Underrated cyberpunk shooter Huntdown deserves another shot at the spotlight

polygon.com:

2023 has been kind to fans of cyberpunk action games. Vengeful Guardian: Moonrider touted retro character-action sword slashing in January, Turbo Overkill brought over-the-top gunplay and chainsaw leg attacks in August, and Cyberpunk 2077: Phantom Liberty introduced a brand-new district to one of the coolest dystopian cities in modern gaming in September. Players searching for a neon-lit futuristic dystopia to run, gun, hack, and slash through certainly haven’t lacked for options this year.

If, like me, you’ve run through those and you’re looking for a short but sweet run-and-gun action game to break up the onslaught of major releases and catch your breath, I’ve got good news for you. I’ve been having a blast lately, er, blasting my way through Huntdown, the 2020 side-scrolling cyberpunk shooter from Swedish developer Easy Trigger Games.

Here’s the elevator pitch: Imagine if Yoshiaki Kawajiri’sfoul-mouthed cyberpunk animeCyber City Oedo 808 and Walter Hill’s pulse-pounding action thriller The Warriors had a baby, and that baby was a side-scrolling shooter with beautiful pixel-art environments, tense and thrilling boss fights, and more fourth-wall-breaking humor than you can shake a boomstick at. Players can choose to play as one of three bounty hunters: Anna Conda, a badass scene-chewing heroine straight out of a Blaxploitation flick; John Sawyer, a 150-year-old cyborg with a literal jaw of steel; and Mow Man, an unflappable robot mercenary with an affinity for deadpan puns.

You can switch characters to start each level, and it’s worth trying them all: Each brings their own unique sidearm and throwable weapon in addition to the many weapons you can find in the levels, from bullpup rifles and AK-47s to missile launchers