Buckshot Roulette

🔥 What is Buckshot Roulette?

Buckshot Roulette is a dark, adrenaline-pumping indie game that puts a twisted spin on Russian Roulette by replacing the traditional revolver with a 12-gauge shotgun. Created by developer Mike Klubnika and initially released on itch.io on December 29, 2023, before making its way to Steam, this game offers a unique blend of luck, strategy, and psychological warfare.

Set in a gritty, industrial underground nightclub where metal railings pulse to forgotten drum machine beats, Buckshot Roulette immerses players in a tense atmosphere where every decision could be your last. The minimalist UI and diegetic systems enhance the raw, unsettling experience as you face off against “The Dealer” in a high-stakes game of chance and calculation.

👉 Features of Buckshot Roulette

The game offers a compact yet intense experience, designed for 15-20 minute playthroughs that pack a punch far beyond what its modest $3 price tag might suggest. Players navigate through three increasingly challenging rounds against The Dealer, with each round introducing new strategic elements.

Buckshot Roulette recently added a 4-way multiplayer table where you can bargain, beg, and betray your friends to become the ultimate victor. The Steam edition also includes the full soundtrack created by Mike Klubnika himself, featuring seven tracks that perfectly complement the game’s eerie ambiance.

Gameplay

The core gameplay revolves around a shotgun loaded with both live rounds and blanks in a random order. On your turn, you choose to either shoot yourself or your opponent. Shooting yourself with a blank earns you another turn with better odds, while shooting yourself with a live round costs you one of your limited lives. Shooting your opponent ends your turn regardless of the outcome.

As you progress to later rounds, the game introduces items that add layers of strategy. These include tools to regain health, deal double damage, check the current slug in the shotgun, stop another player’s turn, or even eject the current round. This transforms what could be a pure game of chance into a strategic battle of wits and memory.

After completing the main game, players unlock “Double or Nothing” mode, an endless challenge that tests how far your luck and strategy can take you. This mode introduces additional items not found in the standard game, adding even more strategic depth for those brave enough to keep pressing their luck.

Pros and Cons

✔️ Pros

• Unique concept that transforms Russian Roulette into a game of strategy and memory
• Grimy, industrial visuals that create a perfectly unsettling atmosphere
• Expertly balanced gameplay that rewards sharp memory and strategic thinking
• Challenging “Double or Nothing” mode offers endless replayability
• Affordable price point that delivers exceptional value
• New multiplayer mode adds social dynamics to the tense gameplay

❌ Cons

• Relatively short main campaign that can be completed quickly
• Could benefit from more items to experiment with in the base game
• Limited narrative development despite the intriguing setting
• No 16:10 resolution support, resulting in black bars on some displays
• Lacks unlockables in the endless mode to enhance long-term replayability