12 is Better Than 6 Review Summary

Fun Hotline Miami-like action with unique hand-drawn art, but repetitive levels, a forgettable story, and frequent bugs and crashes hold it back.

Overall positive and fun gameplay: Many players describe the game as cool, fun, and enjoyable, with engaging and addictive gameplay. It has its own charm and is considered great overall.

Unique hand-drawn art style: The hand-drawn pen-and-paper aesthetic is widely praised as stunning and eye-catching. Its black-and-white style with red blood accents stands out as original and brutal.

Strong similarity to Hotline Miami: Reviewers frequently compare the game to Hotline Miami, noting similar fast-paced top-down combat. Many see it as a worthy spiritual successor or a fresh take on that formula.

Good story presence: Several players mention that the game has a story, and many find it interesting or entertaining. Some note it ends on an open note but is still decent.

Great music and soundtrack: The music and soundtrack receive high praise, with some calling it excellent and worth buying. Sound effects are also noted as good.

Repetitive levels and gameplay: Levels and mechanics become monotonous with similar locations and enemies. Many find the game repetitive, with little unique content.

Unengaging and forgettable story: The story is often described as boring, unoriginal, and not engaging. Some find it poorly explained with gaps.

Bugs and crashes prevalent: Players report frequent bugs, crashes, and a messy overall state. Some mention full crashes that disrupt play.

Frustrating difficulty and one-hit deaths: The game is difficult, especially later, with one-shot deaths and frustrating sections. Enemies can shoot through walls.

Short campaign length: The game is short, with a brief campaign and story. Some complete it in 3-5 hours.

Hotline Miami-inspired gameplay: Many reviewers compare the game directly to Hotline Miami, noting similar frenetic top-down shooting and pacing. The cowboy/western theme is often described as a fresh twist on that formula.

Top-down shooter with stealth: The core gameplay blends top-down shooter combat with stealth sequences. Players move through levels killing enemies and completing quests, with stealth available as an option.

Wild West setting: The game is consistently described as a western set in late 19th-century America, often specifically 1873. Its western environment and atmosphere distinguish it from typical neon Hotline Miami-style games.

Manual cocking and reloading: Shooting requires manually cocking the hammer or racking the weapon before each shot. Revolvers and shotguns must be reloaded one cartridge at a time, which reviewers highlight as a central mechanic.

Varied weapon arsenal: Players have access to a range of weapons including revolvers, shotguns, rifles, bows, knives, and explosives such as TNT. This variety supports different playstyles from stealth to open combat.

Frequent game crashes reported: Many users experience crashes ranging from occasional to every few minutes, often interrupting play. Some crashes lead to loss of progress or save corruption.

Framerate issues and drops: Players experience random framerate drops, low FPS (e.g., 44-46), and a 35 FPS cap that causes discomfort. Drops between 60 and 30 FPS are also noted.

Poor optimization and lag: Optimization is poor, with lag when opening the game and on weak PCs. However, some find optimization excellent with low disk space usage.

Steam Deck compatibility issues: While the game runs perfectly on Steam Deck for some, others face small text, difficult controls, non-functioning RS button, and achievements not unlocking.

Lightweight and low requirements: The game is very light (300 MB), runs on low-end hardware (potato PC, microwave), and is undemanding from the graphics card. This is a positive aspect.

Purchase primarily on sale: Many reviewers recommend buying the game only at a discount or during a sale. They consider the full price too high for the amount of content or quality offered.

Game is generally recommended: A large number of reviewers give a positive recommendation, often without major reservations. They find the game fun, engaging, or worth playing.

Not recommended for everyone: Some reviewers cannot recommend the game, citing reasons such as poor quality, high difficulty, or lack of enjoyment. They advise against purchasing it.

Positive but with reservations: Some reviewers recommend the game but with caveats, such as only to fans of the genre, or if purchased at a low price. They acknowledge it may not appeal to everyone.

Difficult and frustrating gameplay: The game is described as hard, with trial-and-error difficulty and manual reload timing that may frustrate players. Some warn it requires patience and may not be suitable for casual players.

Community fair range: $5.00 - $8.00.

Game completion: 5.0h.

Story completion: 4.5h.

Session length: 1.0h.

