Buckshot Roulette

A literal bang-or-bust experience, Buckshot Roulette has that it-factor that combines a snappy gameplay loop with a stunningly low bar for entry that will keep you coming back for more.

91%Game Brain Score

gameplay, music

grinding, stability

96% User Score Based on 24,118 reviews

Critic Score 82%Based on 5 reviews

Platforms

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About

"Buckshot Roulette" is a fast-paced game where you play Russian roulette with a shotgun in an immersive underground nightclub setting. With only 15-20 minutes of gameplay, you must face off against The Dealer in a high-stakes game of chance. The Steam release includes seven tracks of original music and a new Double or Nothing mode for even more intense action. Can you beat The Dealer at his own game?

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96%

Audience ScoreBased on 24,118 reviews

gameplay414 positive mentions

grinding26 negative mentions

gameplay
1,021 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
41%
56%
3%
The gameplay of "Buckshot Roulette" is characterized by its unique blend of strategy and chance, where players engage in a high-stakes game reminiscent of Russian roulette, utilizing various items to manipulate odds and enhance their chances of survival. While the mechanics are simple and accessible, the game offers depth through strategic decision-making, making it both engaging and addictive, though some players note that the gameplay can become repetitive over time. Overall, the combination of a gripping atmosphere, innovative mechanics, and a compelling gameplay loop contributes to its appeal, particularly in the "double or nothing" mode that adds replayability.
- “It has great gameplay: a nice blend of strategy and risk.”
- “The core gameplay of buckshot roulette revolves around a tense game of chance and strategy against a creature known as the dealer.”
- “The gameplay is simple yet incredibly fun, thrilling, and addictive.”
- “This game doesn't have the fun gameplay.”
- “I feel absolutely nothing during the gameplay, none of the excitement people are talking about here.”
- “The actual gameplay is essentially just glorified luck.”
music
722 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
45%
54%
1%
The music in the game has received overwhelmingly positive feedback, with many players praising its energetic and immersive qualities that enhance the overall atmosphere. The soundtrack, described as a mix of club and rave music, is noted for being catchy and fitting perfectly with the game's gritty aesthetic, although some players have mentioned that it can become repetitive over time. Overall, the music is considered a standout feature, contributing significantly to the game's appeal and enjoyment.
- “The soundtrack is amazing and the game itself captivates you in a way that you'll always want to come back and play again!!!”
- “The music is bumping, too lol”
- “The music, the graphics, the animations.. all perfect in my opinion.”
- “The single complaint I have is the music loop.”
- “I'd love some more varied club music as the main track it uses gets a bit grating.”
- “Also the techno soundtrack gives me a headache even in a dank room with thick walls.”
graphics
680 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
43%
55%
2%
The graphics of the game are widely praised for their unique, gritty art style that effectively complements the game's dark themes and atmosphere. Many reviewers highlight the retro, low-poly aesthetic reminiscent of classic horror games, which enhances the immersive experience, while the sound design and music further elevate the overall presentation. However, some players express a desire for more graphical settings to accommodate lower-end systems and improve performance.
- “The sound design is incredible, the graphics fit the setting perfectly, and the music is great too!!”
- “The game's atmosphere is as thick as the smoke from a six-shooter, with stunning visuals and immersive sound design that transport you to a time when outlaws ruled the frontier.”
- “The rusty, gritty art style really conveys the sense of dread, tension, oppression and desperation.”
- “Graphics suck.”
- “It's ok but I can't get past the graphics.”
- “At the moment of writing, the game is very buggy and has a lot of major graphical issues.”
atmosphere
463 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
59%
40%
1%
The atmosphere of the game is widely praised for its intense, creepy, and immersive qualities, often described as thick and engaging, reminiscent of dark, industrial settings. Players appreciate the combination of grungy visuals, a captivating soundtrack, and a unique premise that enhances the overall experience, making it feel both thrilling and suspenseful. Many reviews highlight how the atmosphere effectively draws players into a life-or-death scenario, creating a memorable and addictive gameplay experience.
