It’s often said that imitation is the sincerest form of flattery.Grand Theft Autohas learned this after setting all kinds of industry standards for lawless, chaotic, and irreverent action-adventure games. Many other have imitated it over the years, and some have even found ways to parody it. Apparently, that art hasn’t gone anywhere, becauseRustleris one of the clearestGrand Theft Autoparodies in some time. However,Rustlerstands out because it isn’t just another game about tough but amusing criminals making a name for themselves. It’s taking theGrand Theft Automodel and giving it a medieval twist.
There’s no shortage of comparisons to be made betweenRustlerandGrand Theft Auto; the similarities don’t just come from the game’s developers billing it as such. It lives up to the comparison by being an isometric action-adventure game likethe firstGrand Theft Autogamesthat also gives players tons of liberty to wreak havoc and make a profit as the peasant Guy.Rustleraims to deliver all kinds of ridiculous experiences that make it memorable. However, as clear as theGrand Theft Autoparallels are,Rustleraims to make one thing clear: it’s more than a parody, and stands as a hilarious and fun game in its own right.
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Rustler’s GTA Elements
Players have access to all kinds ofGTAhallmarks while playingRustler. One of the best examples of howGTAhas influencedRustleris its chase sequences. AnyGTAplayer has had to outrun the law in a car chase before, and inRustler, that can still happen, but on horseback. If Guy commits crimes, he’ll get pursued by lawmen on horseback, and the law’s horses even blare with red and blue lights like police cars. Guy’s best way to escape a horse chase is to go to a Pimp-A-Horse, where he can change his horse’s outfit in an instant and slip away undetected. As all these ridiculous chase elements prove, Jutsu Games isn’t kidding when itproudly billsRustleras historically inaccurate.
All the inaccuracies are where much of the game’sGTA-style humor comes from. InRustler,players can do things like drift a horse and cart as if it were a car and launch a cow in a trebuchet, making all kinds of chaos. Quests come packed with all kinds of pop culture references, especially toMonty Python and the Holy Grail; Guy can run into the Black Knight and Holy Hand Grenades ofMonty Pythonfame. There’s even a parody ofGTA’s iconic off-beat radio stations while the player is driving. Guy can hire a bard to follow him around play music for him, and the bards can even beatbox.Just likeGTA,Rustlertakes the formulaof a criminal adventure game and makes it over-the-top and hilarious.
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The Unified GTA Parody
What’s really interesting aboutRustleris how it manages to encompassthe broad scope ofGrand Theft Auto’s history. Players might notice that the character portraits that appear whenRustler’s characters are speaking are drawn in a style not unlike the promotional art used forGrand Theft Auto 5.That’s in contrast to the isometric gameplay, which will remind fans ofGrand Theft Auto 1and2.These disparate references are unified underRustler’s unique medieval twist.
Rustlercomes at a pretty good time.Grand Theft Autodoesn’t seem to be adding a new installation in the franchise anytime soon, so it’s nice to have a quality parody for fans to try in the meantime. It also makes an interesting pairing withHood: Outlaws and Legends,potentially helping set the tone for a new age of medieval crime games.Hood: Outlaws and Legendsmight turn out to be a strong serious contrast to the irreverentRustler.Whether those comparisons are drawn more strongly in the future remains to be seen. What’s certain for now is thatRustleris a love letter toGrand Theft Autothat finds no shortage of fun ways to turnGTAtropes on their heads.
Rustleris available in early access on Steam. It is in development for PC, PS4, PS5, Switch, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.
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