Multiplayer and co-op games have always been popular among players. Whether it be fun casual games to player-versus-player shooters, there seems to be a game for everyone. However, there still seems to be a genre of multiplayer games that has untapped potential. That genre is roguelike. While there are popular multiplayer games that follow the roguelike formula, such as “Don’t Starve Together” and “Death Road to Canada,” in recent years there have been few new releases to this niche genre.
“Bounty of One,” developed by OptizOnion, is a roguelike bullet hell set in the Wild West where one to four players have to survive the onslaught of bounty hunters, deputies and sherrifs that come their way for as long as possible. The main objective is to defeat enemies and collect money to upgrade your character. However, these upgrades are selected from a pool at random, leaving the players with the difficult choice of sacrificing their builds for an item that isn’t good or skip out on the level up and wait for another chance at a better item.
Players can only shoot if they are standing still and the projectiles are aimed only at the closest enemy, creating an interesting conflict for players to strategize solutions. And unlike other multiplayer roguelikes on the market, “Bounty of One” has its own strategic advantages if players are playing alone. Instead of splitting the item pool between friends, in single player there isn’t the added fight and sacrifice for necessary items. However, playing with friends can also increase players’ odds of succeeding if played correctly. Players can discuss what upgrades and items can go to who and build their team and update strategies depending on who gets what. For example, one player may have more health and do less damage while the other has less health but fires rapidly. It all depends on the player’s playstyle.
There does come a point where the enemies can become too easy for players. Which is why, in character selection, there is the option to increase the infamy level. When the infamy is higher, the enemies can move faster, do more damage and take more hits. However, the rewards for playing on harder infamy levels are increased, allowing players to win more coins to spend in the shop. The shop allows players to have permanent perks throughout their runs, like having higher luck for item drops or free rerolls of items and upgrades.
While still in early access, “Bounty of One” is shaping up to be a wonderful game. Its simplistic style and easy-to-learn game mechanics are the key selling points of the game. It’s a simple yet fun game to play either alone or with friends, and it is something that is highly recommended to those who are looking to kill some time.