It’s the same problem we had with the 2022 version of Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2. Decent shooter, some good ideas, lots to like – but every time you wanted to get into a game, you had to navigate a frustrating set of menus. When it’s good, we take the user interface for granted. When it’s not working very well, the UI can feel like an aggravating obstacle between you and actually getting to play something. After the soft relaunch of the Crytek FPS introduced a totally new main menu, recent Hunt Showdown 1896 Steam reviews are still ‘mostly negative.’ Now, however, a sizable update makes sweeping UI changes based on player feedback, and could shift sentiment back in the right direction.
Hunt Showdown 1896 is a soft reboot of the FPS game, improving the original version that launched back in 2019. It overhauls the visuals, introduces a new map, and makes myriad small and large changes to the entire arsenal and game world. One of the most significant transformations however is to the game’s menus and UI, which have been totally reinvented.
When Hunt Showdown 1896 first arrived back in August, it drew severe criticism from players who found the UI cluttered, difficult to navigate, and unnecessarily filled with unhelpful information. As of this writing, only 39% of recent player reviews on Steam are positive (though the Steam rating, on lifetime aggregate, remains ‘mostly positive.’) In a bid to win players back, Crytek has launched a substantial new Hunt Showdown 1896 update that addresses “the community’s pain points.”
The Bounty Hunter lobby has been added to the ‘play’ section in the top navigation menu and in-game currencies are now separated into their distinguishing colors in the top-left header. 2D icons have been updated, there’s a new shortcut to inspect your equipment, and items that you own will now always appear first in your inventory. The ‘sell’ confirmation pop-up has been stripped out of gear screen and clicking on the Bloodline Info above a hunter in your lobby now, thankfully, opens their player profile. Blood Bone prices are now also more prominent when purchasing skins.
“We’ve addressed several community-reported issues in this update and are committed to making ongoing UI improvements based on your feedback,” Crytek says. “This is just the first step in a longer process, with many more issues to be addressed in the coming updates.”
The update also reintroduces the Stillwater Bayou map, which has been fully upgraded, and makes a huge number of general gameplay and bug fixes. At 5.5GB, it’s pretty substantial, but hopefully this will mark the beginning of a turnaround on some of Hunt Showdown 1896’s most prominent issues.
Try some of the other best survival games, if you something to complement Hunt, or maybe grab some pals for the best multiplayer games on PC.
You can also follow us on Google News for daily PC games news, reviews, and guides, or grab our PCGN deals tracker to net yourself some bargains.