Rustler is embracing the power of next-gen | Hands-off preview
When I played an early build of Rustler on PC back in February, it didn’t do much to excite me. The concept wasn’t particularly original, but I liked the setting and the old-school feel of it. Almost six months later, it looks like a different game. I was given the opportunity to watch a presentation from Bartek Gajewski, CEO and Chief Designer at Jutsu Games. In the video, I got to see how those issues in Early Access seem to have been fixed.
The story of Rustler follows Guy, a “peasant with loose morals,” according to Gajewski. Inspired by the gameplay of PS1-era Grand theft Auto, Guy travels round a historically inaccurate version of Medieval England. There seems to be a lot more to do than previously seen, such as mini-games where you transport dead bodies to gravediggers, and fight in MMA battles: Medieval Martial Arts. Inspired by the comedy of Monty Python and poking fun at Game of Thrones and The Witcher TV series, Rustler has heaps of potential.
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Rustler: New technology
In a trailer for the PS5, shown off during the presentation, a lot of the features were announced. The Community Manager at Modus, Luke Croft, talked about a lot of them. The DualSense technology has been utilised to provide a variety of features. Travelling on horseback is felt through the haptic feedback. Depending on your speed, the gallops are felt with every vibration. When in combat, attacks from different directions vibrate in different parts of the controller. The adaptive triggers also offer resistance when firing certain weapons.
The 3D audio will provide sirens to be heard through the controller so you know where the fuzz are coming from. Another mechanic not seen before is the bard. Like The Witcher, you can hire your very own personal singer. He will be heard through the controller, singing a mis of medieval hip hop and pop songs. If he starts to annoy you, you kill him and play his guitar yourself. It’s an arbitrary idea, but one that could provide a lot of fun whilst wreaking havoc across town.
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Improved in various ways
The combat of Rustler was clunky and not as tight as I’d have liked when I played in February. This appears to have been fixed. Given the game will be releasing on PS5 and Xbox Series X|S, there’s no way they could’ve allowed it to release the way it was. Guy can use a wide range of weapons, including spears, crossbows, swords, axes, and crossbows. It’s difficult to get a gauge on how it feels to control as it was only a presentation, but I’m excited to try it out.
It looks like a lot of work has been put into Rustler. From the combat to the gameplay, Jutsu Games are keen to make this a roaring success. On the new generation of consoles, it’ll aim to hit 60fps, whilst on PS4 and Xbox One, it’ll stick around 30fps. The art style for the town looks great. From silly in jokes to the fleshed out world, I’m excited to explore everything Rustler has to offer.
