Hunt: Showdown is oppressive to the extent that fear is oppressive, turning vines into snakes and the wind into spirits. But the game never lets you catch your breath and realize that the spider slithering up your leg is just a shadow, and the sudden darkness around you is no sign that you’re dying, but that sunset has come and gone without you noticing.

Even if you were entitled to a few seconds looks, the PvPvE first-person shooter makes sure that your every natural angst comes true. The 19th-century Louisiana bayou in which it is set is a sweltering, humid stage for betrayal and cosmic horror, and the bounty-hunting game’s new boss – she’s the fifth and first to be female. – Rotjaw only makes it more punishing. If it wasn’t, it wouldn’t be Hunt: Showdown, Developer Crytek told me in an email.

Hunt: Showdown’s first female boss

“If it’s not scary and you’re not nervous from the start of a game, [worrying] about other hunters and things that gnaw at night then it’s not Hunt,” said narrative director Richard Danksy.

Rotjaw is a biter by birth. The frighteningly sized alligator smacks its deadly mouth at you despite the twisted metal cage constricting it (she wears it more like a sundress than a lapel for her powerful, bloated body). She came with the game Tide of Shadows Live Eventwhich runs until August 23 and adds story content and new weapons.

But while Rotjaw is fresh meat, ever since Hunt was released in 2018, its developers “knew [a gator] was an essential element for the dark bayou setting we wanted to create,” says lead character artist Hugo Guerra.

The idea just needed to be refined. At first, “we struggled with the technical aspects of implementing Rotjaw within the confines of our game,” Guerra explains. Crytek was sure he wanted Rotjaw to be Hunt’s first “wild target”, meaning he wouldn’t be confined to an enclosed space. “compound” area like the existing bosses. “It added an extra level of complexity in terms of rigging and navigation.”

Finally, the team made a technical breakthrough in 2022. Rotjaw was able to start clinging to its final form after Crytek created “a quick mock-up that served as a proof of concept” and decided to “[dive] head first in development,” Guerra continues.

She didn’t have to struggle too much – some things about her were predetermined. “A good antagonist should fit well into Hunt’s core loop,” says design director Dennis Schwarz. “It’s not just about fighting them, it’s also about tracking them down and securing your[[[[bounty token reward, on which other players can try to kill you]. “Most of the drama of Hunt: Showdown takes place in its PvP elements, making bosses “first and foremost enablers and keepers of the world.” [bounty] everyone wants to claim.

Bosses “cannot be too easy, but also not too hard for players to kill. At the end of the day, […] coming up with a plan on how to extract their bounty is what matters,” continues Schwarz.

Fight Rotjaw

Hunters who find Rotjaw will quickly discover that she likes to bite. Then she likes to rip, bark, and send sky-blue electricity around her like she lives in a protective storm cloud, not a vulnerable stream of gray water.

She gently turns around after a few well-timed attacks, but those willing to read her story might feel bad about it. Rotjaw is “very motherly, nurturing and protective,” says Danksy. “We’ve never had a female target before, so the time seemed right to add one.”

Early concept art like this helped establish just how awesome Rotjaw is in-game. Image: Crytek

A mutant alligator might not be your perfect mom, but her character model should inspire some empathy anyway. While Rotjaw only insidiously emerges at night or under a newly added sheet of rain from Hunt, players can still see the dull reflection of the shattered metal cage that failed to contain her, but weighed her down.

“Often we combine different elements in our monsters to create something new and fresh,” said art director Stefan Heinrich. “That’s where the idea for the cage came from, along with the partially rotten, skeletal appearance of the alligator. One can only imagine the kind of horrific experiences that were inflicted on this poor creature that filled her with so much rage.

When encountering, Rotjaw appears to have black holes for his eyes, but you can see them fill with sky-blue electricity if you get too close. Electricity crackles around its wide-open mouth as well, and the bayou heightens the danger. But you, his money-loving enemy, keep approaching.

Rotjaw’s been through some shit before. She is sensitive to it. So, as you work your way through Hunt: Showdown to find her first female target, make sure you don’t underestimate her. You could shed blood in its water.