We dared to play the new 'Citizen Vigilante' video game ... so you don't have to

August 4, 2026 - 01:17

The pitch for "Citizen Vigilante" sounds great on paper. You are a masked hero cleaning up a corrupt city, with a grappling hook, stealth takedowns, and a revolver that never runs dry. In practice, that revolver barely works. I fired at a thug from three feet away, and the bullet just vanished. No hit marker, no blood, no reaction. He turned around and clubbed me to death while I was still pulling the trigger.

The aiming is loose, and the reticle drifts like it is floating on water. You can stand still, line up a headshot, and still miss. The game tries to compensate with a slow-motion focus meter, but that only makes the problem worse because the camera shakes every time you move. I died more times to my own gun not firing than to actual enemies.

The city itself is empty. You can walk for five blocks without seeing a single civilian, and the few enemies that do spawn repeat the same two lines of dialogue. The story tries to be serious about justice and revenge, but the voice acting sounds like a bad podcast recorded in a garage. There is a fun idea buried here, but the broken shooting and lifeless world kill it. Save your money.