Developed for Xbox Kinect by Twisted Pixel

Published by Microsoft Studios

Rated "T" for Teen.

Contains Blood, Cartoon Violence, Drug References, Sexual Themes

 

It’s been a long time since anyone felt that marionettes were cool and yet that’s exactly the case in The Gunstringer, a game that uses a stringed-puppeteer’s movements as the controls for Microsoft’s Kinect system. Held up and to the side, your left hand controls the invisible strings of a cowboy puppet while your right hand, with forefinger and thumb forming a pistol, control the aiming and shooting. You pull your right hand back at the elbow each time you shoot in that universal “pew, pew” action all kids understand and it’s that bit of mimicry that makes this game an absolute blast.

 

The team behind it are clearly a group of people who enjoy making each other laugh and it’s that kind of humour and inventiveness that takes the novel Gunstringer idea and runs with it. A whiskey-soaked narrator comments on your every move while beer can cattle shake and foam when shot. Set out on the trail to hunt down each member of the Gunstringer’s betraying gang, you find yourself confronting corrupt muppet sheriffs and wacky, waving, inflatable arm men.

Its gameplay is quick to switch through different modes, from riding along on a simple rail-like shooting gallery, to moving through 3D platforms, to free-falling through a canyon drop. There are simple shoot-outs, fisticuffs (where you box with your hands), rapid shoot-outs where both hands are pistols, and hide-out charges where you measure your aim with a shotgun. You’re always being tossed from one tight situation into another.

Throughout the changes the controls remain easy to pick up and accurate to use, far better than most Kinect games actually. A friend can stand next to you in front of the television for a two-player, cooperative mode and if you make it to the end, you can unlock a humourous commentary track to listen to for a second try, and yes, the game is worth playing through again.

At its core The Gunstringer uses a novel idea, but with such inventiveness and a sense of humour that stems from adults who enjoy being big kids rather than adults who are trying to pander to them, that it’s an easy and memorable adventure to get carried away with.