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Rustler

Almost more a "skin" than a homage to the original GTA... the same feel in a different era. Simple silly fun!
Rustler Game Cover
66%Game Brain Score
story, humor
stability, optimization
73% User Score Based on 790 reviews
Critic Score 59%Based on 20 reviews

Platforms

Nintendo SwitchXbox Series X|SPCPlaystation 5Playstation 4Xbox OneXboxSteam DeckWindowsPlayStation
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Rustler Game Cover

About

Rustler is a single player and multiplayer open world role playing shooter game with fantasy, medieval and historical themes. It was developed by Jutsu Games and was released on August 31, 2021. It received neutral reviews from critics and mostly positive reviews from players.

Become a medieval thug in a crazy open-world action game, full of pop-culture references. Complete insane quests, kill heroes, steal horses, fight guards, rob peasants and more! All packed in old-school gameplay style!

Genres & Tags
Play Modes
Rustler screenshot
Rustler screenshot
Rustler screenshot
Rustler screenshot
Rustler screenshot
Rustler screenshot
Rustler screenshot
Rustler screenshot
Rustler screenshot
Rustler screenshot
Rustler screenshot
+14
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73%
Audience ScoreBased on 790 reviews
story68 positive mentions
stability33 negative mentions
  • Fun and humorous top-down action game inspired by classic GTA with a medieval twist featuring creative pop culture references and Monty Python-style humor.
  • Engaging and entertaining story with amusing characters and witty dialogue, enhanced by a unique bard-based in-game music system.
  • Decent open-world design with varied side quests, missions, and activities; nostalgic gameplay that captures the spirit of original GTA games.
  • Controls are clunky and awkward, particularly horse riding and combat, causing frequent frustration and difficulty in gameplay.
  • Several bugs and glitches including bad AI pathfinding, save system issues with limited checkpoints, and frequent crashes hinder the experience.
  • Repetitive mission design often involves tedious fetch quests and escort tasks with poor checkpoint placement, making retries frustrating.
  • story
    422 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The story is a humorous, light-hearted medieval parody reminiscent of early GTA games, featuring a mix of absurd main quests and amusing side activities rich with pop culture references and satire. While the narrative and characters are engaging and entertaining for many, the mission design is often criticized for being repetitive, simplistic, and occasionally frustrating due to bugs and poor checkpoint implementation. Overall, the story adds charm and comedic value, but some players find it shallow or marred by gameplay and technical issues.

    • “The game tells a story of an up-and-coming medieval criminal, in a very nice and comedic style.”
    • “Despite its slow start and simplicity, the plot surprised me with its many well-placed jokes and hilarious cast, which elevated the experience to another level.”
    • “The story and quests are pretty cool with some weird characters and funny dialogue lines, with a touch of dark humor (another thing in common with GTA).”
    • “The missions and storyline left a lot to be desired.”
    • “Escort an NPC (especially frustrating with the terrible pathfinding that makes NPCs and you circle around a few times before finally getting on a horse, while chased by guards), kill a few enemies and do a lot of fetch quests and "ride here, pick up thing, ride back", all paired with a bad checkpoint system.”
    • “Even when disregarding the controls, the side quests along with the main quests all end up feeling samey with most boiling down to "kill enemies" or "bring x to y" which, combined with shallow combat, makes this game somewhat boring.”
  • humor
    268 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    Rustler delivers a distinctive and often hilarious blend of crude, slapstick, and anachronistic humor heavily influenced by Monty Python and classic top-down GTA games. While many players praise its witty writing, quirky references, and comedic scenarios—especially the bard "radio" and medieval GTA parody—some find the humor juvenile, repetitive, or reliant on overused pop culture jokes. Overall, its humor is a standout feature that suits fans of irreverent, dark, and absurd comedy, though it may not appeal to everyone.

    • “One of Rustler’s most defining characteristics is its sharp and irreverent sense of humor.”
    • “The influence of Monty Python is evident throughout, from the quirky dialogue and exaggerated characters to the presence of a bard who functions as a medieval “radio DJ,” providing hilarious commentary and breaking the fourth wall.”
    • “The witty writing was comedic perfection, with many references and well-placed puns that made me laugh so hard that I could not contain myself.”
    • “Unfunny constant blatant pop culture references aren't good writing.”
    • “Not funny enough.”
    • “Not funny to me.”
  • gameplay
    177 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The gameplay in Rustler is a nostalgic, GTA-style experience set in a medieval world, offering simple, straightforward mechanics with humor and lightheartedness. While some find the combat and controls clunky, repetitive, and occasionally frustrating due to bugs and design flaws, others appreciate its charm, comedic tone, and polished core mechanics. Overall, it’s a fun but rough-edged game better suited for fans of old-school open-world games seeking casual and comedic gameplay rather than deep, innovative mechanics.

