Developer: Jutsu Games
Publisher: Jutsu Games, Games Operators, PlayWay S.A.
Platform: PC
Tested on: PC
Rustler (Grand Theft Horse) – Preview
When thinking of Grand Theft Auto, there won’t be that many gamers of the current generation that still know the origins of the series. The original games were top-down games, in which you could wreak havoc, but also complete missions if you so desired. The control scheme was something to get used to, and for the most part, these games were a blast to play, thanks to their simplified gameplay and mechanics. Rustler, which is currently in development by Jutsu Games is currently running a pre-alpha phase for a select few for their medieval GTA-inspired game, and we were able to get a glimpse of the game.
The game hits us with an instant nostalgia factor by putting down the protagonist in a top-down format, just like the original two GTA games, and the London expansion. This game is however coated in a Medieval lick of paint, and for a pre-alpha game, everything already looks quite amazing. There’s enough variation in the terrain, the cities and villages are different enough in their structures, the countryside looks properly done, and the character models are somewhat rougher around the edges but still look good. The means of transportation are a bit monotonous as you’ll have to make do with a horse (and carriage). There is a proper amount of animations, and the blood gushing from your opponents make you satisfied when you finally slay that pesky guard.
The gameplay is currently still simple as you’re thrown into the game with no explanation until you die the first time. After that, the tutorial will trigger and you can perform small tasks. Sadly, this triggered for us only a few times and then didn’t progress anymore, rendering us unable to complete many of the available missions. When we tried dying or getting arrested, sometimes the beginning would trigger again, other times it didn’t. Nonetheless, we could muck around in a good old fashioned GTA fashion by running over civilians, getting into fights and collecting weapons and gold. There isn’t that much to do at the moment (as far as we know due to the faulty mission system), and the map is still limited, but the game shows a lot of promise if the developers add some special collectibles, a few more means of transportation and a bigger map (or multiple maps).
We noticed that the sound design is also being handled with care. There’s a proper hip hop track playing in the main menu and the loading screen which already gets you amped up to start playing. The in-game sound is also designed quite well, with the occasional fart and burp accompanying you on your way. Other NPCs will yell one-liners, scream in fear or make a pleasant gushing sound when you chop them to bits. Driving by certain areas will also trigger some background music, but for the most part, the background music is currently somewhat void. It’s understandable that, due to the Medieval theme, there aren’t any radios available on your four-legged rides.
The controls of the game are quite simple. You can move around, hijack horses, use several weapons and so on. As the game is a top-down experience, it will take some time taking your corners properly and getting used to the steering. Nonetheless, after a while, the controls feel natural and you’ll have a blast.
Conclusion
Rustler, also known as Grand Theft Horse, is a great homage to the older GTA games and even though we only got a glimpse of the end product, we were already quite impressed with what we got. While we weren’t able to properly trigger the missions, we noticed that the world is quite fun to mess around in, and things can only get better the moment everything is fleshed out properly. If you’re a fan of a good old top-down experience with well-established mechanics, we recommend you keep an eye on this one.
Rustler (Grand Theft Horse) - Preview,
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[…] in 2019, we took a closer look at Rustler, which proved to be a fairly interesting homage to the old-school GTA games. We did very much enjoy […]