Think about the last time you sat around playing cards with your friends. Just being able to talk and hope you had the best hand. Or what about the Old West where players would set around and if someone thought someone was cheating, they would either call them out on it or worse, one less player to deal with. Either way, it can be a good time if you have the right mix of people. So does Developer Fibrum bring the fun and the comedy to the table? Let’s find out with Bullet Roulette VR for the PlayStation VR.
So before we begin, I want to state a few things. Bullet Roulette VR may not be for everyone due to the Fictional Suicide/Self-Harm parts within the game and discretion is advised. And Fibrum and THE VR DIMENSION strongly advise that any players who might have suicidal thoughts, please seek some help and please don’t be alone. With that said, let’s continue.
Bullet Roulette VR has you and three other suspicious players sitting around a table in a saloon. Each of you is dealt three cards and a single gun is in the middle of the table with a bullet. The stakes are high because, in order to win, you need to be the only one left alive, and depending on who you are playing with or the luck of the spin of the revolver, it can be a very short life you may have. So make sure your Move controllers are fully charged and get ready to laugh and just have some fun.
The rules of Bullet Roulette VR are very simple. If you are the first to have a turn, you will need to load the bullet in the gun and spin the barrel. You have your cards (more on this in a moment), and put the virtual gun up to your head and hopes that the bullet is meant for another player. If you survive, you get one dollar. If it is your time to go, you will remain a ghost, well, at least until the next round. Now, if you try and shoot someone else and that shot is blank, all your money is lost. But, if that is the magic shot, you get their money. Shoot anywhere else, it costs one dollar.
But it’s the cards is what can change the rules of the game. The three cards that you are dealt are random and have a variety of results. Some of the cards you may come across are Check Drum which will allow you to see where the bullet is in the gun. This can be helpful as you can see how many shots are needed until it becomes that deadly shot. But then, someone can play the Spin Drum card and that can throw in a monkey wrench into the strategy. You could use the Reverse Direction card to change up the order or maybe the smart thing would be to play the Skip Turn card to let the luck of the draw go to the next player. There is a card to share the wealth and even a card for a Double Threat which very well could be double the trouble for someone.Use the Bucket Head to receive an extra life or even the Public Enemy card where you can assign a player so that everyone can only shoot that player. So the cards can be in your favor if you get the opportunity to use them on your turn if you don’t become that unholy ghost that is doomed to stay around.
But the chance at life is half of the fun while the other part of the fun is just interacting with each other and objects. Each character is dressed different and you do not get to pick who you are. There are cigars, pipes, and cigarettes to smoke which is always the healthier way to go about it when you are in Virtual Reality. If a player has the pipe, you can grab it from them as they can do to you. You can hit each other just for the fun of it, and sometimes if you can do it right, you can try and smoke two items as the same time. Even if you are a ghost, feel free as you are still there just waiting for the next round to start. Nothing says you are a ghost like walking through the table to try and mess with the other players. That’s why if you can get in the right mix of players, you will be laughing like nothing else.
Once there is only one player left alive, the round is over. Restarting brings up a new round with either the same people or if one drops out a new player can enter, but they will be a ghost to start. So no money carries over, there are no leaderboards for how many wins and losses one player may have, and you cannot do anything with the money.
Looking at the graphics, the characters are really well done and show plenty of details. Sure there are no arms and the waitress that keeps pacing back and forth that never reaches the table may not have a neck, the barkeep may be busy cleaning that one dish as his OCD is kicking in full speed, and the piano player has their back turned like they are not going to be a witness to anything and keeps playing the same familiar song over and over. But it’s the premise of the game, the sounds of the barrel spinning to the shots going off to even that throbbing moment as you look down the barrel and wonder if your life was so fulfilled to wonder if there could be a movie based on it. that makes Bullet Roulette VR fun with the right amount of people that you can lose time playing in.
There are a few things that I do hope gets added. For one, the characters. The ability to either add new items or design our own characters such as an alien sitting at the table would be awesome. Second, the ability to have voice chat. If you get the right amount of people, the conversations that could be had would be full of even more laughter. And third, it would be just a distraction of fun to just have random people or animals just walk in. I mean, having a game and then out of nowhere, a horse or Abe Lincoln just walk in for no reason and then just leave. Add that with voice chat and the ability to design or add new items for the characters would be a blast.
Bullet Roulette VR shows that even though there are serious sides to things, that sometimes if we can look at it from a different view and just laugh at ourselves and each other without having to worry about the outcome, that anything is possible. Sometimes we take ourselves too seriously where problems could build up. But if we can step away, even if it is for a few rounds, we may just the joy in life.
Bullet Roulette VR is out now on on PlayStation VR and Steam.A review code was provided.
To learn more about Fibrum, please visit their site, like them on Facebook, follow them on Twitter, follow them on Instagram, and subscribe to their YouTube Channel.
In case you missed the trailer, please enjoy. Until next time, I am going to go back in and spin that barrel of life.