    • “I have no load times and the framerate is not visible at all (no stutters, no lagging, butter-smooth animations and gameplay).”
    • “From the outset, Rustler stands out by blending anachronistic humor with open-world gameplay mechanics, offering a fresh and unexpected take on both genres.”
    • “For players who appreciate nostalgic gameplay mechanics blended with a lighthearted and chaotic world, Rustler offers a fun and memorable adventure that stands out in the crowded landscape of indie action games.”
    • “Terrible game mechanics, really terrible experience playing this.”
    • “The gameplay is solid but the utter lack of innovation and limited scope of available interactions make it nothing to write home about at best, or a pile of steaming, boring horse excrement at worst.”
    • “Clunky gameplay and annoying cop system that punishes you for no reason.”
  • music
    81 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The game's music stands out for its creative integration of medieval-themed tracks performed by bards, blending traditional instruments with modern genres like rap and hip-hop, which adds humor and immersion to the setting. While the soundtrack is widely praised for its quality and originality, some players note its limited variety and repetitive nature can become tiresome over extended play. Overall, the bard system offers an innovative, context-appropriate way to control the music, enhancing the game's playful and adventurous atmosphere.

    • “Accompanying the visuals is a fitting soundtrack filled with medieval-inspired tunes that immerse players further in the setting while underscoring the game’s playful and adventurous spirit.”
    • “I like the innovative way that music is used in this game, especially how the concept of radio—a live playing or beat-boxing bard—is introduced, so that there wouldn't be random background music, and the player can actually control what's being played.”
    • “The soundtrack is a delightful mix of medieval tunes and modern beats, played by bards who seem to have time-traveled from a renaissance fair.”
    • “The music gets kind of boring, with the same 3 tracks played repeatedly, and one of them is just babbling.”
    • “The music is also very limited and the sound design can be occasionally annoying.”
    • “Effectively, when you go through the map, you hear the same few first seconds of literally 5 songs over and over again.”
  • graphics
    62 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The graphics receive mixed but generally positive feedback, praised for their nostalgic, medieval-GTA hybrid aesthetic with charming, cartoonish, and pixel art styles that fit the game's humorous tone. While not visually stunning or high-end, the visuals are considered serviceable, enjoyable, and well-suited to the game's quirky atmosphere, with some noting occasional glitches but smooth performance even on portable devices. Overall, the graphics complement the gameplay and theme effectively without aiming for realism or cutting-edge detail.

    • “The graphics are beautifully janky in that ‘yes this is on purpose’ way, and nothing is more satisfying than committing a drive-by… on a horse… with a lute player hyping me up like a medieval hype man.”
    • “Visually, Rustler impresses with its pixel art style that manages to feel both detailed and expressive.”
    • “Love the game with excellent visuals and great interactions.”
    • “The graphics are sub-par but that's to be expected.”
    • “The game's visuals won't strike you with awe and won't provide any breathtaking moments.”
    • “If you can overlook the clunky controls and dated graphics, you'll find a lot of laughs and a fair bit of fun.”
  • stability
    34 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The game suffers from frequent bugs, glitches, crashes, and instability issues that range from minor annoyances to game-breaking problems requiring restarts or reloads. While some players find these issues frustrating or disruptive to gameplay, others consider them tolerable or part of the game's quirky charm, especially given the developers’ efforts to address bugs. Overall, stability is a notable weakness impacting the experience despite the game's underlying appeal.

    • “A buggy mess with some quests being near unplayable due to bugs, crashes, and game breaking glitches until I reload the quest or game.”
    • “Terrible terrible game, 1hr in and running from the soldiers is a buggy nightmare!”
    • “What a buggy piece of garbage, let's see if I can stand it through.”
  • optimization
    19 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The game's optimization is inconsistent, with some users experiencing stuttering, frame drops, memory leaks, and occasional freezing that sometimes require restarts, while others report stable performance at high settings on mid-range hardware. Though playable, the overall experience is hindered by these technical issues and occasional pop-in and rendering problems, indicating that further optimization and system rework are needed to improve stability and performance.

