When I read OneShot’s title, I immediately hear Eminem singing “don’t miss your chance to blow it up.” But that mental deficiency is probably not shared by the thousands of people who fell in love with the purple puzzle RPG in 2016. If you’re among those numbers and looking for a portable way to replay the game, then good news. OneShot: World Machine Edition is a Steam Deck-compatible remaster that’s set to release on PC this month.
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This version has been available on Nintendo Switch since 2022, but it's coming to Steam on September 30. Developers Future Cat say the game has been “completely rebuilt for modern portable consoles.” With “an all-new engine, new UI, new hidden collectibles, more platform support, and more.” Owners of the original game will get it for 50% off on Steam (but only during the first week after launch). There's also a gallery of character backstories, a “jukebox,” a viewer for game art, and a selection of wallpapers for a fictional operating system that will now be featured in the game.
OneShot was originally made in RPGMaker, and it pushed that intricate DIY engine to weird limits that felt innovative and sometimes vaguely disturbing at the time. It exists in the same space as self-aware games like Pony Island or Doki Doki Literature Club, constantly breaking the fourth wall and making you a player and controller of your computer’s environment. But these PC-centric quirks meant it wasn’t playable on consoles. This version is essentially a remaster that addresses that.
“I've never played a game like OneShot,” John said in our review. “It's also been a long time since I've cared so much about a game's main character, to the point where decisions actually matter to me. There's a lot to be said for a game made in RPGMaker. But this is a game that does things I never would have thought possible with that lovely engine.”
It’s possible that this edition will weaken some of that magic. In the original game, you sometimes had to navigate your own desktop’s file directories as part of the story. But the fictional operating system depicted in this edition’s trailer is designed to replace your own folders. Again, this makes sense for the Steam Deck and Switch. I don’t know if it’s worth the asking price if you already own the original, but for new players who want to lie in bed while adventuring, it’s probably the way to go.