Review #690: Wild Guns Reloaded

 KEEP THESE SNES REMAKES COMIN'!!

 The SNES is my favorite console that I never had, so every SNES remake that comes my way is more than welcome. Wild Guns Reloaded was Tengo Project's first SNES revival, and boy, oh boy, is it a doozy. Just like Ninja Warriors Again, which actually came after this one, this game looks and feels just like the SNES original, albeit with new addition that feel as if they had always belonged. 16-bit quality sprites of this caliber is something of a rarity nowadays, so you'd better believe it was love at first sight.

 What is Wild Guns Reloaded? Basically, a shooting gallery. You are stuck on a 2-D plane, and you can move your character left or right, jump or roll, in order to avoid enemy fire. Moving around also moves a targeting reticule, so that you can shoot into the background. The objective, as if it wasn't obvious, is to defeat enemies without getting hit, as one hit equals death. You may also come across other weapons, with limited ammo, as well as a P-Gun downgrade that deals zero damage but has 50 bullets for you to burn through. You've also got a screen-covering grenade, limited quantities of course, as well as a gauge that fills as you defeat enemies, and once full increases your fire power for a spell. Holding down the shoot button will make your character root in place, so you have to be careful. Dodging is done by pressing Attack+Jump, but dodging may just put you right in front of another bullet, so you can't just attack willynilly.

 Other abilities in your arsenal are the lasso and, well, turning dynamite against your enemies. Continuously tapping the attack button will make your character shoot a stunning attack, deals no damage but freezes the enemy for a very short while on the spot. As for dynamite, frequently you'll find enemies throwing dynamite at your feet. You can grab these sticks and throw them right back at their owner for massive damage.

Progression in the game is pretty formulaic, which is not necessarily a bad thing. There are six different stages in the game, an introductory stage, then you get to choose in which order you play the next 4, and then the final sixth stage. Playing in hard swaps two of the four selectable stages with the new ones. Most stages are made up of three sections. In the first two you have to survive about a minute, every enemy slain shaves off a second from the timer, until a mini boss appears. Then, the last third section is made up of the main boss, usually a giant machine-like enemy of sorts. It's pretty fun and fast-paced.

 The game has four playable characters, each one comes with four different color palettes(To accommodate up to four players using the same character) and you can unlock another four per character by beating the game with them, on any difficulty setting. The two returning characters are pretty much clones of each other, but the two new characters offer new playstyles. There's a new grenadier woman that than lob multiple grenades by charging her attack. This means she has no rapid fire, but can ostensibly cover more ground with a single attack. The other character is a dog and his flying drone. He is the only character that can move while shooting, making him a bit of an easy mode. The drone gets a huge aiming reticule and autoaims towards any enemy inside said reticule.

 The game is tough, like, really, really tough. As if you didn't die in one hit, continues are limited. There's a new 'Training Mode' that grants you infinite lives, thank you very much, but it can only be played solo. It's a shame, because multiplayer mode has shared lives, so you won't be able to enjoy the entire game with other players unless everyone of you gets good. Good luck. This version boasts two new levels, but they are hidden inside the Hard difficulty setting, rather lame if you ask me, since I doubt many people will get to experience them.

 Wild Guns Reloaded is really good. It's fast paced, oldschool arcade action with SNES aesthetics. I love it. While I'm not particularly fond of the genre, and I think the game might be a tad too challenging for its own good, I'm all up for SNES remakes. It's a fun time for as long as it lasts, and I can't help but admire the fact that they took their time to actually add stuff to the game, stuff that doesn't feel out of place and actually adds to the game, just like they did with Ninja Warriors Again.
7.0 out of 10