Beatstep Cowboys

People no longer use duels to settle disputes, at least not officially and not with real guns, probably. However, the practice was pretty popular for centuries, especially when it came to men who wanted the same woman, or at least that’s what Hollywood has us believing. Now, you can test your reflexes in a game that combines many different gameplay ideas.

Beatstep Cowboys is a casual game in which your goal is simple: defeat the opponent by shooting him first. However, it takes a while to do so when everything takes place in turns, and even more so when every player has to anticipate the other’s movement. As such, there’s a bit of strategy involved, even if it’s not as complex as in a real TBS.

In case you haven’t guessed already, it all starts when two men decide that they like the same girl and they cannot just allow the other to have her. Hence, they begin to duel with their guns, in the hopes that the winner goes home with the girl. It doesn’t really matter whether that happens or not, on the other hand, because you only get to enjoy the duel part.

Your goal is to make four different moves per turn and hope that you end up shooting the other player, or at least not get killed in the process. The map is actually a grid, which means that each step is the same, regardless of what direction you pick. It’s also important that you remember to shoot your gun every now and again, because that’s the only way to eliminate the competition.

Although you can enjoy the game against the artificial intelligence, the fun reaches critical levels when you play it with a friend, especially since it is designed to be played in local multiplayer. Moreover, the graphics are basic enough to allow anyone to run the game with ease, regardless of specs. The soundtrack is funky enough to keep you smiling through thick and thin.

In the end, Beatstep Cowboys may look pretty simple, but it can degenerate into quite the exciting battle of wits if the players put their mind to it. On the other hand, it can also be a great way to act silly for a few minutes and duel with your friends. Thus, you can show your support for the developers by voting for the game on Steam Greenlight.