Developer: C2 Estudio
Price: $2.99
Version Reviewed: 1.0
Device Reviewed On: iPad 1
Cowboy Guns puts players in control of “The Kid,” a mysterious stranger who must try to stop The Crimson Jackals from terrorizing the denizens of the old west. However, he has a mysterious connection to this gang of violent strangers that becomes unveiled throughout the story. The game is a dual-stick shooter, where players use four weapons: a revolver, shotgun, gatling gun, and grenades in order to help kill the various bad guys.
The game’s story is simple, but it’s more interesting than most dual-stick shooters. As well, the game features both survival modes and a bounty hunter mode where players can earn money for completing missions. That money can be spent on upgrades to armor and weapons, though stars strewn throughout the levels are required in order to unlock the later upgrades. The HD version of the game is a universal build as well; this version comes with Retina Display support that is eschewed in the regular version.
The production values in Cowboy Guns are often lacking; the graphics often show off their low-quality textures. As well, there’s a whole host of spelling errors; did anyone actually run through this game to check for spelling errors? Chillingo are typically known for their high production values, and this feels very low-caliber for them. The music often gets to be grating and repetitive, though it is of good quality. The game just doesn’t really do a whole lot better than other games released in this genre. Other games have better boss fights, better controls, and just better core dual-stick gameplay.
Cowboy Guns is a game that has a good heart, but it feels like it’s missing a lot of that, if I may be cliche, polish that the best games have. If it had a lot more of it, this could be worthwhile. Otherwise, it just doesn’t feel worth it.