A dimly lit room, a shotgun, a table, and a dealer sitting at the other end of the table. Sometimes, that’s all a game needs to capture your attention. Buckshot Roulette is a web game that went viral a few months back, gathering the attention of some of the largest content creators. Was this just a internet fad like Hello Neighbour, or is this actually worth your time?

As the name of the game implies, Buckshot Roulette is a spin on the infamous russian roulette game, in which a gun is loaded on the table and players will take it in turns to pull the trigger. In this case, a pump-action shotgun is loaded with either live shells or blanks. There isn’t really a story in the game here. You wake up in a nightclub bathroom, kickdown a door, and then start playing. It doesn’t waste anytime setting up its premise and instead almost immediatly throws you into game. In many ways it reminds me of that one Resident Evil 7 DLC in which you play against Lucas Baker in a deadly game of 21.

On the side of the table you will see a counter; these are your lives. Take a shot and you get brought back to life. Lose all your lives and it’s game over. When a round starts the dealer will load the shells in a random order and you have a choice. You can choose to shoot your oponent with the shotgun which will result in either the opponent getting blasted or not. In this case whoever gets shot gets revived and loses on defib charge that brings them back to life. Alternatively, you can aim the gun at yourself and pull the trigger which will skip the opponent next turn. That is unless the shell is infact a live one.

Once all shells have been used up, it’s on to the next round. To mix things up, you will be assigned a random number of items that will modify the games rules. Being able to saw off the end of the barrel doubles the damage done, whilst shotgunning a beer allows you to skip to the next shell. This isn’t all of the items and as you progress you will find more and more outlandish ones that really tries to make you strategise, it’s a fun twist on a simple premise. It is also worth noting that whilst you don’t know the order of the shells, you are told how many of each are being placed in the shotgun, so if you keep count you can play the odds.

Buckshot Roulette is a short experience. Your very first successful run can take roughly ten to fifteen minutes, and this will also likely be your first run as well. However, when you complete your first run you unlock Double or Nothing mode that allows you to progress further and further to see how far you can get in an endless mode. Whilst it’s not as addictive as this year’s Balatro , and the novelty will wear off after a few hours, it’s still far more enaging than I initially expected. Plus, for the asking price of $2.99 it’s worth a shot. If there’s one level of criticisim I can make is that the AI can feel like it’s just spamming everything. Also, this game would be absolutely amazing with a multiplayer component.

The looks and sounds of the game are pretty straight forward. The room you will be spending most of your time in is dark and grim place with a monsterous dealer sitting at the otherside. As for the sound there’s a single backing track as you make your way through the nightclub and that quickly drains out as you make your way to the table. All leading to that tense moment where you pick up the shotgun and here that click. There’s not voice acting, nor is there a lot of sound, overall. In fact, that’s fine; the simplicity of Buckshot Roulette‘s visuals and sound really adds to the overall atmosphere of the game.

Buckshot Roulette is a very short experience, but one that is worth trying out. A uniquely interesting premise that will keep you busy for a couple of hours. Hopefully the developer can expand on this some more, as there is potential for expansion here.

 

Graphics: 7.0 The simplicity in the graphics is surprisingly effective.	Gameplay: 7.0 A uniquely engaging premise that will keep you busy for a few hours.
Sound: 6.0 There’s not a lot to discuss with the sound, but what’s present is serviceable.	Fun Factor: 7.0 It may be a short game, but one that is unique and well worth trying, especially considering the low asking price.
Final Verdict: 7.0

Buckshot Roulette is available now on PC

Reviewed on PC.

A copy of Buckshot Roulette was provided by the publisher.