We've been saying for years that cowboy extraction shooter Hunt: Showdown 1896 is one of the best multiplayer FPSes out there, but if you don't believe us, maybe you'd rather hear it from Grammy-nominated singer/songwriter Post Malone.
"You've done an amazing job," Malone said in a Q&A hosted by Hunt creative director Scott Lussier. "It's the best game. It's the best game."
Crytek sat down with the performer to talk about his love of Hunt and teased some sort of collaboration with the artist that, so far, includes a short story called "The Ballad of Post Malone". Malone talks about how a friend got him into the game this past year, and with every answer he gave, it became clear he's a serious hunter.
"Whenever I'm on the road and I can't play, I'm missing it," Malone said. "I got about 400 hours on it."
Holy cow. I only have a few hundred more hours on Malone and I've played Hunt off and on for years. He said his rank oscillates between four and five stars, but he's never been a six-star—a relatable relationship with Hunt's unique ranking system.
"I love how it's based and grounded in reality. Very quick time-to-kill. You can body someone in one shot," he said. "The guns are so sick. The skins are so sick. And I was like, 'Alright, I'm gonna give this thing a go.'"
Malone also shared some deeper-cut Hunt opinions that suggest we'd be compatible squadmates. He likes the Dolch pistol, for instance, but admits it "doesn't make me feel as cool as I do with a revolver." When hunt dollars are no object, he gravitates toward long ammo guns like the Krag, and clearly prefers FMJ ammo: "I'm a big wallbanger." He'd also like to see leaning come to Hunt someday, and like so many fans have expressed over the years, he wants a snow map where you can track (or trick) hunters with footprints.
"I think that would bring a really awesome dynamic—you could prank people!"
But the opinion I respect most of all? That the Assassin sucks. "Give him less health," Malone said. "Assassin is the worst." No lies detected.
The most telling window into Malone's playstyle came when he shared, from memory, his ideal loadout and go-to traits.
"I'll take a Krag and an Uppercut if I'm sweating. I'll take spear, flare gun, concertina bomb, health kit, regen shot, stamina shot, concertina traps, ammo box," the star rattled off with the automatic precision of a Hunt player who has repurchased his loadout hundreds of times after squad wipes. He continued with traits:
- Necromancer
- Resilience
- Magpie
- Assailant
- Silent Killer
- Conduit
- Serpent
- Doctor
- Physician
A well-rounded and meta-friendly trait list for a level 40-50 hunter. I asked Strategic Director Evan Lahti, PC Gamer's most active Hunt player who recently reached six-star status, to review Malone's loadout, and he thinks it's decent.
"6/10. I like the tools and consumables, that's roughly what I'd take, but personally I prefer a couple different rifles to the Krag and the Uppercut as a sidearm doesn't provide the greatest contrast against it, limiting Malone's versatility, especially for indoor fights. He also loses a point here for not specifying which special ammo types he's using—if he's carrying the ammo box I'm assuming he's using FMJ."
Pretty much agreed. You'll never catch me with a long ammo rifle and Uppercut at the same time because I'm terrible at close-range fights, but as Evan alludes, there's a decent chance Malone is using the Uppercut as an extra reservoir of FMJ ammo. The man clearly loves his Krag.
You might remember that this time last year, Malone's heart belonged to another FPS: Apex Legends. He apparently reached top rank and Respawn even created a whole in-game event around his partnership, but I wonder how often Malone logs on since discovering Hunt this year. My guess is not much—he wouldn't be the first who found that going back to battle royale is tough after Hunt gets its claws in you.
