A Fistful Of Gun Is Frantic, Co-Op Western Shooter With Eleven Different Control Schemes

I know it might seem different to mention how many control schemes a game has in the headline, but I promise it makes sense. In FarmerGnome's A Fistful of Gun, the control schemes are different for each character, and you might find yourself playing with keyboard, mouse, or controller depending on who you choose.

Each control scheme is designed to mimic the actions taken by the different Western-themed characters. For instance, a fighter with a pistol flicks the right stick to shoot and to reload bullets when empty. The blunderbuss-wielding character requires that you wiggle the right stick to reload the large scattergun. A double barrelled shotgun will put you on keyboard and moving with WASD and firing and reloading with Z and X. A squad of soldiers is an example of a mouse character, with movement handled by pointing and clicking and firing with the right mouse button.

I played with a single co-op companion, developer Paul Greasley, as we made our way through randomly selected levels, eliminating the opposition. The title is challenging, especially since each of the characters handles so differently. Fistful of Gun is designed with elements of bullet hell games in mind, and unlike many contemporary titles, teams are awarded with only three continues.

While the game can be played with up to nine simultaneously, Greasley recommends two or three. Any more and their is too much happening on screen to keep track of.

Each completed level awards players with a list of five abilities to choose from. Each is a permanent enhancement, like incendiary rounds, explosive bullets, armor (valuable because a single shot will kill you), speed boosts, and more.

Experimenting with the different control schemes felt a bit like testing out characters in a fighting game. Playing around with all of them makes for fun exploration, and landing on a "main" will improve your survival abilities.

A Fistful of Gun is available to play in the PAX Indie Minibooth (within the Indie Megabooth). The title is slated for release in Spring 2015.