    • “I played it with an i5 8300h, GTX 1060 6GB, and 16GB RAM at high settings, achieving 50-60 frames per second at 1920x1080 resolution.”
    • “Optimization is good in my opinion; maxed out with shadows one setting lower yields 100 average fps on a 1070 at 1440p.”
    • “Works great on Deck, consider using FSR for extra performance.”
    • “The only major issues I noticed were optimization (I was getting 45-60 fps), pop-in (unavoidable since you get a huge view of the map), and some lighting/rendering issues (only one eye).”
    • “Memory leak problems causing lots of stuttering.”
    • “Initial early access release: pretty much a tech demo with horrible optimization.”
  • grinding
    17 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    Grinding in this game is generally considered tedious and repetitive, with many users finding quests and side activities dull, overly sensitive to failure, and excessively time-consuming. The need for patience and persistence is emphasized, as frequent deaths and slow progress can make the experience frustrating and monotonous.

    • “You'll need a second life, maybe some macros, and a will to live for grinding.”
    • “It's the same thing over and over and over and just super tedious.”
    • “Some side activities are just dull, way more tedious and boring than the others, and the game would benefit from removing them.”
  • monetization
    11 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The monetization in this game is heavily criticized for intrusive in-game advertisements, including popup ads upon exiting the game, despite it being a paid title. Additionally, the presence of mandatory launcher ads and microtransactions detracts from the overall experience, leading to frustration among players.

    • “Can be fun but has a required launcher now and in-game advertising on top of it :/.”
    • “I have one huge problem though, when you go to close the game you get an in-game popup advertisement.”
    • “Listen.. I purchased your game, not your advertisements.”
  • atmosphere
    10 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The game's atmosphere is praised for its immersive and unique blend of medieval themes with quirky, humorous elements, creating a captivating and memorable environment. Detailed city life and a mix of period-appropriate and eccentric sounds enhance the setting, appealing especially to players who enjoy a playful, abstract humor within an epic medieval backdrop.

    • “Immersive atmosphere with a captivating environment.”
    • “Inside the city, you can encounter graffiti, people throwing buckets of water from the window, and other impressive details that flesh out the atmosphere.”
    • “Stron recommendation for people who prefer epic abstract humor and medieval atmosphere, with a pinch of salt.”
    • “Indeed, the medieval spin spices up the atmosphere, but not everything responds so well.”
    • “GTA 2 style atmosphere and music, dipped with medieval theme.”
  • replayability
    7 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    Replayability is mixed, with some players appreciating the open-world and side activities for extended playtime, while others feel the game lacks significant replay value beyond completing achievements or a single playthrough. Overall, it offers moderate longevity but may not encourage repeated replays for everyone.

    • “While the main storyline is relatively concise and can be completed in a moderate amount of time, the open-world design and numerous side activities extend its replay value.”
    • “Replay value - longevity and replayability.”
    • “Replay value - longevity and replayability.”
    • “There isn't really any replayability though after completing 100% unless you want to go for the achievements.”
    • “You have no real replay value here, but Rustler will keep you entertained for a weekend or two.”
    • “Replayable, meh, probably not for me.”
  • emotional
    2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    Users find the game emotionally engaging in a subtle, relaxing way, likening it to the Gothic series. It offers a balanced experience that is enjoyable without being overly complex, providing a comfortably immersive and story-driven atmosphere.

    • “Made me feel like I'm playing Gothic, and if that's not an endorsement, I don't know what is.”
    • “It’s a perfectly fine game for relaxing after work, because not every game can be an extremely complex, just difficult enough to engage, emotionally rich story-driven masterpiece.”
  • character development
    1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    Character development is highlighted by engaging combat, appealing character designs, and humorous, well-crafted quests that enhance the overall experience.

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59%Critics’ scoreBased on 20 critic reviews
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10h Median play time
10h Average play time
6-15h Spent by most gamers
*Based on 12 analyzed playthroughs
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Frequently Asked Questions

Rustler is a open world role playing shooter game with fantasy, medieval and historical themes.

Rustler is available on Nintendo Switch, Xbox Series X|S, PC, PlayStation 5 and others.

On average players spend around 10 hours playing Rustler.

Rustler was released on August 31, 2021.

Rustler was developed by Jutsu Games.

Rustler has received neutral reviews from players and neutral reviews from critics. Most players liked this game for its story but disliked it for its stability.

Rustler is a single player game with multiplayer support.

Similar games include American Fugitive, We Happy Few, It's Only Money, The Precinct, Bum Simulator and others.