1997 was quite the year for gaming; Square’s Final Fantasy VII improved the modern RPG. Rare’s GoldenEye 007 revolutionized first-person shooters. Rockstar North, then known as DMA Design, molded the open-world genre with their release of Grand Theft Auto, the free-roaming top-down action game that proved to be one of the most significant franchises in gaming. Hearkening back to those humble beginnings of Grand Theft Auto, Rustler (formerly known as Grand Theft Horse) puts those design ideals into a new setting with lots of modern tweaks.
Many companies have tried to cash in on the success of Grand Theft Auto by releasing their own takes on the sandbox action-adventure series. Franchises like Lego City Undercover and Saint’s Row will feel super familiar to any Grand Theft Auto fan. Both series contain a large open world to explore, and plenty of vehicles to steal. While these takes on the genre do offer up new experiences, the similarities with Grand Theft Auto cannot be taken lightly. That said, both games take place in a similarly modern setting.
Polish indie studio Jutsu Games, most notable for their 2017 release 911 Operator, is currently hard at work on their next project, Rustler. Initially starting out on Kickstarter, Rustler promised players that they can, “Become a medieval thug in a crazy open-world action game, full of pop-culture references. All packed in old-school gameplay style!”
The Kickstarter was fully funded on February 13th, 2020; the campaign ended with a total of CA$38,117 funded, a whopping CA$13,117 over its initial goal.
Rustler opens up to a rap about our unfortunately named protagonist, Guy, and his menacing ways. The game’s aesthetics are similar to that of old-school GTA, or more recently Grand Theft Auto: Chinatown Wars. Rustler is played from a top-down perspective, with character models lacking a lot of detail. When speaking to an NPC, a more detailed view of each character’s face will show up on the bottom, along with text and gibberish speech. This is an artistic style that harps back to a much more simple time in gaming that still has a lot of fans today.
Rustler’s star character, Guy, is a dimwitted drunkard with a bad family life. Starting out, Guy begrudgingly wakes up after passing out from a late night of drinking and tomfoolery. The game immediately teaches players how to move around and interact with objects and NPCs. After learning the ropes, Guy is asked to save the game at his house, a typical GTA trope. On the journey home, players will learn how to steal their first horse, something that will feel immediately familiar. Once home, Guy is greeted by his mother, who refuses to allow him to save until finishing all of his chores. From there, players are tasked with plowing the field just below their house.
Once the plowing is done the game has been saved, players are tasked with their first homicide which shows a handful of available weapons. Later on after some conversations with Guy’s best friend Buddy, players are convinced to sign up for The Grand Tournament. In order to do so, however, Guy must first fake a nobility certificate. Rustler’s main story was intentionally made very light. The game’s roots are set deep in old-school Grand Theft Auto, which has a main goal of just goofing around and having fun. Jutsu Games’ vision is exactly that. Get in trouble with the police, get some stars (or in this case heads), and try to survive the fray and flee the scene for as long as possible.
As of now Rustler only contains one map, referred to by the developers as an island. Being that it takes place in the middle ages, there are lots of brick buildings and a lot of farmland and horticulture. The game’s current map is definitely lacking a bit of variety in its current form but Jutsu Games promises an additional island to explore in the game’s final release. The game’s current island is fairly large for what it is, however having a second island to explore would add a bit more variety to the landscapes.
Fans of the genre will immediately feel at home with how Rustler plays. It plays exactly as advertised, through its original Grand Theft Horse title; Grand theft in medieval times. Everything that made Grand Theft Auto the running success it is is on full display. Since the game takes place in the middle ages, the automotive industry was obviously not yet invented, so all vehicles in the game are powered exclusively by horse. Due to this fact, the driving controls are a little more frustrating. Since horses don’t typically go backwards, driving in reverse simply isn’t an option. This can make certain corners and areas difficult. After an hour or so of practice however, I was able get used to it. In addition to replacing cars with horses, Rustler also replaces all firearms with more time-period appropriate weaponry. These vary from crossbows, scythes, swords, daggers, sticks, and even bare fists.
Rustler is filled to the brim with pop culture references and loads of comedy. The lyrics in its rap intro and a few hidden penises spread behind signs and bushes set the game’s tone. Through dialog, missions, random NPC interactions, and graffiti on the walls Rustler’s not-so-serious tone continues to be on full display throughout each session.
One of my favorite features Rustler has to offer is the ability to commission a bard. In exchange for some coin, he will follow Guy around and play a medieval tune. This acts as an alternative to GTA’s radio stations. If you don’t like the music being played, give him a gentle punch and he will change songs. I really hope Jutsu Games expands upon this idea, as the current version is limited in its music selection. This idea is really hilarious and is even funnier during combat. The musical tone will change depending on the urgency of the scene. The bard will also run away if he feels threatened. This really adds an extra charm to the world and makes it feel just a little more lived in.
So far the biggest issue I’ve come across in my playtime with Rustler is the way it controls. As already mentioned, controlling horses can be a little bit wonky to maneuver. This often results in unnecessarily circling around areas. Since it is still only in its alpha stages, this can be excused for now… I’m hopeful that Jutsu Games is able to polish off the driving mechanics before launch, as this is one of the game’s main mechanics. It is not just the driving controls that can get frustrating, however. It is unfortunate that controlling the various weapons feel incredibly uninspired. They are controlled by aiming a translucent line, twin-stick style and it feels pretty limited. This wouldn’t be as big of an issue if you were given full mobility. This means you must move around while aiming in order to hit targets. The collision detection isn’t the best either, often resulting in my crossbows going right through a target without actually hitting. This can get frustrating when working with a limited supply of ammunition. Ironically, I found targeting enemies while on horseback to be the easiest way to fight.
There are many horses and carriages to steal with several different designs. If you are wanted by the police, simply stop by the Pimp My Horse station to get a new um… paint job? Speaking of the police, in true GTA fashion, the police horses are complete with red and blue flashing lights and a siren. This definitely adds to the stress of being hunted down by the cops, and its inclusion is an absolute must! Speaking of police chases, a few times throughout my playthrough the police’s horse carriage would ram up and stick to my own. No matter how I moved, the carriage continued to stick, only separating when hit with a weapon. I’m assuming this is a glitch, as it made trying to escape the law incredibly difficult. As already mentioned, I am currently playing an alpha build, which proves to be a little unstable and acts as a preview of the general ideas they’re going for. The issues I’ve faced may very well be fixed in an upcoming patch. While Rustler has been given no official release date, it can be expected to release sometime Q3/Q4 2020 and Jutsu Games seem to be hard at work releasing updates at a steady pace.
I think Rustler has the potential to be a really fun GTA-lite game, and I am excited to see it’s final release.
For more information on Jutsu Games, visit their official website and their Facebook page. For more information on Rustler specifically, visit the official Steam page, as well as the now-ended Kickstarter. A digital early access copy was provided for the purpose of the preview. Screenshots were captured by Frank through Steam.
