Gunslinger

Review 21: Gunslinger
Hey Ninja, Remember the promise I made years ago that I will review Gunslinger? Well, here ya go hahaha, and sorry for the massive delay. I think that I was back in the day salty that I’d lost the contest by a wide margin too lolol.

Oh yeah, just to clarify, I read every single one of the endings. In the beginning I was expecting way more of a character study and something a bit more introspective like most of Ninjha’s stories in the Modern category. So I was a bit surprised that it ended up being a more conventional action romp in some routes.

Each route (there are about two main ones and one side thingy) is pretty unique. The Witch Hunter route expands much more on the lore and the overall worldbuilding. In that route I finally found out that these demons were a real thing and that these knights weren’t just a nickname for a group of outlaws, but an official thing. I felt a bit more meh about this route since I think that the main story was already pretty strong without the supernatural aspects. Plus they do seem to muddy a bit the awesome symbolism that was seen in the opening sequences of Gunslinger.

I kinda feel the same way with the vampire route, but less strongly. It is very clear that the relationship Father and the Gunslinger have is very toxic, manipulative and outright abusive. How he treats his followers reminds me a lot of how cult leaders mistreat their own. Plus, the way that their souls will be lost when they turn into vampires does ring very close to the loss of identity cult victims often experience after years of spiritual abuse. I think it would have been more interesting and terrifying if Father was just a regular man instead of a vampire; in the same vein that many people find Frollo probably a scarier dude since you can find these folks in real life than a sea witch or a mad sorcerer. However, I do have to admit this time that the vampirism part also contributes to the death imagery in a way.

However, without the context of the beginning sequence, I would have enjoyed the latter part of the story way, way more. And Why?

Because the beginning is really friggin strong, like it transcends above an 8/8. I think that I conveyed it plenty in my notes, but the way you describe and portray a broken man who barely cares about his own life and just lives day by day, almost like a husk; just amazing. It has a strong narrative voice, powerful symbolism and all in all just the right amount of melancholy to sell me on the setting and premise. Like, the first few pages could have easily been turned into a short story and be published in a magazine and I would probably have enjoyed it even more. It’s that good of a character study.

In short, this story gets a strong recommendation for me; if you have less time on hand, try to read at least the first few pages because they are the best parts!

NOTES
- I think that Gower once commented on it too in another story of yours, but I noticed it too here. Your writing has a sense of rhythm. In the first page you could feel the staccato in the sentences; which do match well with the scrambled thoughts of the protagonist. This is one of the excerpts that illustrate it: It doesn’t come. Chaos ensues around you. Hoof stomps. Screams, agonized cries in the air, deep and throaty, primal, like that of a boar caught in a snare.

- One element that comes up pretty often is Death, God and last words. You could almost say that these three words are the key framework of the story/arc words, they are also literally spelled out in several parts of the story including the first page. I have to think it was deliberate. They are the foundation of the story.

- The easiest to see is probably death. Already in the first page we know that the protagonist is about to get executed. This gets interrupted and when he first encounters the man who freed him, he didn’t think of him as his savior at first, but a reaper. The life of the protagonist before his execution is implied to be one where he toes the line between life and death on a very frequent basis. Besides the protagonist, there is lots of focus placed on things like the death rituals of the natives. Plus it couldn’t be a coincidence that the reason for them seeking revenge, is because the lawmen were responsible for the death of three of their members. Even how the town burst into flames is very reminiscent of hellfire.

- With last words, you have to dig a bit deeper. The protagonist is in the beginning of the story muzzled with his last words literally being taken by the sheriff and the town. Later he got the freedom to speak again. This is how it is described; words of power… If there;s one thing the lawmen of Redshire did right, it was to constrict your voice. It’s also quite an interesting detail that when Daniel, the bard, dies, his last words were robbed from him due to the knife taking his voice away.

- Another fun stuff; I like how you make the contrast between Acolyte Thomas and the Gunslinger even greater by having them basically be doing the same thing and having those scenes right after one another. The Godly man vs the outlaw haha. And just like the Gunslinger once muses, the Maker works in strange ways in letting him live another day, but letting a devout man be killed.

- I Do like and find it interesting that the Gunslinger’s former mentor and gang leader is called Father. Haha, you know, same way as some Christians address God. It is even written with the capital F.

- W-wait, holy shit. I thought that it was a traditional western story, but I’m again encountering vampires? It is funny though that you added it in there, but if I were to guess for the reason, is because vampirism often is associated with immortality; something that defies death. Plus gunslinger vampires are pretty cool.

