Colt Canyon

If one thing is clear about the roguelike games that have been released in recent years, it's that it doesn't matter how much we've played them; if they're a pleasure to play, we'll play them as many times as it takes. And this is more or less what Colt Canyon is trying to do.

This is another follower of the formula of sequential levels and permanent death, as is typical of this kind of game. In this case, Retrific's work opts for an overhead perspective shooter.

Set in the Wild West, the story tells us that we must rescue our companion, who has been kidnapped by bandits whose identity or purpose is unimportant - as is the companion's, it seems. Colt Canyon has no qualms about making it abundantly clear that its premise is just an excuse to go ahead and shoot. The levels are full of enemies and most of the time you can't tell if they are bandits or something else. Sometimes they just look like farmers who are doing their work and who attack us for some reason… The purpose is to kill.

The shootouts are both frantic and strategic at the same time, a delicate balance that stands out as Colt Canyon’s strongest feature. It is better to stealthily enter an enemy-governed area, but if it goes wrong, we’re not penalised heavily. We'll just shoot our way through and enjoy doing it. The option to sneak around is just to make things a little easier if we want to be crafty, or if we are low on health or ammunition.

As for the art direction, it looks spectacularly good, but it won't take long for us to get sick of it after getting lost for the umpteenth time in its confusing random generation. Fortunately, there are not many reasons to go exploring beyond resupplying ammunition and life, certain reward chests that require a key to be found beforehand, and the bandit’s hostages, which are the most important thing to find. When rescuing them, we will be offered one of several random upgrades for the rest of the game. More max life, higher reload speed, more damage for explosives, and that sort of thing.

There is potential for Colt Canyon to become a more than worthy roguelike game, especially if emphasis is placed on its capacity to surprise and on giving the player autonomy to explore its multiple possibilities, instead of following an almost predefined script. The shooter part has already been nailed. Get shooting!