Buckshot Roulette is a highly stylised little experience. It likely won't occupy much of your time, but its singleplayer mode has atmosphere in spades, putting you in the dirty bathroom above a nightclub booming with music. You break through the doors to a little side space, a place that looks like you've made a wrong turn and just can't back out of. But you came here willingly.
A monster, blackened eyes and a great deal of teeth filling his misshapen mouth, has you sign a waiver, forfeiting your life if you lose the game. You're just here to win some cash.

The rules are simple. Random numbers of blanks and live rounds are fed into the shotgun in an equally random order. The dealer hands the gun to you, your turn. You gamble your life away, and win the first round.
Then more complexities are added. Items you can use to pierce the little mystery for just a moment. See what's currently in the chamber, take two turns in a row, double the damage. You only get a few of these per round, so make them count, take your chances when they come.
Of course, you can choose to shoot yourself. If it's blank, you get another turn. You just have to look down the barrel and pull the trigger.

This little back and forth goes on until you either lose and get yourself back together in that same bathroom, or win the cash and go home with a little victory music to go with it. That's it.

But now there's multiplayer! My friends and I hop on this sometimes if we need something settled that is simple to understand, has a bit of a skill ceiling to work upwards through, and that one person doesn't obviously trounce the other in. Currently, using this as a way for my DnD players to gamble their gold pieces away. It supports up to 4 players and is quite the cheap game. Pick it up, it deserves every cent and every bit of praise.

Buckshot Roulette, developed by Mike Klubnika, is a compact yet chilling psychological horror game that transforms the grim, deadly mechanics of Russian Roulette into a tense and twisted battle of wits. Set in a dimly lit, underground speakeasy run by an unsettling masked dealer, the game oozes atmosphere from the moment it begins. With its grainy, VHS-style visuals and minimalist audio design, Buckshot Roulette creates a claustrophobic experience where every pull of the trigger could be your last—and that’s exactly the point.

Gameplay is deceptively simple but rich with tension. You and the dealer take turns with a revolver containing a mix of empty chambers and buckshot rounds. Unlike traditional Russian Roulette, Buckshot Roulette incorporates a few clever mechanics that deepen the strategy. You’re given limited-use items like an X-ray to see the chamber’s contents or a tool to rotate the cylinder. Choosing when to use these can make the difference between survival and an instant, gory death. The dealer, too, is unpredictable—bluffing, manipulating, and sometimes cheating—which gives every turn a layer of paranoia and psychological pressure. It’s not just luck that matters, but how you read the opponent and manage your limited resources.

The horror in Buckshot Roulette is more psychological than overt, though it doesn’t shy away from gore. The game excels at building dread through its sound design: the click of a trigger, the low hum of fluorescent lights, and the slow, deliberate voice of the dealer. Combined with lo-fi visuals and eerie character design, the experience feels deliberately oppressive, like a waking nightmare or an underground snuff broadcast. Yet, it never becomes over-the-top—the horror is grounded, intimate, and deeply unsettling in its quiet moments.

Narratively, Buckshot Roulette is light on exposition, but dense with atmosphere and implication. Hints of a deeper, darker world seep in through visual details and cryptic dialogue. The dealer isn’t just a game master—he’s a force of judgment, pushing players to consider why they’re even here. It leaves players with lingering questions about identity, desperation, and control, making it more than just a game of chance. The ending, depending on how you play, can leave a lasting impression, delivering a punch of existential horror that sticks with you.

In terms of design, the game is short—usually around 15 to 30 minutes per session—but its intensity and replayability make it feel much larger. Every match plays out differently, especially as you start recognizing patterns or devising psychological tactics. While its brevity may not appeal to those looking for hours of content, Buckshot Roulette thrives on quality over quantity. It’s a focused experience, meticulously crafted to deliver maximum impact in minimal time.

In conclusion, Buckshot Roulette is a masterclass in minimalist horror game design. It’s a game that takes a simple, deadly concept and refines it into a tense, immersive, and deeply unsettling experience. With its clever mechanics, haunting atmosphere, and psychological depth, it stands out as one of the most unique and memorable indie horror titles in recent years. It doesn’t just ask if you’re lucky—it asks how far you’re willing to go when the stakes are literally life and death.

Rating: 9/10

Definitely feels like an over-hyped game. Got it on sale pretty excited to play due to the overwhelmingly positive reviews. Beat the game in 13 minutes and didn't have any fun doing it. Unlocked double or nothing mode and learned there isn't much else to the game besides what I already did in the 13 minutes I played. Maybe I'm missing something everyone else found but for now this game is a bust in my book.