Luckslinger – Review
Luckslinger is a relentless but adventurous action game developed by Duckbridge. In this hardcore platformer, you play as a gun-wielding cowboy who is accompanied by his loyal companion Duck. If the 2D pixilated graphic style won’t do it for you, the luck-based mechanic might be just enough as the luck bracelet can help you underway but it can also bring chaos.
Story
You begin Luckslinger by wandering into a cave where you’ll find a townie of Clovercreek. With his last breath, he hands you his luck charm and asks you to return to the town. Once there, the town people tell the tale of how infamous bandits stole their six luck charms. They’ve asked you, another gunslinger, to retrieve the precious artifacts and as the bounty hunter you are, you cannot refuse the gold they’d pay for it, thus your adventure begins.
The narrative is certainly a nice step-up from the overly-used concepts often found in platformers. The fact that the charms you’re looking for are a huge part of the game’s mechanics is a great feature but more about that in the gameplay section.
Graphics
The visuals are kept fairly simple. The pixilated art style brings some old-fashioned charm to the game while the backdrops are ever-changing but consistent with the western spaghetti slinger theme the game has going for it. While the game looks like a 2D platformer, there are certain platforms you can jump on which allows for a greater 2.5D feel. These platforms are not found in every nook of the game but the occasional platforms certainly make the game feel more enjoyable to play. In line with the general visuals, the user interface is simple yet easy to figure out at a quick glance.
A large part of the atmosphere is based on western deserts but the game combines this with upbeat hip-hop atmosphere so don’t be surprised to find out that the vinyl records scattered around the levels are actual checkpoints.
Sound
The soundtrack is certainly one of the best features in the game. The jazzy hip-hop tunes blend in perfectly with the more harmonic western-styled sound. The combination of it certainly seems strange but it’s a perfect match. At first you won’t have that many tracks to listen to but the more you advance, the more tracks you’ll unlock.
The scratchy hip-hop ambiance sound is certainly the highlight of the game but the sound effects have not been left behind. Your trusty companion Duckbridge will often quack while your slinging shots are heard from miles away. Voice-overs aren’t part of the game but that’s okay as it wouldn’t be fitting either.
Gameplay
Luckslinger can be played with both keyboard and controller but my personal preference would be the controller as both key bindings are somewhat awkward to work with at first. With an Xbox-controller, the following key bindings are the most important and only ones: X to select in your menu as well as shoot in-game, reloading your precious revolver is done with Y while you can jump over obstacles with A. Another key mechanic is rolling with LT as this is your way to dodge incoming bullets and if you’re out of ammo, you can throw your knife with RT. There’s no need to pick it back up either since your lovely companion Duckbridge fetches it. He also fetches other useful items such as health – that is, if he feels like it.
The game is hugely based on the luck mechanic. Luck can be gathered by picking up “orbs” from fallen enemies and this luck can either turn quickly on you or grant you some extremely lucky near-death moments. Once you have enough luck, you can use this to your own advantage during gunfights or epic boss battles. LB or RB is your most important button here as this will cast a luck aura around you. Downside is that this mechanic also consumes half of your luck which means the game might get harder once used.
Besides the luck mechanic, the gameplay consists of utterly destroying your enemies by raining a bullet hail upon them or throwing your sharp knife at them. That and dodging incoming projectiles are the key mechanics of the game. While this type of gameplay doesn’t sound all too exciting, the game will give you plenty of hard times with a good variation of enemies to face, from gunslinging bandits to irritated wildlife to angry fathers to six bosses. It’s all there.
Throughout your gameplay, you’ll also be gathering golden coins which you can spend at shops. However the prices are fairly steep, especially at the beginning. As the game is relentless, you may not even be able to buy something for quite a while. To keep boredom at bay, the game offers mini-games here and there which can grant you golden bars, or you can gamble your hard earned golden coins away at various Indian tents or even play Russian Roulette. It’s all fun and games until you die from the roulette.
Conclusion
Luckslinger is a great indie platformer with a decent narrative and relentless but addictive gameplay. What truly sets the game apart is the combination of a spaghetti western gunslinger combined with a hip-hop atmosphere, which in all honesty is a great combination. The luck-based mechanic in the game is a great concept and has been executed well enough to provide some tough situations, allowing for more hardcore gaming sessions. All-in-all, a great game to have played, once.
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