Published by: Microsoft
Developed by: Twisted Pixel
Release Date: September 16, 2011
Available on: Xbox 360 (Kinect Sensor Required)
INTRO: I decided to go a little “lighter” for this week’s review- to take a step back from the ultra-serious horror related game to one that’s a bit more light-hearted. Ladies and gentlemen, I bring to you The Gunstringer.
Our skeleton cowboy puppet was buried and left for dead by his own posse. Now, it’s up to you to guide him back from the dead to rain justice down upon the heads of the guilty. He may look small, but what he lacks in height (and skin) is more than made up for by his determination and his dead-eye shooting skills. As his puppeteer, pull the Gunstringer from his grave and guide him on his path to righteousness as he hunts down his band of betrayers one by one. Is no one safe from this gritty gaucho? Only you can decide.
I’ve never reviewed a Kinect game before. To be fair, there haven’t really been many (any) worth reviewing for the site. You can be sure as hell that when Rise of Nightmares comes out, it’ll be the second Kinect game I review for the site- but I’ll clearly save that for another day.
GAMEPLAY:
Anyway, for those of you who don’t know Kinect is a separate camera accessory for your 360 that allows your body movement to be tracked and used as the controller. So, no buttons- just you. Chances are, you already knew that though because although there are less than a dozen Kinect games (and even less than that worth playing), a ton of units have been sold.
I’m happy to report that you can dust off that Kinect because a worthy game has finally come down the pike (what does that even mean, anyway?). Originally intended to be an XBOX Live exclusive, The Gunstringer is brought to us from the fine folks at Twisted Pixel. If you’re wondering how to describe this game, it’s really an on-rails shooter. You use your right hand to lock on to enemies and shoot them using a quick flick of the wrist. Your left hand moves the slinger from left to right. Remember, you’re the puppet master and you’re holding the marionette strings. If necessary (and it will be), you can hide behind cover, popping up when the time is right.
This is a different and original title. The game isn’t about a living puppet taking on other mean puppets- it is literally a puppet show game. You will actually see hands putting things in your way as you go along through the game, and you’re doing it all in front of an actual audience, as bizarre as that might sound.
If you get tired of going through the levels, you will end up varying things as it goes along so don’t worry. Boss fights are different, providing the opportunity to do some pretty silly gestures, and there are context sensitive “avoid this thing by flicking your hand at the right time” moments. I preferred the core gameplay, but this kept it interesting without a doubt. I’ll never forget some of the levels in this game, especially the last one.
And I know you’re thinking it’s all ridiculous and you’re right- but it’s a lot of fun! The motion control works and isn’t tedious. You won’t blow opportunities wondering why the Kinect didn’t read you, just don’t sit down to play and remember that tucking your elbow while you play can make it lest exhausting. If there’s any real complaint, it’s that you will likely exert yourself a fair amount and you could get tired, but short bursts are okay.
If you’d like, you can even grab a friend to play too, they can man the gun. Unfortunately, the game is far too brief and can be whipped through in about 4-5 hours. That’s not necessarily lazy development though, because it was never meant to be retail. To alleviate the problem, the developers have announced Fruit Ninja Kinect will be free with it, and if the IOS versions of that game are any indication, it totally justifies the purchase.
Gameplay: 8/10
GRAPHICS:
This is a very visual title and looks great. The Gunslinger is dripping with visual style and sports a great title character. I love our skeletal hero! The whole live action/puppet show mix is really cool too. Sure, the textures can be simple but they animate well and accomplish what they set out to do and do it well.
Graphics: 8/10
AUDIO:
Sound is also excellent too, with a funny narrator running throughout the game who anchors it well. Music is fine and appropriate for a skeletal western shootout, and all sound effects are just dandy too.
Audio: 7.5/10
FINAL VERDICT:
Sure, you’ll blow through it quickly but this game is nuts, original and simply fun. Unfortunately you might not find yourself going back to the well over and over again to get a higher score but free DLC certainly helps. The game simply gets high marks for being entertaining and different, two things that you just don’t see enough in today’s games.
Final Score: 8/10