SNES REVIEWS: Sunset Riders
There is little the side-scrolling shooter can do to stand out, and yet games in this genre need standing out the most. We do not play these games for the story, and the combat in many of them, including weapons and such, is very similar. These games competed on the arcade floor trying to attract players from the genre's leaders.
Sunset Riders is no different from other competitors. The gameplay is similar to other games in the genre, but it wants to attract players by its Wild West style and its personality. For the most part, Sunset Riders succeeds in being a fun shooter with tons of personality, and it is that personality that differentiates it from the crowd.
#88: Sunset Riders:
Year: 1993
Genre: Run & Gun
Publisher: Konami
Developer: Konami
"Get ready to pow-wow"
From the first stage to the final battle, Sunset Riders is a consistently good shooter. It is not the shooting, however, that is best about this game, but the setting itself. Set in the Wild West, the game takes spaghetti Western themes with looney, over-the-top characters worthy of Punch-Out!! fame.
The stages themselves are regular frontier villages with far too many saloons, or more exhilarating, fast-paced horseback shootouts. These stages end up being just a regular vehicle for delivering a number of iconic and weirdly quotable boss fights.
But I have nothing to pay with
Like Contra, one hit equals a loss of life. Anywhere outside the bosses, getting hit is an annoying and mostly avoidable mistake. Against those bosses, however, you do not want to get hit—not because it would be annoying to die, but because you want to beat these bosses with as much skill and finesse as you can.
Story-wise, all of those bosses are bounties for you to collect. They are classical miscreants from the Wild West, including a Mexican bandito, an Indian warrior, and, of course, the English cowboy. Try not to crack up when the fat banker's death quote is: "Bury me with my money."
"Bury me with my money"
So, let us remove the bosses from the equation. Does the personality of the game hold without them? Well, the answer is mostly yes.
The stages themselves fit the tone of the game, especially when riding a horse and dodging logs while shooting bad guys. However, the bad guys themselves come in only four interchangeable kinds with no personality whatsoever. In effect, you are mowing down scores of faceless clowns in order to get to the real treat in the bosses.
Luckily, this is accompanied by some decent, even if not spectacular music. However, coinciding with the drabness of your enemies, the stage's regular music pales in comparison with that of the bosses.
You can't have a Wild West game without horses
All in all, we find that while the personality so obvious and overwhelming in the bosses is not present as much in the rest of the game, it is not represented in three of the heroes, who are boring blonde rangers, and it is not represented by the regular goons you dispatch. Also, it is somewhat confusing that the bullets you shoot look like green laser pellets, or pink if powered up.
At least one of the players you can choose is the very cool Mexican ranger, Cormano, who wears a pink poncho and sombrero.
"Draw, pilgrim"
Now, take out the bosses and the Wild West design. What you are left with is the bare mechanics of the game. Essentially, these mechanics are similar in most games of the genre. The objective is going forward without dying and shooting those who wish you dead.
Sunset Riders does not deviate from this basic formula at all. You have a choice between protagonists, but that means simply choosing between two who have pistols or two who have shotguns. Yet, is there really any difference between the two? In full power-up mode (which means picking up two common items), both are similarly potent.
Adios, amigo!
That is all you have in your arsenal. No other guns, no bombs, and only the ability to duck and jump. Basically, this serves you throughout the game with the exception of the bosses, who will require a more nuanced approach from the players.
With no variety in gameplay, there is little beyond the personality of the game to hold your interest. Sure, the game will hold your interest for a second and third playthrough. However, you are likely to have mastered the game by the second time, with the final battle being the only challenge you face.
In Conclusion:
Perhaps the greatest achievement of Sunset Riders is in being able to be expressed so thoroughly in a short review. It is a by-the-book side-scrolling shooter with no wish to stand out. Yet, it stands out by virtue of its unique and playful personality.
I cannot say that its a great game, not even a very good one. Yet, it is a game I am happier having played, and a game I would recommend anyone buy on any emulator.
Final: 7/10 (Recommended for genre fans)
Pro Points:
- A Lot of Personality: +5
- A Lot of Style: +5
Con Points:
- Little Variety: -2
Tips:
- Learn the patterns of the bosses thoroughly.
- Shotguns are better than pistols in my opinion.
- Tap the fire button rapidly for faster firing.
- Do not lose any lives going to the bosses.
Series:
I remember having a lot of fun times playing the SNES in my childhood, but I only played or bought about 10 to 15 games, and many games that I played I couldn't go far into owing to my inability to read basic instructions in English.
As I grew up, I played more SNES games that came my way, as well as others released on other platforms. Due to the sheer quality of those titles that I played years later (such as Final Fantasy VI and Chrono Trigger) and those I remember playing (Donkey Kong Country, Super Mario World), I was always curious about the quality of all those titles I did not play.
Three years before starting this review series, IGN released a list of their top 100 SNES games. Reading that list, I got excited and wanted to play all of them. However, I realized that just playing them wouldn't be enough. I wanted to study that list, and hence decided to review most games on the list.
Next Game:
Continuing my second climb down IGN's top 100, I am going to play another Konami game. This one is Konami's answer to Sega's Sonic, starring an opossum instead of a hedgehog. This is going to be #87 Sparkster, who looks to be a 90s animal icon wannabe through and through.
Stay Tuned.
For Previous Genesis Game Reviews:
This blog was originally posted in Destructoid Community Blogs on April 23rd, 2014. The blog was slightly edited to fit my newer review format.
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