- “The atmosphere is truly top notch and you feel it right away.”
- “The base game can be completed in under 30 minutes, yet the atmosphere and world it sets up through its gritty, dingy and low-poly aesthetic pulls you in immediately and helps sell the feeling of playing a game of life or death.”
- “The game's atmosphere is as thick as the smoke from a six-shooter, with stunning visuals and immersive sound design that transport you to a time when outlaws ruled the frontier.”
- “The game has a grungy, industrial visual style that gives it its eerie and unsettling atmosphere.”
- “An unsettling atmosphere is created through these features as the dirty and grotty look of the surroundings and the chilling background noise of the music create suspense and fear.”
- “The dark and twisted atmosphere is so thick the 'cut through it with a knife' analogy doesn't work - it's as solid as stone.”
replayability
399 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
44%
53%
3%
The game is widely praised for its high replayability, primarily due to its engaging mechanics and the recently added "double or nothing" mode, which enhances the gameplay experience and encourages players to chase high scores. While the main story can be completed quickly, the randomness and strategic elements keep players coming back for more, making it a great value for its low price. However, some reviewers note that the game could benefit from additional content and multiplayer features to further enhance its replay value.
- “Although the gameplay is short, it's infinitely replayable and fun.”
- “A very fun and addicting roguelike that, while simple in its mechanics and light in content, more than makes up for it in the quality and replayability of what it offers.”
- “The gameplay loop and the double or nothing mode adds a lot of replayability.”
- “Pretty fun but not very replayable.”
- “Zero replayability once you complete it the first time (which I did on the first run).”
- “It's enjoyable for a short time, but unfortunately it's not replayable afterwards.”
story
322 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
15%
72%
13%
The game's story is minimal and often described as lacking depth, with many players expressing a desire for a more developed narrative. While some appreciate the engaging gameplay and atmosphere, they note that the story mode is very short, typically lasting around 15-20 minutes, and lacks significant lore or context. Overall, the consensus is that while the game is fun and replayable, it would benefit from a more substantial storyline.
- “This game is nothing short of a masterpiece, combining stunning visuals, engaging storytelling, and addictive gameplay.”
- “The story is richly layered, with unexpected twists and emotional moments that keep you invested from start to finish.”
- “Buckshot roulette is an interactive work of art that masterfully combines gritty industrial visuals with legitimately fun gameplay and macabre environmental storytelling.”
- “The campaign remains short but sweet with no real story.”
- “The lack of lore and context unfortunately makes the experience a lot lacking; I would've really cared about a story.”
- “While the game is engaging, it lacks a deep storyline or extensive content, which might leave some players wanting more after a few hours of play.”
humor
271 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The humor in the game is widely praised, with players finding the antics of the dealer and the absurdity of the gameplay to be consistently hilarious. Many reviews highlight moments of dark comedy, such as the dealer's frequent self-inflicted mishaps and the game's overall wacky, unpredictable nature, making it a fun choice for casual play and multiplayer sessions. Overall, the humor is described as a key element that enhances the game's appeal, providing a mix of laughter and adrenaline.
- “There were far more moments that made me laugh out loud (dealer being a dumb@ss) than made me feel actual fear (zero).”
- “It's funny to watch the dealer fail his pill-popping.”
- “You will curse and swear at your rotten luck almost every time you're on the receiving end of a live shell, but seeing the dealer fall victim to the same fate never stops being funny.”
grinding
74 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
1%
64%
35%
Players generally find the grinding aspect of the game to be excessively time-consuming and often tedious, requiring significant investment to achieve completion. While some enjoy the strategic elements that can alleviate the monotony, many express frustration with the repetitive nature of the tasks and the reliance on luck for certain achievements. Overall, grinding can provide hours of entertainment, but it often leads to a mix of enjoyment and frustration.
- “Would love rank progress, icons for grinding and bragging a bit.”
