Wild Guns (Super Nintendo) Review

Any proud SNES collector knows something that maybe our beloved readers don't know: an original Wild Guns cartridge is rare and quite expensive. After asking why that is, the answer will probably be "because it's a cult classic!" A strong weight to have on its shoulders, that's for sure, but, even till this day, Wild Guns delivers an absolutely amazing experience.

The first thing any person will notice is that this Natsume adventure belongs to a subgenre that hasn't seen the spotlight in a long time: the shooting gallery genre. That feature alone makes Wild Guns a breeze of old fresh air, strengthening the legend of a cult classic.

The second thing is that this 16-bit bounty-hunting has an extremely arcade feeling, which affects a number of gameplay elements: infinite continues, a countdown game over screen, controls, bonus stages, and - unfortunately - a very brief length. Don't be misled, though; this isn't a toned-down port of an early 90s arcade game - a very common practice at the time - this was an exclusive SNES title.

After taking control of Clint or Annie, our protagonists, the player will find themselves in the middle of a steampunk Wild West, where skills and bullets have the last word. Movement is varied, with double jumps and quick hops, and so is the shooting: melee attacks, free aiming, ammo-limited guns, dynamites, screen-cleaning bombs, and a risk-reward mechanic that will give the character a powerful shotgun if he or she shoots enough enemy bullets - instead of avoiding them like a coward.

The majority of stages can be passed in any order, à la Mega Man, and they're divided in three sections: the first two with lots of enemies and a small boss, and the last one with a big boss showdown, which is one the best facets of the game. Huge robots with loads of tricky bullets, minions and even flamethrowers, will test the player's expertise, reflexes and thinking-ahead skills.

The challenge ramps up quickly - which isn't strange if we consider that there're six stages in total - but its fair nature and infinite continues will permanently encourage the player to keep trying. Challenge can be soothed with the help of a friend, as Wild Guns allows two-player cooperative mode, which is the most important feature of the game in terms of replay value, its weakest aspect.

Aesthetically, Wild Guns oozes action: an excellent pumped-up soundtrack that stimulates shooting all the interactive backgrounds and enemies, which are well-animated and look alive (there're even some enemies that have personality, like the guys that do a mocking dance on the minecarts). Sci-fi Western motif contributes to its personality, and landscapes are iconic and distinct.

In brief, Wild Guns absolutely achieves its goal of being an exciting and action-packed sci-fi Western adventure. In spite of not being superlative in any aspect of the game - with the exception of the boss fights - its great execution in almost every other element, packaged in an exhilarating and colourful experience, makes it an undeniably fantastic game, which just fails at giving to the people what they wanted: more.