Hands down, no other game makes me feel the same way that Hunt: Showdown does. The level of immersion that this game creates is literal unparalleled (by anything that isn't single-player only, at least), and damn near every single match has my mouse soaked and my throat dry by the end of it.

Whilst this game is graphically very pleasing, and the animations are stellar, where this title really shines is the sound design. Literally every single thing creates some sort of sound, and the simulation engine that Crytek has used for the sound design in this game is second to none. Every single surface produces a unique sound that can be altered by broken glass, metal, gravel, mud, and variables such as player movement speed, how many times players/creatures have walked over the surface, or even the weather or time of day can all affect this. Even your turning speed produces different noises, and although subtle, these quiet sounds all come together to create a truly one of a kind PvP experience.

For those who enjoy reading into the lore of games, once again this is a real gem for such things. Whilst there is an abundance of unlockable lore that can be gathered through completing challenges, every single weapon, skin, hunter and item has pages of lore associated with them. Besides this direct world building, each map is packed to the brim with small snippets of lore, that all come together nicely to build one of my favourite game worlds thus far.

The aesthetic of this game is, in my opinion, absolutely perfect and stands as my favourite aesthetic that I've come across in any game yet. Southern American horror is a genre of style that I'm saddened does not have more representation in mainstream media (the closest I can think of would be season 1 of True Detective), but this game nails it, and it nails it HARD. Nothing within the game world feels out of place, and even the more exotic hunters that have been added through DLC (Chinese and Japanese thus far) all seamlessly fit in, with the in-lore explanations and their visual style being different to, yet blending in perfectly with the setting.

This game is better with friends of course, but playing solo is also very rewarding, and provides a very different style of gameplay. Whereas playing in duos or trios can sometimes feel more like a tactical shooter, or even a slight comedy when you have 3 of you charging down other trios with cavalry sabers, playing this game solo is more akin to a survival horror.

The gameplay feels totally unique, with the blend of PvP and PvE coming together to create something truly special. The boss designs are all jawdropping, with each boss having it's own style, way of fighting it, and lair aesthetic. I also love how the game never tells you that you MUST kill other hunters, and that's led to some funny scenarios of my friends and I teaming up with other groups to clear the map of all other teams, and each take a bounty token each.

Honestly, I know this seems like a lot of writing, but the words here do nothing to even scratch the surface of my love for this game. I didn't even mention the soundtrack ^.^ so yeah, easily the first game I'd recommend to anyone looking for something unique

(Please note that, whilst I only have 2.4 hours on this game on Steam, I've had the game for several months as a pre-alpha supporter, and put in around 400 hours in the pre-early access build)

If you're reading these reviews to ask "If I liked SWAT 4, will I like this game?", then just stop reading now and go and buy the damn thing already, this is honestly feels like an unofficial SWAT 5, taking everything good about SWAT 4 and dialling it up to 11. Whilst the game is (as of right now) lacking in some features that SWAT 4 SKS (with the Elite Force Mod enabled), it more than makes up for this by, at it's core, being a helluva lot more refined, smooth, and responsive than any level of SWAT 4 modding can give you. And considering that this game is being developed by some of the people involved in the SWAT 4 EF mod, these features have already been stated to be in the works and upcoming, the developers merely want to get the core of the game solid first.

IF YOU ALREADY KNOW THE DEAL WITH SWAT 4 AND YOU'RE SIMPLY LOOKING TO SEE IF THIS IS A WORTHY SUCCESSOR, THEN DON'T BOTHER READING THIS NEXT BIT AND JUST GO BUY IT, TRUST ME

For those of you unfamiliar with SWAT 4 or, to a certain extent, the older Rainbow Six titles (i.e. everything before Rainbow Six Vegas), then this game is unlikely to be like anything else you've played before.

Whereas many new realistic FPS games focus on large scale battles (Squad, Post Scriptum, Hell Let Loose), a fast-paced gameplay loop (Insurgency Sandstorm) and prolonged firefights (Tarkov), Ready or Not is pretty much the polar opposite.

