So I started playing Hunt around March 2024 and as a player coming from Escape From Tarkov, I couldn’t really get into it at the time. Last Summer during the 1896 update me and my friends decided to give it another go and we’ve been having a blast with the game ever since.

Since then I’m a lurker in the subreddit and have seen positive and negative feedback come and go as the updates rolled out. As a business analyst in real life, I was curious to experiment with Steam Reviews to see how the sentiment of Hunt has developed over time.

This is a -short- publication of my results.

TLDR; sentiment dipped around the 1896 release, went back up until the Murder Circus update and has been falling again since. Could find player suggestions and criticism and also AI is freakishly good at making podcasts nowadays.

Getting and preparing reviews
I extracted the reviews from Steam and translated them using the Google Translate API. This took a whopping 6 hours because of rate limits. Only 40% of the reviews were written in English and I needed the English version to measure sentiment per review hence the translation. Total reviews used is 3,123.

EDIT: I actually made a typo in the title (which i can't edit now( but total reviews used was 42,175, not 3,123. The 3,123 reviews are just the ones for the Murder Circus update.

As a sample period I took May last year until now, beginning of January. I wanted a few months before the 1896 update to measure any changes over time.

Sentiment Scores

Measuring sentiment
I used Python and machine learning libraries to measure sentiment per review, which I could then later aggregate to measure over time. On an individual level there is an error rate and the sentiment doesn’t always correspond to recommended or not recommended rating of the Steam Reviews, but on an aggregate level it does the job.

Here’s the result:

https://preview.redd.it/4gdq6riqwjde1.png?width=1628&format=png&auto=webp&s=dfc23c7c977fd5ff1499ad1c264dc8aed8129aeb

Blue line is average sentiment on a daily basis. Red is a moving average, painting a clearer picture. Sentiment fell sharply after the 1896 update, to its lowest point in this time period. It rose fast at the end of November, which was the Harvest of Ghosts update. Murder Circus didn’t perform that well and sentiment has been falling since.

Keep in mind that sentiment typically ranges from -1 (very negative) and +1 (very positive). Average sentiment for this time period is 0.07, barely positive, which I think also reflects what I seem to read in this subreddit, especially after the 1896 update.

This chart is probably easier to read, where sentiment is calculated per month instead of per day. The picture is the same.

https://preview.redd.it/8c6ru4txwjde1.png?width=1626&format=png&auto=webp&s=71fb87f80bdd92b01b26fe9a00082e3413d09040

Extracting more useful info
I know AI is overused atm but I found it performs pretty well at processing large amounts of text and other Natural Language Processing (NLP) tasks. I therefore used this dataset to try and extract more info. This is based on the reviews from the past month (Murder Circus update - 12/12/2024), although even now people still mention 1896 update related issues (not suprising, tbh).

Constructive criticism

Here’s a list of points that people seemed bothered by the most. It’s pretty harsh if you ask me, but then again, this is reflected in the current sentiment score. To improve the quality, I asked AI to quote reviews it based it’s findings on. I won’t show it here but I have the reviewIDs where it based its findings on.

1. User Interface (UI) Redesign

• Widespread Discontent. The new UI introduced with the update has faced overwhelming negative feedback. Players describe it as cumbersome, unintuitive, and visually unappealing.
• Loss of Atmosphere. Many reviews criticize the redesign for clashing with the game’s established dark, gritty, and immersive aesthetic.
  • It is frequently labeled as "ugly," "overly complex," and reminiscent of mobile games or generic shooters.
  • One review states, "It’s beyond my understanding how a user interface of a game can become that ineffective, ugly, overly complex, and marketing-driven in a single update."
• Console-Centric Design. Players believe the UI is primarily designed for consoles, making it awkward and inefficient for PC users.
  • A reviewer complains, "New UI is absolutely terrible. It looks like it was made for console. It takes so much longer to get all your stuff because you’ve got to right-click to open a new context menu for equipping/unequipping things."

2. Gameplay Alterations and Balance Issues

• Shifting Identity. Players express concerns that the game is moving away from its hardcore, tactical roots toward a more casual, fast-paced playstyle.
  • The introduction of certain weapons and traits is seen as catering to this shift.
• Overpowered Elements. Specific weapons are frequently called out for being excessively powerful, leading to unbalanced gameplay.
  • One player notes, "The game about rifles and revolvers turned into wild kneaders ... There is no point in taking the rest of the weapons."
• Encouraging Passive Play. Changes such as custom ammo and certain traits are criticized for promoting a "rat" playstyle (excessive camping and hiding), detracting from the game's strategic depth and intensity.

