Huntdown does everything right in the game. A fantastic shooter, where each character, boss, and levels feel fresh and unique. The ability to play local co-op is also a true throwback to the days on couch co-op play. This is truly a must have game for any shooter fans out there.”
Family Friendly
As the shooter market is oversaturated on both the console and PC. Most shooters are just ignored and passed up when they are released, well we have to say that Huntdown is one of those games that you do not want to pass up. The developer Easy Trigger AB made this game right. Everything in this game from the action, shooting, enemies, bosses, and music is done in a way where the game is even more fun to play just let alone watch in motion. Running at 60 FPS (frames per second) the game runs real smooth and that alone makes this game have a more modern touch and feel to it, even thought that the graphics are in a 16-bit style. The bounty hunters that you choose from all are unique in their playstyle as well their default weapons that they use, just going back to replay a level with a different bounty hunter is such a joy as each of them have their strengths and weaknesses to the level, this alone allows the gamer to play to their playstyle and tackle the game with the character that suits there playstyle. The bounty hunter banter alone is fun to hear and a true callback to the 90’s with their catchphrases that are used during the game. The sub bosses and level boss are fun to go up against and are unique in their own way. Each level, from the feel to it, enemies, music, and even weapons feel fresh after each stage and fit well where you as the gamer don’t feel that you are attacking the same enemies level to level. The game finds a health balance where it is not to hard or easy to play and that both veteran and new shooter gamers can play this game without worrying about learning any new dynamics. The couch co-op also is really fun as two people can tackle each level, one bonus is that if a veteran gamer is playing with someone that is newer to these genera of gaming that if one of the gamers goes down the other can go and heal them and get them back up to continue fighting. Also, the game is very forgiving with checkpoints so if you cannot get passed a part of the game you can just go back to the latest checkpoint and start again, but at a cost. You have to defeat a certain number of enemies to be able to respawn at the last checkpoint to continue on, so it is important to get those kill counts up for later levels so in case you need to respawn that you can. The number of weapons that you can pick up is a nice touch and some of them come handy when dealing with a crowd of enemies or even a boss battle. The bosses themselves all have their own unique look and feel to them and it does not feel that you are fighting the same style of cookie cutter bosses from level to level. Within each level there are sub bounties that you can collect. Some are easy to obtain where others are a little challenging where it is either hidden or a character has the briefcase and while heading to the sub boss, you must also try to catch the character before they leave the area. This also adds more of a gaming dynamic to those that want to get these extra collectables in the game. Overall Huntdow is a very well-made game and a must have for any shooter fans out there. Now as the game is rated M – For Mature, in our play testing the rating fits as the game does have spoken language and as it is a shooter in its nature that there is blood and gore in the game. The game does not over do this but more to showcase how the game is a shooter and when an enemy is defeated that how they die in the game. For those parents/guardians that are wonder what is the right age of the gamers to play Huntdown, we recommend gamers of the ages 15 and older to play, only reason why is that the game is a more graphic shooter and that there are scenes of enemies dying that may be too much for younger gamers to see. Outside of this, Huntdown is a great game and deserves a place in your digital library. Normally if we had any complaints that we would list them but in this case we do not, as the game is fun to play, well balanced, great music, audio, and overall gunplay. In our special needs testing, outside of the M rating, we did not see any issues with the game graphics, audio, or controls. Huntdown is a very special needs gaming friendly game to play.
Closing
Huntdown is a fun shooter that does everything right, from the gameplay, great audio and dialog, 90’s style visual down to the overall boss battles. With the ability to play local couch co-op and be able to choose from three different characters, this is a must have game for any shooter fans out there.
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