(Image courtesy of SteamDB. “Buckshot Roulette wraps games of chance and risk into one fun package.”)

Enzo Levati
Connector Contributor

“Buckshot Roulette” is an indie strategy game developed by Mike Klubnika and originally released on itch.io in 2023. The game then got a Steam release through the publisher CRITICAL REFLEX on April 4, 2024. The game is accessible only on PC through Steam and itch.io.

The player wakes up in a shabby bathroom with missing mirrors and broken tile flooring. They then walk out onto a catwalk in an industrial building as rave music blares in the background. Going across the catwalk, the player enters a dark, suspicious room and meets the Dealer, a floating grotesque face with sharp teeth lining his toothy grin. They must enter their name to sign a general release of liability before beginning a vicious game of Russian roulette.

Russian roulette is an old game of chance where one bullet is placed in a pistol and the chamber is spun. Players then take turns placing the gun on themselves or another person until the bullet fires. The gameplay of Buckshot Roulette follows Russian roulette with two changes: you are provided items and instead of a pistol, you wield a 12-gauge shotgun. Each round, two to eight bullets are inserted into the shotgun, with some being live rounds and others being blank shots. The player and the Dealer then take turns as they point the gun between themselves and the person across the table.

Both the player and Dealer have a limited number of charges, which represents the number of gunshots they can take before they’re dead. Each live bullet takes away one charge until either side runs out and marks the end of a game round. If the player runs out of charges, they are brought back using a defibrillator and the game round restarts. This back-and-forth lasts for three game rounds but another twist is introduced in the second round through the introduction of items.

Both sides receive a few items each round with a variety of effects tied to each one. For example, a magnifying glass will reveal whether the bullet in the chamber is a live or a blank while a cigarette recovers a charge. These items change up the gameplay loop as the player is now given more options with each shot. They can either make safer choices for themselves or leave the Dealer at a disadvantage depending on what they are provided with.

Although a main playthrough of the game lasts under an hour on average, there are different modes that offer more ways to play. After completing the main playthrough, a bottle of pills spawns on the sinks in the bathroom to begin Double or Nothing mode. In this mode, the player begins with a set amount of money and doubles it upon winning a game round. They can choose to leave with the money they have earned or play another round for a chance to double their winnings.

More recently, the game introduced a multiplayer mode where you can gamble with four players total. Multiplayer introduces some new items into the mix and has options for game length and

bullet limits. Like the popular card game Uno, Buckshot Roulette can be a game of fun and frustration as you and your friends battle to the death.

Buckshot Roulette has gritty, bleak graphics with a relatively short gameplay loop. However, it manages to entice players by having simplistic, yet strategic gameplay tied to the luck of the player. Every item loadout the player receives can make each game round a breeze or leave the player with a risky decision in the chamber. Even with a lucky loadout, sometimes players are forced to take a chance depending on how many bullets are in the shotgun. This level of risk-taking, luck, and strategy leads to thrilling wins and soul-crushing defeats.

Deviating from the complexity that has taken root in many modern high-budget games, Buckshot Roulette stands as a testament to the enjoyment of simplicity. Whether someone is looking for a short thrill or a new competitive game to play among a small group of friends, Buckshot Roulette is a fantastic choice. Through a highly replayable and randomized gameplay loop, the game has cemented itself as a reliable, classic game of risky decision-making for a bit of fun when the mood strikes.

Grade: B+