213. Western Kids (Pixel, Famicom, 1991)

Western Kids is a rare 8-bit game in that it is a full-blown open world action adventure game, a genre that very few other contemporary titles even attempted. River City Ransom is probably the most well known, but Western Kids is a pretty cool wild west-themed entry in the genre. Released on the NES as Cowboy Kid, a North American cartridge will currently set you back about $400, though with all of the features in this game it's easy to see why it has become a collector's item.

You control Sam, the titular Cowboy Kid, though a second player can also simultaneously control a (not very PC) Native American character, Popo. The beginning of the game features no combat, until you acquire a knife, then enemies are constantly spawning 2 at a time any time you step foot outside. Your knife instantly kills any normal enemy, though the hitboxes are more than a little strange in Western Kids, and figuring exactly where you can stand to attack enemies without getting hurt is a big part of getting used to gameplay. While the actual combat is not satisfying at all, Western Kids is at least kind enough to provide you with 3 lives and enough money pickups to fun an unlimited supply of heath-replenishing bread form the store.

The main gameplay loop involves going to the sheriff's office and choosing a wanted poster. You are then given a fixed time limit to defeat the offending criminal. There is even a wide variety between the criminals, as the game plunks you into a different level depending on the selected outlaw. While most of these levels put you in a small open world and force you to figure out what to do, one is presented as a vertically-scrolling shooter, where you are on a fixed track to the boss. While you can attempt these bounties in any order, the weapons and items that you obtain in each really make sense the most if you play them in order.

For the open world objectives, while you can make a beeline for your bounty, I found it very entertaining to see what they were able to squeeze into the small open world. In addition to the Famicom staples of just walking around and talking to people to get hints, there is also a small variety of minigames. You can play blackjack, visit a shooting range, or even try your hand at a carnival strength game. While I'm playing in Japanese, I understood enough to be amused when I walked into a guy's house and he told me he had put on some weight recently and needed to work out. There are loads of other cute little touches that elevate the game above other Famicom titles. Despite the levels themselves being pretty small It's crazy what Western Kids was able to pull off on the same hardware as The Legend of Zelda, just 5 years later.

4/5, an 8-bit, open world, wild west action adventure with a lot going for it, but tepid gameplay