Boy howdy that new Hunt: Showdown gator is an absolute hoss

Wild and weird shooter Hunt: Showdown has a new boss in town and she is just about the biggest gator I can think of. Rotjaw, an absolutely huge alligator, will be joining the world of Hunt as the newest threat to player Hunters as they fight each other over the right to take her down first. Which I'm sure everyone is thrilled about, right? Fighting a monster gator in a swamp, on its own turf, where there isn't much at all you can do to slow it down and it has every advantage?

Which is hysterical to me, frankly. In a world of monstrous spirits, undead horrors, abominations from beyond space, and the like, now a viciously scary and dangerous monster on par with all those things is... A real big gator. Very large, to be fair, but not even that much larger than the largest gators ever found. Like, I dunno, 50% larger! Which to me is barely fantasy territory because I live in a region with alligators. She just a real big gator, y'all.

Rotjaw will make her debut in the Tide of Shadows event this summer. That rain in the trailer will come in too, while we're at it. It's real pretty.

Rotjaw will be a Wild Target, the first of its kind, and will prowl deep water areas to stalk intruders. "If Hunters do come across her, she will charge through the water, biting and knocking down anyone who dares to come near. Fused to a cage and breaking out of it when she reaches a certain level, Rotjaw will unleash her wrath dealing damage to anyone who tries to stop her," said Crytek in their announcement.

Fans, meanwhile, seemed very excited about the gator. "Hunt continuing its storied legacy of letting women commit atrocities by making the gator boss a girl. women stay winning, we stan a girlboss," said commenter smalls2233 on Reddit.

Hunt: Showdown is a competitive first-person shooter where players fight among each other to claim bounties in a supernaturally-charged old west Louisiana, 1895. Players fly solo or in 2-3 person teams against each other and the gruesome monsters that inhabit the map.

You can find Hunt: Showdown on its official website and on Steam. Last month we spoke with one of the developers of Hunt: Showdown at a PC Gamer moderated panel on shooters, who revealed that 40% of players have never killed another player (in-game, that is.)

The mouth of alligator boss Rotjaw emerges from the water to devour an unsuspecting player in Hunt: Showdown — (Image credit: Crytek)

Jon Bolding is a games writer and critic with an extensive background in strategy games. When he's not on his PC, he can be found playing every tabletop game under the sun.