Game news This video game rated 95% is a hit on Steam with a simple concept where death lurks at every moment

Game news This video game rated 95% is a hit on Steam with a simple concept where death lurks at every moment

In Buckshot Roulette, it all begins in the toilets of a disreputable nightclub. Outdoors, the bass from the speakers compresses what little space you have, and anyway, it’s not like there are fifty possible paths. You take the door in front of you, cross the balustrade which overlooks the track and you are in a clandestine games room (particularly creepy). A horrible creature, as if the moon from Zelda Majora’s Mask had been reinterpreted by the artists of Inscryption, awaits you there. “Sign the release of liability” she orders…It’s not like you have a choice! You are embarked on a literally deadly experience, inspired by Russian roulette, with two outcomes: victory (with a mountain of money), or death.

A “deadly” game

If we’re talking to you about it today, it’s because after a great success on “Itch.io”, Buckshot Roulette arrived on Steam – on April 4 – and the players’ opinion is quite unanimous: 95% positive reviews from more than 9,000 evaluations, which brings its total average to “extremely positive”. So what does everyone see in him? Well, beyond a vibe between Inscryption (for the visuals) | Hotline Miami (for the soundtrack), it’s a frankly controlled game of probability where stress is constant… Do you know Russian roulette, which is traditionally played with a revolver and a single bullet in the barrel? Here, it’s the same story but with a shotgun, where a maximum of 8 bullets are inserted. Basically, we put aside roulette: the player knows in advance the distribution between the “real” cartridges and the blank ones (for example, 2 real bullets and 3 fake) – but not their order of arrival, which remains random – and must choose each time between shooting each other and shooting the enemy. Beyond this difficult choice, one certainty persists despite everything: when an ammunition leaves the cannon, it is gone for good! Therefore, the more the shots are linked together, the more the probability of falling on this or that projectile increases. And that gives a very special flavor to the whole thing.

Manipulate luck

In this game developed by Mike Klubnika, the challenge will be to “manipulate luck” to beat the species of monster in front of you (a classic game takes place over 3 rounds with more and more life points). To do this, you must take advantage of every turn you have – knowing that your hand passes as soon as a detonation, directed at yourself or the enemy, erupts. Two things to keep in mind at this stage: as long as you’re shooting blanks at your pretty face, it’s still up to you, and above all, Buckshot Roulette provides you with a bunch of super useful bonus items. For example, we find the magnifying glass, which allows you to know the next bullet that will be fired; beer, to extract this same bullet from the magazine; handcuffs, which are used to block the next opponent’s turn; the saw, to inflict double damage… At this stage, obvious synergies emerge: take a look in the magazine and do a “times two” in one shot. Note that there are unique objects in “Double or Double”, an infinite mode that is unlocked after beating Mr. Monster for the first time! Enough to give a little more depth to a game which does not offer a crazy lifespan (it is very cheap: €2.99).

Keep a cool head

In short, Buckshot Roulette is simple but very effective. The atmosphere works well, you have to be careful to watch the bullets passing by (there is no interface to support you), and there is always a delicious suspense when you pull the trigger. Overall, we are rarely calm, and we noted a nice balance between determinism and randomness, which makes the title quite addictive… Even the opponent’s AI is not omniscient and can clearly – just like you – be fooled. Only one regret: as it stands, it’s necessarily the player who starts the round, which gives a certain advantage over the rest of the events! Everything will undoubtedly be resolved with the arrival of the multiplayer mode – already announced. In the meantime, we advise you to take a look at this little project.