- “Currently grinding away at endless mode for the last two achievements.”
- “I just hope that no other achievement will be added; grinding the existing ones was enough.”
- “Furthermore, some of the achievements require the player to perform pointlessly self-destructive actions, which is just tedious and unfun to bother with, especially just for the sake of getting achievement unlocks.”
emotional
28 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The emotional aspect of the game is characterized by a mix of humor and depth, with players experiencing both laughter and moments of intense emotional engagement. While some found it to be a wholesome and family-friendly experience, others noted visceral and shocking elements that elicited strong reactions, ranging from fear to emotional whiplash. Overall, the game successfully combines lightheartedness with rich storytelling and unexpected twists that keep players invested.
- “The story is richly layered, with unexpected twists and emotional moments that keep you invested from start to finish.”
- “Felt like I needed a cigarette in real life after that emotional whiplash.”
- “So visceral, emotional and horrifically disgusting at the same time.”
stability
28 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
36%
64%
The game's stability is a significant concern, with many users reporting frequent freezes, frame drops, and various graphical glitches that hinder gameplay. While it runs well on the Steam Deck and has potential, the overall experience is marred by bugs, making it largely unplayable until further polishing is done. Users express hope for future updates to address these issues, particularly regarding ultrawide support.
- “It's a trip and runs great on anything, including the Steam Deck.”
- “Also, it runs great out of the box on Steam Deck / Linux.”
- “(runs great on deck)”
- “The game is good; however, it's buggy. I am unsure if this is because of the ultrawide mod I use. It's safe to assume that is the case, but I will recommend this game either way, as it literally costs nothing, and the developer seems willing to fix things. Hopefully, native ultrawide support is on the list; it looks like it only needs some small fixes.”
- “I'm not on a great (or even good by modern standards) system (Vega 3 graphics & Ryzen 3 3200U processor), and I get pretty significant frame drops and freezes every 40 seconds to a minute.”
- “Buggy game is unplayable until it is more polished.”
optimization
20 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
30%
55%
15%
Overall, the game's optimization has received mixed feedback, with some users noting that it performs well and offers a great price-performance ratio, while others express concerns about high GPU usage on devices like the Steam Deck. Many players hope for further optimization to enhance performance, particularly for simpler gameplay mechanics.
- “Great price-performance ratio.”
- “With simple and easy-to-grasp rules, fast-paced rounds and gameplay, and also, excellent performance effects for live-streaming, this little indie game has captured many players who come back to play it once again and again.”
- “Well optimized.”
- “9/10, could use some optimization.”
- “Hope this one will be optimized for Steam Deck as well!”
- “I do have one issue: on the Steam Deck in the performance overlay, it says it uses 88% or higher GPU load. For a game this simple, that doesn't seem right.”
monetization
14 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
21%
50%
29%
The game is praised for its lack of in-app purchases and microtransactions, which is a refreshing change in the current gaming landscape. Players appreciate the strategic elements added by items, while the absence of pay-to-win mechanics and excessive monetization practices enhances the overall experience. This indie title stands out as a positive example amidst a trend of consumerist practices in gaming.
- “No in-app purchases, which is rare nowadays.”
- “One of the few good releases of 2024 - started following this game when it was on itch.io last year. Indie games like this deserve to become popular instead of the consumerist slop that shovels DLCs, battle passes, preorder bonuses, and in-game microtransactions down your throat.”
- “✅ No microtransactions.”
- “One of the few good releases of 2024 - started following this game when it was on itch.io last year, indie games like this deserve to become popular instead of the consumerist slop that shovels DLCs, battle passes, preorder bonuses, and in-game microtransactions down your throat.”
- “🔲microtransactions to give you an advantage.”
- “🔲cosmetic microtransactions (peels).”
character development
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The character development in the game is highly praised, with reviewers highlighting the exceptional character design as a standout feature.