- I thought the demons in the story are kinda like not real and spoken of as superstitions, but I begin to think that they are as real as vampires in this universe haha. I was beginning to wonder if acolyte Thomas ever comes back, and he did in the Witch hunter route! I didn’t expect demons. Also, I did chuckle when you put in tons of detail in describing the demon’s dick. That really wasn’t needed.

Absolutely amazing!

This story sets the mood at the beginning and never lets up. Almost instantly, you can identify with the character of the gunslinger, and you are able to partake of the gritty feel of his story.

The writing is fantastic. It is highly descriptive, and allows you to "feel" the story along with the main character. The narrative flows, and carries you along its current to whichever end your choices lead. The dialogue is realistic, and stays consistent with the tone of the story.

This storygame does a good job with branching. The choices you make are very meaningful, and provide varying narrative paths. It is necessary to enjoy several different "stories" in order to view each different ending.

Overall, this story is fantastic, amazing, and should be on a must read list.

GUNSLINGER: 92%

SHOULD I READ THIS?
Yes, it’s an entertaining read.
Preview: You play as a disillusioned and disaffected, but powerful, gunslinger, searching for direction in a frontier setting on the brink of disaster.

=SPOILERS BELOW=

RATINGS:

Basic Plot & Coherence: 4/5
Nothing like an execution to pull the reader into the story!
The story’s plot covers a couple of the possible reactions to an impending demon invasion, and how that invasion plays out with respect to the main character. Consistent with the dark tone of the story, it turns out there’s very little you can do to actually stop the invasion. In the only ending in which something close to this is achieved, it requires the sacrifice of your soul. The entire story seems like an intriguing exercise in futility, exploring the various ways the main character can fail to find direction. Oddly, I found this especially apparent in the “Death at midnight” ending, an ending with a relatively smaller scope than the others. The tight focus of the gunsligner’s conflict with the pair of natives shows all the more clearly how futile his efforts are.
Though the story contains plenty of action, it is much more introspective than anything else. The action serves more as a backdrop for the main character’s reflections than as an actual driver of the plot or character change.
One other thing I enjoyed about this story was the depth of the worldbuilding, even for the elements that were not fully explored. The system of magic in the world seems very interesting, both with how the main character is actually seen using it (such as for summoning his horse), and the musings the characters and narration have on it, such as Thomas’s recollection of magic being tamer in the east. The hints about elements like Goldwater and the setting’s dominant religion game the game a sense of depth, despite covering a period of relatively small scope.

Characters & Development: 4/5
The main character’s voice was what really jumped out to me from the start. In the beginning of the story, the narrator passively watches the destruction of Redshire after barely avoiding execution, and muses over the history of the town and the natives. While this could easily be a straight info dump, the unique tone of narrator’s reflections keep it interesting, and reveal important information about the character’s outlook. This internal monologue remains consistent throughout the work, tying the different events together through the gunslinger’s perspective.
The side characters showed plenty of depth as well, illustrated both through the consistency of their actions, and the gunslinger’s thoughts about them.

Grammar: 5/5
Mastery of Language: 3/3
I would say the use of language is the biggest strength of this game. The gunslinger’s narration is full of clever phrasing and metaphors that both set the mood and are a pleasure to read. The beginning immediately hooks the reader into a world with a specific tone, and keeps it up throughout the story.

Mechanics & Coding: 2/2 (usually 5)
This a mostly cave of time style game.

Branching: 3/3
There’s plenty of branching. The player’s choices are meaningful and affect the course of the game. There is a wide variety of ways the story can end up spread throughout the 7 endings.

Player Options/fair choice: 2/2 (usually 3)
The consequences of the player’s actions are well foreshadowed, and there are no “gotcha!” deaths.

Endings:
Each of the endings have their merits, but like many games on this site, this story is better viewed as a complete work rather than a series of disconnected stories. Each ending is made stronger by reading the ones surrounding it.

PERSONAL EXPERIENCE:
I definitely enjoyed this game, which is a testament to the skill of the writing, as I don’t usually enjoy games where the main character’s actions are so futile. Here, however, I felt that the gunslinger’s lack of direction added to the overall tone of the story rather than detracting from it.

CONCLUSION: 23/25 = 92%

I got the 'For Whom the Bell Tolls' ending.

It deserves being a featured game. After reading almost all of ninja's works, I decided to create this account to be able to rate and comment on them properly, including the grim Gunslinger. Marvellous writing as always!

Incredible. Simply incredible

Absolutely worth the time

i accidentally killed a guy so 10/10

Amazing

it's nice, the writing is vivid and descriptive, defo worth reading :)