3. Thematic Inconsistencies and Perceived “Sellout”

• Clashing Aesthetics. Many players feel that the inclusion of elements such as the Post Malone event, Ghostface character, and clown skins does not align with the game’s original Western-horror theme.
• Loss of Identity. Players express concerns that these additions dilute Hunt: Showdown’s unique atmosphere, chasing mainstream trends at the expense of its distinct character.
  • One reviewer states, "Now we're adding celebrities? What, is this COD now? Are we going to add Brad Pitt next? Nicki Minaj perhaps? Don’t get me wrong, I like Post, but again, we’re just losing the charm and identity this game had at this point."
• Profit Over Artistry. A recurring sentiment is that these choices prioritize financial gain over artistic integrity, undermining the game’s carefully crafted world.

4. Technical Problems and Performance Issues

• Ongoing Bugs. Persistent technical problems, including server instability, frequent crashes, lag, and in-game glitches, continue to frustrate players.
• Lack of Polish. Players find it discouraging that these issues remain unresolved despite updates, perceiving them as a sign of insufficient attention to detail.
  • One review mentions, "As of now, the game is unplayable. Constant disconnects, bugs, errors, etc. Also, most of the time you get disconnects, you have a high probability of losing your hunter."

Player suggestions

Enhancements and suggestions people make are another area that might be interesting to look at. Here’s a summary of any player suggestions mentioned in the Steam Reviews. 

1. User Interface (UI) Overhaul. The most common and passionate feedback from players centers on the need for a complete revamp or significant improvements to the UI introduced in the 1896 update.

• Simplify and Streamline Navigation. Players consistently call for a more user-friendly and intuitive menu system. They criticize the current UI as overly complex, requiring excessive clicks and navigation through nested menus to complete simple tasks.
  • "The new UI is truly horrible... It takes so much longer to get all your stuff because you’ve got to right-click to open a new context menu for equipping/unequipping things."
• Restore Visual Consistency. There is a strong desire for a UI that aligns with the game’s dark, gritty, and immersive atmosphere. The current design is frequently criticized as too bright, colorful, and reminiscent of generic mobile or modern shooter games.
  • "The UI is absolutely terrible; it looks like it was made for console. Please just revert it back to the old UI—it was better in every way."

2. Gameplay Rebalancing and Feature Refinement

In addition to feedback on the UI, players advocate for adjustments to core gameplay mechanics and balancing of weapons and traits. The overarching sentiment is a desire to return to the tactical, skill-based gameplay that defined Hunt: Showdown’s early success.

• Address Weapon Imbalance. Players have identified specific weapons and certain custom ammo types, as being overpowered. Suggestions include nerfing these elements to ensure fairer and more engaging combat.
• Reduce “Rat” Playstyle Incentives. Excessive camping and overly passive playstyles, referred to as the “rat” playstyle, are widely criticized. Players suggest:
  • Reducing the effectiveness of silent weapons.
  • Limiting or redesigning camping spots.
  • Introducing mechanics that encourage more active engagement in gameplay.
• Revitalize Sound Design. Hunt’s signature sound design is seen as undermined by the proliferation of silenced weapons, which reduce the importance of sound cues in gameplay. Suggested changes include limiting silencer availability or adjusting their effects to preserve the game’s auditory depth.
  • "Judging the distance, position, and type of gunshots, making mental notes about which guns the enemy uses, etc.—that’s what made Hunt special. Instead, we now have a silencer fiesta. Players fight without making noise—the entire server may be fighting two compounds away, but you’ll never know."

3. Technical Improvements and Bug Fixing. In addition to concerns about gameplay and UI, players emphasize the need for technical improvements and bug resolution to enhance the overall experience.

• Server Stability and Performance. Server-related issues, including disconnections, lag, and rubber-banding, are frequently mentioned in reviews. Players urge the developers to focus on improving server stability and optimization for a smoother and more reliable gameplay experience.
  • "As of now, the game is unplayable. Constant disconnects, bugs, errors, etc. Also, most of the time you get a disconnect, you have a high probability of losing your hunter."
• Address Persistent Bugs. Many players express frustration over recurring in-game glitches and unresolved issues that persist despite updates. They call for a more proactive and focused approach to bug fixing to improve the game’s polish and playability.

I did torture AI with more questions about most mentioned bugs and technical issues and any funny or stand-out reviews, but for the sake of example and not being sure I have enough potatoes to apologize for the long post I’ll stick to criticism and suggestions for now. I created a report with all my findings as well as some other trivial stuff like most watched YouTube channels, playtime analysis and most mentioned bugs and technical issues. If you’re interested you can find it here.

Asking AI to make a podcast about these reviews
Also, just for the heck of it, I used AI to create a podcast out of all the reviews and this actually pretty scary. It resulted in a 15-minute podcast with two hosts going back and forth about the general consensus of the game. I’ll let you experience it yourself, you can hear it here (external link, can’t host audio files on Reddit).

I’m curious if these findings align with the general sentiment here. I know Steam Reviews can be controversial but I found that there’s definitely some worth in them and they largely reflect my own experiences and what I’ve read here on the subreddit, but that may just be me.

If there’s anything missing or there’s anything you’d like to see, do let me know.