First off, I know what your thinking, the
mere mention of Titus Software is enough to scare most away from a title, but
rejoice, as they merely published Wild Guns, the development credits go to
Natsume. That out of the way, Wild Guns is a rare sort of game; at first glance
it appears similar to a rail shooter, and while it shares some gameplay traits
the perspective is the main feature that sets it apart from most games of its
type.
Unlike most shooters of this period, Wild Guns adopts a third person perspective,
the D-pad controls both the targeting reticule and the player character at the
bottom of the screen, this takes a little getting used to but soon enough
you'll be gunning down foes and dodging their fire with style and ease. While simultaneously
targeting and dodging may seem like a lot to handle at once, the game is rather
liberal with help, showing exactly where enemy shots will land, and when a
bullet is heading directly a small warning bubble appears over the characters
head, giving time to jump or roll away.
The weapon selection is a little sparse, with only 3 upgrades to the standard
machine gun. Despite this the gameplay always seem to feel fresh and there’s a
nice risk-reward combo system implemented as well. Shooting enemy bullets fills
a power bar on the bottom left, and when full Clint or Annie becomes invulnerable
for a short time and whips out a minigun, a very nice touch.
Graphically the game looks very good, the sprites are large and detailed; the
backdrops are well done and in a nice touch [and rather uniquely for it's time]
are destructible, and it's really quite satisfying to sit back after clearing a
stage's boss and examine the destruction. The bosses are huge, screen filling
robots as you'd expect from the genre, and look suitably imposing, although
their difficulty is rather lacking once you figure out their patterns.
The soundtrack is another highlight, while the selection of tracks may be on
the slim side, the music certainly pumps you up for the action, and the sound
effects have a nice arcade-y feel to them.
Summary:
- Great graphics with imposing, screen filling bosses
- Destructible environments
- Good sound design, catchy music
- Rather short, only 5/6 levels long with 3 areas per level - blow through it in about an hour or so
- Unique shooting mechanics, interesting combo system
- Awesome steampunk/Robot western setting