Rustler is a new medieval-themed title from Jutsu Games and Modus Games that features plenty of fun historically inaccurate things like traffic lights for horses and graffiti stating how people should wake up and see the Earth is round. There is a lot to unpack in this "Grand Theft Horse" video game, with players being able to obtain lots of different weapons and skills, but also take on very peculiar quests. Rustler is not afraid to poke fun at the games and other media that inspired it, ranging from The Witcher to Game of Thrones, and of course Grand Theft Auto.

There are a lot of similarities between GTA 2 and Rustler with their respective gameplay features, and the latter tries to improve upon them via next-gen console features. An example of this comes from Rustler's use of the DualSense controllers for haptic feedback on actions like firing and reloading a crossbow, and also 3D audio when the mounted police chase players and activate their sirens. In terms of gameplay, Rustler also features the titular theft from GTA, but in this case it's horses that can be pimped and used in tournaments to win a princess' hand in marriage. Game Rant participated in a preview event with Rustler's developers to learn more about the game's wacky universe and sense of humor.

RELATED: Open-World RPGs To Play After The Witcher 3

Rustler's GTA-Inspired Gameplay and Humorous Features

Rustler releasing on PS4 PS5 Switch Xbox One Xbox Series X

The fact Rustler is consciously a historically inaccurate game let the developers introduce a plethora of references to modern times, with crosswalks, parking lots, and people believing in conspiracy theories. There are prisons where inmates can wear the classic zebra-striped black-and-white uniforms and use mattocks to excavate dinosaur fossils, and players can become the subject of a painting that doesn't belong to any medieval artistic movement. Rustler doesn't take itself too seriously, and neither should players, especially considering the main character is called Guy, and he has a friend named Buddy.

In Rustler, players will be able to complete absurd quests and kill virtually whoever they want, with the sole exception of main characters who play a role in the story or side missions. Because life is not worth much in Rustler's medieval times, the police knights will still go after players if they are caught red-handed, but they won't give them much of a hard time. The worst thing that can happen is that players will have to restart the quest from a previous checkpoint without really losing anything, be it gold or items.

Speaking of checkpoints, Rustler's developers at Jutsu Games were also very receptive to community feedback. Checkpoints were apparently not really in the game at the very beginning, but they were added because players felt they were a necessary, big quality-of-life addition to have. Another example comes from the game's difficulty, which was considered hardcore at first by several users, so Jutsu Games decided to reduce it and make it adaptive - meaning that it will scale higher the better players become at the game.

Overall, Rustler sounds like a very promising GTA-inspired game with a medieval makeover, and elements like Monty Python's "holy hand grenade" make it all the more fun to play. Ultimately, Rustler comes out as a game that has lots to offer for all sorts of players, including skills that players can unlock and use with anything from recovering stamina or playing guitar as a proper medieval bard would.

Rustler is in Early Access on Steam, and will release for PC, PS4, PS5, Switch, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S on August 31.

MORE: Death's Door: Explaining the Highest-Rated Game of 2021 So Far