If you’ve been curious about how Crytek’s monster-hunting bayou romp Hunt: Showdown works, there’s a new tutorial video out now that breaks down the phases in each match.
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The video is meant as a guide for players who’ve been selected to participate in the closed beta, which started up Jan. 31, but it’s a good introduction to the game’s mechanics for those of us who haven’t gotten an invite yet, too.
You’ll begin by recruiting a hunter and selecting weapons and equipment. Once you’ve picked out your gear, you’ll choose a contract to accept, and then decide whether to embark solo or with a co-op partner.
Once you’re in the match proper, there are some key differences from your standard FPS. The left mouse button defaults to a melee attack, for instance, and you’ll only fire if you first aim with the right mouse button or left shift, which is your aim-down-sights command.
The idea in Hunt is to track down an eldritch monster in the half-flooded swamp, and you’ll do that by investigating the several compounds that dot the map and looking for clues using your “dark vision,” which highlights tracks and other supernatural information in blue balefire. From here, it’s a matter of narrowing down the area of the map to the one that contains your target.
Once you’ve tracked and (hopefully) killed your quarry, the game’s not over—you’ll have to stay near the body until a banishment ritual is completed and the monster is, as the narrator cheerfully explains, sent back to hell. In the meantime, other players will know where you are and come to try to steal the bounty from you. If all goes well, you’ll finish the ritual and be able to make your way to one of the map’s extraction points.
If this sounds interesting, you can sign up for the closed alpha over at the official site.