Westerado - A Review Of Sorts
Westerado Double Barreled. This wee gem from Adult Swim Games has been out for a while now and I'm just kicking myself from not having tried it sooner. It's a 2d western with an open world, where you're set loose to track down the person who murdered your family. The twist is that any NPC can potentially be the killer and you'll have to gather clues to ascertain their appearance and whereabouts. You can draw your gun at anytime and can kill any NPC. Calling it Where's Waldo with a six shooter seems a little crass but it's apt.
However, instead of going over its every facet, let me instead tell you my story as I went through the game. That'll do a better job of letting you know what kind of experience it's offering. Spoilers ahead, obviously.
It begins as I've said, with the murder of my family. The ranch has been burned and my mother lies dead. My brother is breathing his last but tells me the man who did this wears a wide brimmed hat. Not much to go on but I promise I'll avenge him. He hands me his gun and asks a final kindness, to end his suffering. Even as I cock the gun he assures me it's okay and he's grateful. I pull the trigger and finish what the murderer started. My search begins.
Soon enough I'm wondering into the nearest town but before I can start asking questions, somebody is pleading for my help. I accept and from there, find myself helping all sorts in my search. I defend a ranch from bandits, harnessing my skill with the gun. I find missing family and help clear the railway tracks. Each grateful stranger offers me what they know. I'm building an image of the fella, though I've no idea where to find him. In my searching I meet Miss Tressabell, who's lonely and searching for someone to support her. We promise to meet again.
Eventually I fall into helping the local ranchers, who seem to be threatened by the same fate as my family. For my part they let me know that the man I seek might've been in service to the Oil Baron, a man they've quarrel with as well, who's trying to steal their land. So together we all go to attack the Baron's mansion, to take him down before he can kill them for their ranches.
The attack starts well but the deeper we go into the building, the worse it gets. This Baron has countless men in his employ, too much for these ranchers. They flee. I try to fight a moment longer but soon enough I too must retreat. A failure but worse awaits us on our return. Those we left behind have been killed, their ranch burned down. Rancher Richards lies bleeding, his family laying dead around him. He asks me to end his suffering and just like my brother, thanks me as I cock the revolver. I wish he wouldn't.
Again I vow revenge and return alone to the Oil Baron. This time they can't stop me and I gun the Baron down in his office. I'm no closer to my family's killer but one debt is settled.
I come back to town and look for the sheriff's aid, which he'll offer when he thinks I'm ready. Which'll be when I've taken out a few of the local outlaws, dead or alive. This is when I meet Miss Tressabell again and we connect. She asks me to “make hats” with her and afterwards, compliments my “needlework”. We talk of buying a house together, if I can find half the money. I want to. There ought to be a life after my search is done.
So I take to the bounties, tracking every outlaw I can find from forests to deserts and deep below the earth. It isn't long before my reputation grows. Now the outlaws of the land fear my approach. They flee at the sight of me, outright refusing to put up a fight. From them I get my final clues and I know the man I'm looking for. A large fella, in black and white with a big hat and bandana. Unmistakeable. I take these bounties alive to the sheriff and soon enough, I've made enough money for a home.
A nice little cottage by the river, all on its lonesome. Tressabell is happy, till she realises I mean to leave and continue my search. She protests but knows it's futile. In the end she settles for making me promise I'll return. I do and I mean it.
My little brother comes in on the next train to my surprise, my only other family. He's horrified for not having been there and we go to the old home together. A black shell, with the two graves for mother and eldest brother. Little brother swears he too will search and off he goes. I doubt he'll succeed but I won't stop him.
I continue my search alone. I cross the desert several times, confronting every outlaw gang I can find but they only cower, able to give me no more clues.
On the other side of the desert, on a dusty train platform I stand beaten and unsure where to continue. It's then of course, that I see him. Standing on the platform beside me, without a care in the world. White and black clothes, with a wide brimmed hat. Just as my brother described it.
I approach ready to kill. When I greet him he complains only about the heat, like any regular soul. I draw my gun and he acts confused but when I cock the hammer he gives up the performance. He knows who I am and why I'm here. But before I can pull the trigger he shoots and flees on horseback. I pursue without hesitation.
I find him alone on a windy hilltop, as the sun threatens to set over the horizon. He taunts me one last time and then it begins. Many bullets are fired, most miss. We're both so quick. In the end, it's me who lands the shot. Right in his gut.
He lies in the dirt gasping his last, blood pooling beneath him. Just like my brother. I approach, vowing to make it quick. He tries to talk as I raise the gun but I'm certain I'll shoot. I cock the pistol and he can't believe I'm so determined. It makes me pause and then he talks some more. About why he did it. About how I owe him my life. Claims I'm the woman I am because of what he did, that without his killing I'd be nothing but a bored farmhand. Maybe it's true, maybe it isn't but it buys him time. Time enough to bleed out and die before I can pull the trigger. Alone, the last bullet still in the chamber I lower my gun as the stars emerge above. My revenge is complete and a whole other life awaits ahead. As the credits roll, I think...aren't videogames pretty darn great?