Right off the bat, there's no sprint key (lowering your weapon makes you move faster, but leaves you vulnerable), no dolphin-diving, and a VERY heavy emphasis on using less-than-lethal means and attempting to arrest suspects, as opposed to just shooting everything in the face and calling it a day. Whilst this may sound counter-intuitive to what you'd expect from a modern day FPS, you soon forget that these features are missing, as the environments in this game are filled with tight corridors and sharp corners, locked doors that could be trapped or set up as killzones, or even suspects who act like civilians until you lower your guard. You'll quickly learn that, in Ready or Not, you need to treat every new room as basically a new map, and it's STRONGLY advised to take the time to mirror under each door and come up with at least a rough plan before entering every room.

Whilst this slower pace may not be for everyone, it really does create a gameplay loop that, as previously mentioned, has been unrivalled by anything since SWAT 4 (seriously, if you haven't already played SWAT 4, it's £8 on GoG, just make sure to get the Elite Force mod for it which adds in cut content and new features, and there's legitimately hundreds of hours of gameplay there).

Something that I do enjoy about this game's pace is the community around it. Whilst yes, Steam early access will bring in a lot of Rainbow Six Siege e-sports wannabes, they won't be sticking around long. This is the first game I've played since hardcore co-op on Insurgency Source where pretty much every lobby I've been in has had everyone using their mics, communicating, and actually working together. Even when failing a mission, I have yet to encounter any toxicity, and the discussion usually devolves into how to avoid making the same mistake on the next run. It's honestly a breath of fresh air playing with a game 4 randoms who not only use equipment such as flashbangs shields and properly, but also use their heads to work together (e.g. buttonhooking or slicing the pie when clearing rooms), as opposed to just rushing through a door like lemmings, dying, and then screaming down the mic.

Tonally, I have a huge amount of respect for VOID and how they've approached this game. It's very dark and gritty, and deals with some rather grim subject matter (human trafficking springs to mind straight away, and it's already confirmed that we'll be getting a school shooting map), but never feels like it's leaning too hard into trying to be edgy for shock value, but also as if it's trying to be overly tactful to the point of absurdity. The dev's attitudes towards these subjects are basically that these things happen in real life, and whilst they're respectful in their portrayal of them, they won't pull any punches in showing such things.

The soundtrack for this game deserves a mention as being an instant classic, with everything produced in house. The soundtrack can be described best as being a mix of classical and synth, which sounds strange until you hear it first hand. Every map has a song, which plays throughout the mission but (much like in Payday 2) changes to suit the situation. Whilst you're just moving through the map looking for evidence or the next place to clear, you'll often have a low-tone synth beat humming along, but as soon as ♥♥♥♥ hits the fan, you can expect my man Dan Liston to start shredding on the electric violin.

The gunfights in this game deserve on honourable mention, as whilst I've harped on about how slow the gameplay loop is, as soon as bullets start flying, this game becomes absolute chaos (in a good way). Gunshots in confined spaced will disorientate you, and oftentimes you'll quickly blindfire at a suspect before retreating into cover so you can assess where they are so you can return accurate fire (you'll often die in a bullet or two, so cover is vitally important, as is repositioning and not peeking the same corners). The idea of trying to arrest suspects rather than shooting to kill straight away adds another layer to this, as you need to constantly be aware of whether you're breaking the ROE for whichever game mode you're playing before you just shoot someone.

The weapon/gear customisation is very good, with different weapon setups being useful for different scenarios. There's a lot more to come in terms of weapons and equipment, though the devs have made the (great, in my opinion) decision of ensuring that everything they add is tweaked, fixed, and generally well-polished before adding the next item on their list.

Graphically this game is one of the nicest looking games I've played, with the lighting effects being a solid 10/10. This is especially telling in how much effort has been put into even the smallest of details, such as the red dots from laser sights illuminating a small area around them. Each map feels like a real place, and the overall ambience creates a very immersive atmosphere.

I honestly cannot recommend this game enough (and that's just it's current state!), and if VOID completes even 50% of what they have planned, then this game'll have a very long life ahead of it.

TL;DR - Game good. If like SWAT 4 then love this. If like Rainbow Six Siege then not love this.