Just when you thought you had experienced absolutely insanity and chaos on the screen because you’ve played Geometry Wars, Contra, Resogun, or Super Time Force, allow me to introduce you to A Fistful of Gun, a title being developed by FarmerGnome which pits you and up to eight others in old west settings filled with explosions and bullets. Yes, you did read that correctly, nine people can simultaneously play this game locally or online, all using different characters with different control schemes. Depending on which control input devices you have at your disposal, your selection of character may be limited, because part of each character having their own control scheme is the use of various devices. A couple characters use the mouse and the majority use controllers in differing ways.
In addition to having unique control schemes, each character also carries a unique weapon. Some will have a shotgun or blunderbuss meant for maximum carnage, another has explosives which can inadvertently kill teammates, one has a rifle designed more for accuracy, and others have pistols as more of a “spam” type of attack. It is only through trying all of these different characters that you will discover which one best suits your style of play in addition to finding which characters you should avoid letting careless friends use (hint: it’s the one with explosives). Opting for a shotgun-wielding hero may seem like a great choice at the start, but having to reload after a shot or two might also hinder you more than you like in later levels. Choosing the six-shooter is great for rapidly shooting, but you must also reload all six chambers before shooting again. The rifle is great for those who wish to stand at a distance, but if you’re playing solo or with only one or two others, you may find enemies swarming you quickly.
Each level has an increasing difficulty level and is randomly generated. There are a fair number of different environments the game will choose from for your next level, but the precise layout and where the enemies come from will vary each time. There were instances of enemies riding horses, hostages to free, stagecoaches with shotguns, and explosives simply laying on the ground which cause all kinds of mayhem when shot. If you choose to jump on a horse belonging to a now-deceased enemy, it will give you an extra hit point as each character only has one point of health. Taking any damage means that you are dead until the next level begins, creating additional stress in the already chaotic scenario. This point also once more reinforced the concept that the individual toting explosives needs to be careful when using them, as one small slip-up can lead to your team being killed by a single blast. I cannot count the number of times the developer, Paul Hart, and I found ourselves watching and laughing as people continually blew themselves or others up a midst all of the action.
Of course, it’s this sort of accidental (or intentional) betrayal during the carnage on-screen which adds to the charm and enjoyment of A Fistful of Gun. Hart told me that while the game certainly supports nine people simultaneously, he personally finds the “sweet spot” for gameplay falls between three and six players at once. Going above or below seemed to add to the difficulty of the title either through having very few allies to assist in your adventure or having so many bullets and explosions on the screen that your only choice was to apply the tried and true method of spraying and praying. The one constant found in the games I played in all of those scenarios was the sheer fun of it all. I couldn’t wipe the smile off of my face as I played A Fistful of Gun regardless of how well or poorly the team was doing and the same seemed to apply to everyone else at the booth.
As you progress through levels and kill enemies, you collect gold which can in turn be used to purchase various upgrades at the end of each level. Increasing reload speed, getting armour, or running around at a faster pace are some of the options which consistently rotate through availability so you will not be able to purchase armour each and every time. If co-op is not quite your forte, then perhaps the versus mode is more up your alley. It still puts up to nine players into a game at once, and still tasks the team with clearing out all of the enemies in a single area, but the catch is that only the one player wearing the sheriff’s badge at the end of the level will gain the points. This causes a fine balancing act to be performed each level, as killing everyone else too early means the deck is stacked very heavily against you, but waiting too long to betray your friends will lead to your own death by an overly cautious sheriff.
The theme of A Fistful of Gun seems to be chaotic fun and it easily succeeds in creating such an atmosphere. The game is still in development, but set for a Q2 2015 release on PC via Steam. If you pine for the days past when friends could get together and wreak havoc together in a video game, A Fistful of Gun is a game you need to keep on your radar.
