Welcome to our CHEATfactor Game Review of 12 is Better than 6. We review the game and then factor in how the available cheats affect the overall game experience. For better or worse, our reviews will help you decide whether or not to use cheats when playing the game.

There are certain things that I love but I never thought would go well together like peanut butter and bacon or the Flintstones and the Jetsons. You can add the Old West and Hotline Miami to that list as 12 is Better than 6, which takes the cowboy genre and places it right in the middle of Unforgiven and Wyatt Earp has quickly become one of the standout indie games of the year. It's quick, it's visceral and it's incredibly engaging. If you didn't like Hotline Miami, you're probably not going to like this game but fans of Devolver Digital's shooter will want to check this one out as quickly as possible.

The first thing you'll notice about 12 is Better than 6 is it's unique hand drawn art style. The game looks like it's been devised by scribbles in a notebook and then transferred almost directly to the screen. It's an interesting look and it works incredibly well here. The minimalist style manages to highlight what the game does well and doesn't try to overdue things and make them more complicated than they have to be. The soundtrack is also stellar bringing to mind some of the best western movies like Unforgiven The Good, The Bad and The Ugly and even more contemporary classics like QT's The Hateful Eight. For me, this made it a bit more enjoyable than the Hotline Miami series since the techno tracks of Hotline Miami graded on me after while.

The game follows the story of an escaped Mexican prisoner who is fighting for his freedom on a journey into the united states, at least that's how it starts. The story unfolds and expands in ways I didn't think would it would and it does so pretty fast. It may not be on the same epic scale as something like Skyrim or Fallout but I was impressed with how in-depth the story for 12 is Better than 6 really was. It's not really something I feel like I need to experience again but it was a fun ride while it lasted.

If you've played Hotline Miami you'll feel right at home with 12 is Better than 6. Wander through a top-down view area viciously taking out anyone who stands in your way. Just like in Devolver Digital's shooter, clearing a room in 12 is Better than 6 is insanely satisfying. It's a bloody mess and it can be remarkably difficult in some sections but I constantly had that “one more time” mentality that kept me coming back to games like Hotline Miami, Titan Souls and even Super Meat Boy. Make no mistake about it, this is a tough game and you'll need patience and lots of it to clear the game on any difficulty.

The main reason why 12 is Better than 6 is so much more difficult than you'd expect is that your enemies won't miss...like ever. This makes the game less of a storm in and kill anyone and everything in your way sort of an affair and more of a carefully plan your every move...and then kill everyone and everything type of game. It may seem unfair at times, especially during the later half of the game where you're facing off with more enemies than you'll likely be able to handle at first. This didn't stop me from playing 12 is Better than 6 for hours at a time though, just trying to complete the game as efficiently as possible.

Undoubtedly the best moments I had with 12 is Better than 6 were the mini set pieces the game seemed intent on setting me up for. I don't want to spoil anything but there are some pretty cool sections in the game with trains and gangs that I kept wanting to play through over again. This is also aided by the fact that the game gives you a ton of really cool weapons to use. Sure, there are shotguns and revolvers like you'd expect but there are also cool weapons like pitchforks and stationary cannons that are a lot of fun to use. I definitely had the most fun using the bow and arrow though.

As you progress through the game you'll unlock upgrades to your armor and weapons that will help you get through the game and each one seemed more fun to use than the one before it. What I really liked was how the development team tried to make the game as authentic as possible. You'll have to cock guns before you can use them and you'll learn to work with issues like this and even use them to your advantage in some of the game's most crowded sections. Interestingly I tried to go back and play Hotline Miami 2 after playing quite a bit of 12 is Better than 6 and I found myself trying to rely on the new tactics for this game, which surprised me.

Don't be surprised if you get hooked on 12 is Better than 6 like I did. It's the same twitch style gameplay that's gotten me hooked on game in the past and the art style is so different than anything else I've seen before. This is a phenomenally done game at a bargain price and deserves to be picked up by anyone who's looking for it's particular brand of violence and action.