Really, the thing that makes this game is the sound design. While the strategy gameplay is compelling, the harsh bark of the shotgun when it goes off, how the music intensifies for a moment after you get jolted back to life, and the tension and/or relief you feel when you hear the click of the hammer falling on a blank round. The sound is what sells the spooky atmosphere more than anything else.
The gameplay itself is fun, too; best way I can describe it is a memory/strategy game revolving around counting shells in a shotgun, trying to deplete the Dealer’s life while preserving your own, and using a series of items to influence the game.
It’s cheap, spooky, and compelling. I strongly recommend giving it a shot.
I really love the difference between how the dealer uses items and how the player does. You smash the magnifying glass and check the chamber; the dealer smashes it and looks through it, somehow seeing through the gun. The dealer cuffs you to the table; you hand the cuffs to the dealer for it to cuff itself. You turn on the mysterious device that turns a blank into a live round; the dealer simply smashes it.
It really sells that you’re dealing with some other-worldly entity that isn’t overly concerned about getting shot with a shotgun.