As an ‘80s-born nerd, this critic absolutely loves it when modern media tries to recapture that weird, electric, pleasantly questionable magic of the era. At the same time there’s always that creeping fear that it’s all just surface level. Neon lights, synth music, maybe a dude in sunglasses at night… but underneath? Nothing. No soul, no grit, none of that glorious stupidity that made that time what it was – just an ‘80s skin stretched over something painfully modern and safe. Where does Huntdown fall? Is it a genuine time capsule of VHS-fuelled insanity, or just another poser who sits inside a living room decorated with bold pinks and electric blues, instead of a dimly lit den with wood-panelled walls and dark green sofas? Well… surprisingly, it gets it. Like, really gets it.
Developed by Easy Trigger Games, Huntdown is a 2D run-and-gun that cannonballs straight into ‘80s nostalgia, with the cutscenes explaining what it’s all about as subtly as a brick through a CRT television. Escape from New York meets Robocop (with the music sounding very The Terminator) in a dystopian future where gangs are everywhere, corrupt corporations are pulling the strings, and three bounty hunters are hired to clean up the mess. That’s it. That’s the plot. If you’re looking for emotional depth, go watch Toy Story 3 – this here is about blowing things up.
Every single scene is a showcase of some fine pixel art, making this look like a forgotten release from an Amiga system, with its visual style seemingly borrowed from Bitmap Brothers in their prime. The briefing menu (the HUD of your bounty hunter’s car) has a tangible feel, with its old, scanline monitor, floppy disk drive, and chunky buttons and knobs. Once the hero/ine jumps into the crime-infested fray, you’ll get the chance to marvel at some beautifully dirty, graffiti-filled ruins of what seems to be a post-apocalyptic Detroit on steroids. In other words, Detroit.
Huntdown looks fantastic. The high detail of it all comes at a price, though, and that’s how forgettable everything besides the world itself is, as the cast (main characters and enemies) is somewhat forgettable and doesn’t stand out at all. Despite their fancy names and wild styles (one of the characters is a tough black woman stereotype with an eyepatch named…Anna Conda), it turns out that it’s the city itself which is the real protagonist here.
For all this talk about how it looks, it’s gameplay where Huntdown earns its stripes. Apart from a few minor differences that don’t really manage to alter the experience substantially, whether one picks Anna Conda, cliché macho man John Sawyer, or the cybernetic Mow Man (nothing to do with gardening equipment, sadly), they all handle pretty similar and have the same basic abilities.
These folk can run, jump, shoot and dash, as well as hide in dark spots, and finally duck behind cover. What else is there? Not much, really. You run-and-gun, shoot or blow stuff up, and then move on to the next unlucky mob. This is a simple affair that feels like it came from the SNES era. That’s a compliment, by the way. Not every title needs to have myriads of mechanics and extra filler objectives.
A thing that must be mentioned is that Huntdown leans more towards the ‘gun’ side of the run-and-gun formula and not much on movement, as there’s a bigger emphasis on cover-based action. The heroes aren’t lightning-fast superpowered ninjas. They are a bit slower than expected and have to frequently duck behind crates and hide in doorways, carefully advancing instead of just sprinting forward like lunatics. That isn’t a flaw, but those come in looking for something more frenetic will be a tad disappointed.
The shooting itself is fun. Weapons have weight, impact and just the right amount of over-the-top flair. You’re constantly swapping guns (Uzis included, of course) because ammo is limited, which keeps things fresh and chaotic. A couple of hours in, however, and it’s all over. This is a short kind of deal. All that’s left, then? Try out different characters, try the higher difficulties, play with a friend in local co-op, or try to get all medals in each stage by finding all three crates, avoid dying and leave no one breathing. In true retro fashion one can also keep on playing in order to get the highest score possible.
Is that enough? Well, it depends. This is a very enjoyable title, but only if you really, really like the old-school arcade approach to gameplay. In other words, you can keep on playing simply because you find the whole thing a blast to do so, not because it’s chock full of content. Maybe that’s part of the charm. Huntdown doesn’t overstay its welcome. It offers a tight, focused burst of action, then gets out before you have time to get bored. A very ‘80s thing to do. Leave them wanting more, preferably while something explodes in the background.
this one is speaking my language. it calls to me
it needs a little more corn, but yeah, it still tastes good.