(NOTE: This review discusses the version of Buckshot Roulette before the multiplayer update was released).
There isn’t a scarier game than Russian Roulette. Loading a bullet in the cylinder of a six-shooter, spinning it, and pulling the trigger with the barrel against your skull—there’s a five in six chance of surviving, but it’s the remaining one that will be your end.
The only way to make it scarier is using something other than a six-shooter, eliminating the random chance of survival. Buckshot Roulette, created by Mike Klubnika, is a video game that allows this nightmare to unfold.
Each playthrough begins with you coming out of a nightclub bathroom and entering a private room on the top floor. You will play a one-on-one game against a floating head with a set of hands played by a computer.
Up to eight shells get randomly loaded into a pump-action shotgun. To make the game fair without the signature revolver, some shells are blanks. You must shoot the other player with live shells until his life charges are lost. However, shooting yourself with a blank skips the opponent’s turn.
When all shells are spent, another set gets loaded, and the round only ends when one player’s charges are gone. The question is: How are you going to know what’s in the barrel?
Memory is important. You’re briefly shown the shells before they get loaded into the shotgun. If you don’t recall the number of both shell types or what’s been fired, you might accidentally hurt yourself or give the enemy an advantage. Your only consistent hint is the casing of your previous shell, which stays on the table.
Don the mindset of a hunter: think before you shoot. Luckily, tools are dispensed before each round, which levels the playing field.
Some tools reveal what’s going to fire. The magnifying glass does exactly that. On the other hand, the burner phone reveals a random shell, forcing you to remember it.
A couple tools make the shotgun deadlier. The handsaw gives the barrel a trim to deal double damage, and the inverter switches the shell in the chamber into its opposite type—perfect for blanks.
Other tools save you from getting maimed. Got a light? Smoke up, and you can regain a charge. Want a drink? Sip a beer, and the next shell gets ejected. In dire circumstances, you can risk taking expired medicine to either regenerate two charges or lose one.
You may also notice the other player can use items. Don’t fret—there are tools for that. Jump yourself up with a jab of adrenaline, and you can immediately use one of their items for yourself.
If you don’t want them to pull a fast one on you, handcuff them to skip their turn.
Utilizing tools will create a chain of ways to save your skin and take his instead. For example, you might handcuff him, steal his magnifying glass by using your adrenaline, discover a blank, switch it to a live shell with the inverter, and blow him away. Sometimes, it’s better to take advantage of what could have been a bad situation.
There’s an initial feeling of fear in your first few rounds, but your mind will adapt to the game’s established rhythm. You will learn that there are bigger fish to fry in a game that’s already about risks since the victor receives money, which can multiply by playing another match.
The looks and tabletop nature of Buckshot Roulette is reminiscent of games like Inscryption, but that’s the extent of its comparison. If there is a story as to why you’re illegally gambling with each other’s lives upstairs, it’s not clear. Otherwise, it would have been a perfect ARG.
Even with that said, Buckshot Roulette feels like a steal for its price of $2.99. The game is locked and loaded, simple yet entertaining, and just addictive overall. Load the game, load the gun, and live to see your riches.
RATING: