500 Caliber Contractz

Everyone’s chipped in to get their boss a gift - a bullet to the head. A “momentum-based” anti-capitalist platformer, the demo for 500CC gives you free reign over one of the three levels featuring in the main game, with multiple objectives and secret challenges to scope out. By the end of the demo, you’ll be a master of the space. Your trusty sniper rifle is mostly used to give you a boost forward or upward, which comes in handy during time-sensitive challenges. With spinning collectible wads of cash all over the place, I was reminded of classic console collectathons, but cannot imagine a game this fast working without mouse controls.

Most noteworthy about the game is its 2000s internet leanings. As soon as the trailer tapped into the place where those old YouTube music reuploads with incorrect lyrics came from, I was all in. From forum usernames for every NPC to a retro desktop main menu, developer Bryce Bucher (Mysteries Under Lake Ophelia) is wearing his influences on his sleeve. Despite putting an hour into the demo, I did not figure out where to go to find my crowdfunded target but look forward to knowing the place like the back of my sniper rifle when it’s out.

In a word : execution.

500 Caliber Contractz is an upcoming 3D platformer developed and published by Bryce Bucher for PC via Itch and Steam coming soon.

This article is part of the Summer of Demos series, where I’ll be releasing a Demo Diving preview article each day in July. If you liked this article, be sure to share it with a friend or enemy. If you back me on Patreon, you get access to articles one day before they release anywhere else. If we reach £25/month before the end of July, I’ll extend the Summer of Demos into August.

• https://www.brycebucher.net/findme.html
• https://store.steampowered.com/app/2571410/500_CALIBER_CONTRACTZ/
• https://bryce-bucher.itch.io/500-caliber-contractz-demo