Developer: Ostrich Banditos

Publisher: Adult Swim Games

Where to buy: Steam

The wild west is probably what 90% of young kids imagine when they are playing cops and robbers. Everyone loves a good western game. Why is that? Well, it’s mostly due to the fact everyone has fond memories of imagining being in the old west. Unfortunately there are not many wild west video games out there, and few of them are actually good. Enter Westerado: Double Barreled. A 2d pixelated adventure in a wild west setting which originated as a flash game, which mixes old school NES style gameplay with an open world to explore. Honestly the best way to describe the game is how the developers do. It’s pretty spot on, so let me quote them:

“Westerado: Double Barreled is Ostrich Banditos’ homage to Spaghetti Westerns about dirty pasts, consequences and taking a hold of your future. When your family is murdered by a mysterious desperado, you set out into the world to take revenge. Take control of your own fate and that of others, all using your trusty shooting iron. If words aren’t enough to persuade a character, draw your revolver and see what happens. You can shoot whomever, whenever you like. Be an outlaw or a saint, explore the open world, meet a varied cast of characters and decide how you want your revenge story to unfold. “

That about covers the story, but how is the gameplay? It all depends on what you choose to play it on. If you pick a gamepad you will have no issues and will find it very enjoyable, however the keyboard is a mixed bag. While it works, I found the button layout to be a little confusing. WASD moves like you would expect, but the reload and fire buttons take a while to get used to, as you would expect them to be on the mouse or space key or something to that effect. This is not a deal breaker at all, just a minor gripe I personally had with the controls. That’s about the only negative thing I really have to say about Westerado, as it is a really well done choose your own adventure style game. I love a game that rewards you for exploration, and Westerado does that in spades.

You have a very expansive map to explore at your own leisure, and the 8 bit graphics are really well done, making for a very charming pick up and play game. Not only that, the writing is superb for a game of this size. They really make you feel like you are in the wild west with the way they talk and act. While the main quest itself is not terribly long, there are tons of side quests packed in to keep you playing and exploring along with a multiple endings allowing for replay-ability, which is a rare treat for a game such as this. The soundtrack is absolutely spot on. It nails exactly what mood the game is going for at any given time. The sound effects are also very well done, and fit every situation you encounter very well. No complaints at all in the sound department.

As far as the performance of the game itself, I had very few issues. During my entire time playing the game, I encountered no game breaking bugs, or crashes of any kind. I say this because from what I have noticed on message boards and community discussions, many people are having issues with the game crashing to desktop, and quests not being able to be completed. I did not encounter any of these problems myself, but I am pretty confident that Ostrich Banditos will patch any problems as soon as they are able, as they seem to be very involved with the community.

Overall I enjoyed my time with Westerado: Double Barreled. It is a very charming 8 bit interpretation of the wild west with a great soundtrack and a choose your own style adventure with some detective elements thrown in for good measure. Even if you played the original flash game, I strongly recommend going out and picking this game up on steam. I’ve barely scratched the surface of what this game has to offer, so if you are interested in westerns at all, you owe it to yourself to give this game a try. It’s only 12 dollars at the time of this review, and for that price you are getting a great deal. Now if you will excuse me, I have another play-through to complete.

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