It's often said that imitation is the sincerest form of flattery. Grand Theft Auto has 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, because Rustler is one of the clearest Grand Theft Auto parodies in some time. However, Rustler stands out because it isn't just another game about tough but amusing criminals making a name for themselves. It's taking the Grand Theft Auto model and giving it a medieval twist.
There's no shortage of comparisons to be made between Rustler and Grand 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 like the first Grand Theft Auto games that also gives players tons of liberty to wreak havoc and make a profit as the peasant Guy. Rustler aims to deliver all kinds of ridiculous experiences that make it memorable. However, as clear as the Grand Theft Auto parallels are, Rustler aims to make one thing clear: it's more than a parody, and stands as a hilarious and fun game in its own right.
Rustler's GTA Elements
Players have access to all kinds of GTA hallmarks while playing Rustler. One of the best examples of how GTA has influenced Rustler is its chase sequences. Any GTA player has had to outrun the law in a car chase before, and in Rustler, 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 it proudly bills Rustler as historically inaccurate.
All the inaccuracies are where much of the game's GTA-style humor comes from. In Rustler, 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 to Monty Python and the Holy Grail; Guy can run into the Black Knight and Holy Hand Grenades of Monty Python fame. There's even a parody of GTA'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 like GTA, Rustler takes the formula of a criminal adventure game and makes it over-the-top and hilarious.
The Unified GTA Parody
What's really interesting about Rustler is how it manages to encompass the broad scope of Grand Theft Auto's history. Players might notice that the character portraits that appear when Rustler's characters are speaking are drawn in a style not unlike the promotional art used for Grand Theft Auto 5. That's in contrast to the isometric gameplay, which will remind fans of Grand Theft Auto 1 and 2. These disparate references are unified under Rustler's unique medieval twist.
Rustler comes at a pretty good time. Grand Theft Auto doesn'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 with Hood: Outlaws and Legends, potentially helping set the tone for a new age of medieval crime games. Hood: Outlaws and Legends might turn out to be a strong serious contrast to the irreverent Rustler. Whether those comparisons are drawn more strongly in the future remains to be seen. What's certain for now is that Rustler is a love letter to Grand Theft Auto that finds no shortage of fun ways to turn GTA tropes on their heads.
Rustler is available in early access on Steam. It is in development for PC, PS4, PS5, Switch, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.