Played about 13 matches of Hide and Seek trying to pick up the Sneaky but Speedy Daily Challenge--figured I'd drop a review here.
Put bluntly, this is actually pretty well thought out for a 5v1 asymmetric multiplayer game balanced around both teams having equal chances to win. I do have some qualms about the way the endgame is handled, but I had fun with it, even if I didn't play enough rounds quite yet to get my mitts on the no-longer-FOMO Bronco Raptor.
The demo they showed at Gamescom really doesn't do the gamemode much justice, in my opinion. It paints the illusion of a constantly-in-flux game of cat and mouse, where chasers basically enter into a dogfight trying to hunt down a mouse that is bigger than they are and can also end any encounter at any time, disappearing into the ether before they can be tracked down again. Honestly, from what I've seen, this is far from the truth; it is alarmingly easy for a Hider to screw up and cost themselves the match. Once a coordinated Seeker team that keeps a fair balance between keeping their distance and staying in detection range descends upon the Hider and realizes that they can still see the ghosted Hider left behind by a Chase Breaker and that they can still ping a ghosted Hider if they haven't been hit with a Chase Breaker, going back to blending in is nigh-impossible, and more often than not gets the Seekers a firm win.
That being said, pinging is touchy, I've had Hiders in view for but a couple frames only for the ping to not go through and force me to waste it. It must depend on what the server says is in my line of sight. But, either way, if you've got a good Seeker team, you can rest assured you're probably going to win in the early-to-mid game if the Hider makes a critical mistake.
Not to say that social stealthing your way through is impossible. I actually managed a stealth win on quite literally my second match, and it's how I got my Undetected badge. Stuck to a few different lines of traffic, Chase Breaker'd my way out of one jam, and, on two occasions, used its ability to place the Seekers' pings on immediate cooldown to strike from traffic before they could point me out. It's such a gratifying feeling to watch a Seeker speed right by you, only to get nailed by your Chase Breaker from what would to them seem to be out of complete nowhere.
If I had to make any tweaks at all it'd be to the endgame. I know it's in the name of fairness and ensuring that everyone can have fun, but on the off-chance a Hider is only spotted towards the end of a match, right before the finish line is revealed, even if an entire team descends upon the Hider at that moment, the Hider can still win because the detection bar has to start from 0% in that case, and they can still outdrive the Seekers by taking them into unbreakable obstacles. I'd suggest making it so the detection bar either fills up about 50% faster during the endgame rush to the finish line, or making it an instant loss for the Hider if a Seeker collides with the Hider during the endgame. That way the Seekers have more of a chance in the event of a late first detection.
Overall, I'd give this mode an 7.5/10. Of course, it only having three arenas-Mulege, Playa Azul and Guanajuato, when the golf course and the Horizon Baja outpost are right there and would also make for interesting arenas--is a bit of a disappointment, but ultimately, I think the actual gameplay loop seems well-considered enough to make it worth your time, even if you only play the 20 or so complete matches that you need to get the Bronco Raptor.
