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Rockstar is in a league of its own when it comes to modern open-world games, but its catalog of isometric Grand Theft Auto games remains iconic for gamers of a certain age. This author grew up playing Grand Theft Auto: London at a friend’s house on PS1, and while it was nearly impossible, it brings back fond memories.
So it’s surprising that more developers haven’t returned to this old-fashioned sandbox style of play. We’ve had tastes of Shakedown Hawaii, of course, and even Rockstar himself released the very likable Grand Theft Auto: Chinatown Wars on the PlayStation Portable – but it’s a concept that has largely been lost in time. The Polish team Jutsu Games refuses to let him die.
Rustler is, for all intents and purposes, an ironic parody of GTA set in medieval times. The developer wears his influences on his sleeve and made several references to classic Rockstar games during a presentation we attended late last month. There’s a touch of The Witcher and Red Dead Redemption here, but it’s mostly GTA.
Due to the period, the developer had to come up with creative solutions to the expected mechanisms. For example, there was no radio in the Middle Ages, so you will be followed by your own personal bard, who will play folk interpretations of contemporary tunes. The bard will ride with you on horseback and become your very own human boom box as you travel the world.
The game clearly doesn’t take itself seriously, and you’ll encounter a variety of colorful characters throughout your quest to win the Grand Tournament and ultimately steal the hand of the princess in marriage. The mini-games, including rolling and what the developer describes as medieval martial arts, will help break up the experience.
Being developed by a smaller team, there are limits. For example, we asked if there were any commercial activities, like the drug management mini-games in Chinatown Wars, but the studio pointed out that they couldn’t add everything. You can stop to farm, though, and of course there are horse races and plenty of pop culture references to check out.
The title will take full advantage of the PS5’s DualSense controller, so you’ll be able to feel the tension of your crossbow and the steel of your sword hitting armor. And it’s quite pretty, with a slight cel-shading that adds readability to the world. If you’re longing for that bygone era of old school GTA, then Rustler seems to have locked in both the gameplay loop and the pop culture references.
Are you nostalgic for Rustler’s old-fashioned isometric action? The game will be available on PS5 and PS4 starting August 31, so you won’t have to wait long.
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