I was sent a complimentary copy of Rootin’ Tootin’ Lootin’ & Shootin’ (RTLS) last week, and after playing it for a couple of hours over the weekend, I figured it was about time for me to spill the beans on this cute-but-deadly western-themed roguelike. The Steam page describes the game as “a unique fusion of traditional turn-based roguelikes and twin-stick shooters.”
My first thought was that RTLS was “baby’s first roguelike”. This assumption was based on the fact that you’re controlling a cute looking cowboy-frog and your first encounters are with pigeons. I was wrong – so very wrong. RTLS is a savage roguelike about murdering heavily farmyard animals and stealing their money. Nothing more, nothing less. Welcome to the Wild West.
What is Rootin’ Tootin’ Lootin’ & Shootin’ all about then?!
I love the central mechanic in RTLS: time stops when you do. Enemies will fire bullets at you as you navigate tight corridors and small open spaces, but when you stop moving, so do the bullets. This allows you some time to consider your next action, and return fire at a moment that suits you.
The above setup is very similar to Superhot, and excellent and stylish first-person shooter where time slows to a crawl when you stop moving. It’s the quickest route to feeling like John Wick, if you ask me. RTLS has taken that basic concept, and squeezed into a top-down turn-based roguelike format, and it works a treat.
It’s also bloody hard. I’ve not got into the Swamps yet, but I’ll keep trying. The problem is, in the mines, there are these horses that wield huge machine guns, and armadillos that ball up and bowl you over. And the puppies. Those bastard puppies aren’t even armed, but when they come for you, you better have some bullets left.
Watch your ammo and spare the shopkeep
The difficulty is amplified by ammo scarcity. Weapons have a handful of uses before they’re spent, and then you’ll need to buy something new from the shop, otherwise you’ll be forced to throw rocks and you’ll probably die during your next enemy encounter. The lack of weapons keeps the experience tight, and it’s made leaner still by the fact that your enemies don’t drop ammo, just silver to spend in the shops.
There seems to be a solid selection of items already in the game, although I found myself spending most of my silver on new weapons and bandages, so I didn’t try as many of them as I would have liked. RTLS has only just landed in Early Access and so there’s plenty of time for even more items and areas to be added (the developer, Raspberry Jam, reckons at least six months). There’s also a level editor already in the box, ensuring replayability for devoted frog lovers.
When it is at its best, Rootin’ Tootin’ Lootin’ & Shootin’ has you stepping in and out of streams of bullets, returning fire with deft precision, and grabbing up the silver quickly to maximise the small bonus you get. When it doesn’t work, you’ll get smashed by a chicken, fall down a hole, and then get mauled by a puppy so cute that butter wouldn’t melt in its mouth. Swings and roundabouts, I guess…
