At all times, little thugs have raged here and there around the world, and when we think of thugs in the video game world, we inevitably think of Rockstar Games and its license. GTA, or even bully (which was only entitled to one episode, unfortunately...), which is anchored in our contemporary times. Jutsu Games wanted to pay tribute to the old opuses of GTA, opting in passing for the medieval era. A rather attractive idea at first glance, but is that enough to offer a convincing title? Not really...
We sometimes have to stuff ourselves with classic objectives, here, plowing a field.
Dance Rustler, we play a bandit named Guy (Guys, so...) who wakes up in the bush after taking a phenomenal binge. The atmosphere is fixed directly, and the dialogues quickly show that we are faced with a game that does not take itself seriously. It's often vulgar, with references galore placed here and there, and missions that ask us to accomplish objectives that are always more barren than each other. From the priest who sends you to yell at passersby to bring them to mass, then asks you to give them a kick so that they donate to the Church, to the undertaker who complains that his cemetery is a little empty these days, and it would be nice to dress up as a Grim Reaper and then mow down a few bandits... the game is intended to be irreverent and achieves its objective rather well. The main quest can also be followed, and will highlight a Grand Tournament of knights, where you will discover protagonists, each one more idiotic than the other, and who will provoke a few ... knowing smiles. Because yes, the humor is quite particular and willingly eyeing the side of Monty Python. We'll laugh when we see a horseman chasing us after mowing down a farmer, with a siren on the horse's head, or when we hear a bard singing medieval hip-hop (and surprise, it works surprisingly well), or even when we see tags cover the castle walls.
There are references absolutely everywhere in Rustler.
Apart from its atmosphere and its fun quests although repetitive on the form, the game unfortunately gets lost quite quickly. The fault of several things: already because of a somewhat stupid camera, which remains fixed on our avatar all the time. Not a problem during the phases on foot, but when sprinting on horseback, the speed coupled with the maneuverability of a 33T and a lame framerate often leads us into a tree or another obstacle. The fights are also too sketchy and repetitive. Our range of weapons is not very wide, and we never really know the range of a shot before having tested. And although appreciable, the system of skills to unlock is as classic as it is basic: increase Guy's life by 30%, reload the crossbow more quickly by 10%, etc...
Technically, it's sad to say, but the game sucks. We are used to not always very fine games on Nintendo Switch, but here we find ourselves with frankly lackluster graphics. It's always blurry, the textures are sketchy at best, non-existent at worst, and above all, in terms of fluidity, the game oscillates between mediocre and acceptable, but never measures up.
Beating up people to make them go to mass, a true vocation for Guy.
Rustler is an imperfect game, which will however manage to charm an audience receptive to its rather specific humor. However, I cannot recommend this Switch version, well below other versions of the game. Prefer the Playstation, Xbox or PC version. You will have about ten hours and it will not cost you too much (20,99€ on PC, 29,99€ on consoles).
