El Hijo: A Wild West Tale (Nintendo Switch) Review

One of the many charms that El Hijo presents is its storybook art style. Smoothly enough the story begins by teaching El Hijo the basic mechanics of hiding in the shadows, behind obstacles, and remaining hidden all while running around the family farm. The moment is short-lived, however, when suddenly the property is ransacked by bandits. Leaving nothing behind, this forces El Hijo's mother to entrust her son to a local monastery as she pursues their attackers. Refusing to be left behind, our mini hero begins his adventure.

Each stage remains quite linear but offers alternate paths to reach the goal. The main challenge comes from taking the various routes to help inspire other children set at different points across the map. There are also multiple checkpoints set throughout each stage, making El Hijo very forgiving and almost effortless. Be that as it may, some lookouts will eventually test the player's patience and require some thought to bypass.

A small arsenal is given to El Hijo, such as a slingshot, a wind-up toy solider, and cactus berries, innocently suitable for a child on the run. While there are many patrols set along their own avenues, others will remain at their post, forcing the player to create a diversion. Not all sentries will pay mind to a simple rock throw but may leave their standpoint to investigate a toy soldier suddenly marching around a corner.

Roles are swapped between El Hijo and his mother as they slowly make their way back to each other. The controls remain the same, but the way to achieve their goal will differ depending on the character. El Hijo will sometimes require the help of the orphans to help create an opening while the other will need to create a diversion by breaking a gate to allow local livestock to escape. Both the gameplay and story are pleasantly entertaining.