Early friction—clunky controls, tutorial issues, visual fatigue, repetition—delays enjoyment for many players. The game tends to click once controls are mastered and flowing combat becomes possible, though some players never get past the blockers and others find it fun early but repetitive later.

Friction: Clunky controls and manual reloading/cocking; Tutorial that is confusing or unhelpful; Monochrome art causing visual fatigue; Repetitive levels and identical enemies; Crashes and progression/save bugs; Unfair off-screen deaths.

Unlock drivers: Controls clicking after practice; Mastering manual reloading, cocking, and weapon switching; Pulling off a perfect, flowing run-and-gun sequence; Investing in mastering the combat.

Hotline Miami Veteran: Aggressive run-and-gun with trial-and-error, mastering one-hit-kill combat and quick restarts. Motivation: To relive the fast-paced, brutal top-down shooter action of Hotline Miami in a Wild West setting. Stance: buy.

Achievement Completionist: Grinds side missions, replays levels via chapter select, follows guides, and works around bugged achievements. Motivation: To earn all achievements and reach 100% completion, including collecting hats and unlocking perks. Stance: sale.

Casual Short-Session Player: Casual run-and-gun, playing in short bursts, not aiming for full completion. Motivation: Quick, low-commitment fun and atmospheric Wild West action during downtime. Stance: sale.

Across the returned Windows cohorts, <8GB and 8-11GB VRAM systems are mostly reported as playable, though with FPS drops or caps and some crashes; the 12-15GB VRAM cohort reports poor frame rates and repeated or system-level crashes.

Windows <8GB VRAM: positive. Most reports describe smooth play, including 60 FPS on low-RAM systems, but a few users mention crashes, bugs, or FPS drops when many enemies are on screen.

Windows 8-11GB VRAM: positive. The available reviews recommend the game but report lower FPS, around 35-45 FPS or a noticeable 40-60 FPS cap.

Windows 12-15GB VRAM: negative. Reports cite very low and unstable frame rates, repeated crashes, and system instability when launching the High Res version.

Steam Deck: The audit of Steam Deck and Linux feedback shows a game that technically offers a native Linux build but fails on key handheld expectations. The most consistent and impactful problems are broken Steam achievements on Linux/SteamOS, controller support that forces users onto Proton compatibility and still behaves unreliably, and frequent crashes that can wipe progress. Controls and unclear on-screen instructions add moderate friction for newcomers. On the positive side, several users confirm the game runs acceptably and praise its art, music, and value, indicating the issues are not universal. Because a Proton toggle is required to make the game playable and frequent crashes are reported, friction is high.

Linux and Proton: The game ships a native Linux build that multiple users can launch and play, and SteamOS support is acknowledged, so Linux is not effectively unsupported. However, consensus evidence points to recurring Linux-specific friction: Steam achievements do not register on the Linux build, controllers often require switching to Proton (including Proton 10 with unreliable results), the Linux executable occasionally needs manual script edits to launch, and at least one user reports crashes on SteamOS. These are workaround-level problems rather than total blockers, keeping the game in the tinkering-required range rather than broken.

Monetization: The provided reviews contain no direct evidence of predatory monetization such as real-money gacha, loot boxes, pay-to-win purchases, paid convenience items, or an in-game cash shop. The only paid content consistently mentioned is traditional DLC, and some reviews state there is no pay-to-win or that DLC is not required for achievements. Base-price and DLC-quality complaints are present but do not qualify as MTX evidence, so the monetization profile remains fair.

Comparable to Hotline Miami: Many reviewers compare the game to Hotline Miami, often noting a Wild West setting and similar fast-paced, challenging gameplay. It is frequently described as a clone or spiritual successor, with some calling it better or worse than the original.

Short completion time: The game is frequently described as short, with completion times ranging from about 2 to 8 hours. Many reviewers mention beating it in one or a few evenings.

Obtained for free: A recurring point is that the game was acquired for free, often through giveaways or promotions. This is mentioned as a factor in reviews.

Achievements and DLC: The game includes achievements, with some reviewers noting a platinum trophy and an additional story DLC. There is also mention of a difficult bottle-related achievement.

Western setting: The game is set in the Wild West, often in the year 1873, with a story involving a fugitive slave or Mexican protagonist. This setting is a key differentiator from Hotline Miami.