Boot Hill Bounties: An RPG about justice in the wild wild west

I was lucky enough to check out the Boot Hill Bounties over the weekend and let me tell you: I thoroughly enjoyed it. Boot HIll Bounties is the sequel to the successful Boot Hill Heroes game from a few years back. There’s something about top down JRPGs that I find soothing, and it’s not just the fact that the 3rd person view gives me motion sickness. There’s something in the simplicity in graphics that allows the gameplay itself to really shine. On top of that, there’s something about the wild west era that I find alluring, it has to be because of the romanticized freedom and semi anarchy of the times – or how we remember it. Needless to say, any combination of the two is a must play for me.

Join Kid and his posse in Boot Hill Bounties

Kid and his trusty beagle Rusty, who gives challenges and orders instead of receiving them, are a likely duo – just with their hierarchy reversed. Other characters, Doc, Moon, and Roxy are stereotypes of the west. A Django like medical professional turned bounty hunter, an on the nose named Native American, and a fire headed former circus star are your companions on this journey to hunt down a troublesome gang dead or alive and restore justice to a far flung place. The game plays like a western Pokemon. You have a bird’s eye view over a map and your character walks around and when you enter a battle, the combat goes to a special battle interface. While in said battle interface, if you defeat the opponent with a critical hit, they’ll go blasting off and disappear as a star in the horizon – sound familiar? Talking to NPCs at the right time gives you different items. One key difference, though, is that there are options to how you respond – though I’m not entirely sure if your different choice of answers leads to any differentiation in the storyline. All in all, the story is captivating and keeps you engrossed all the way until the very end.

Other notable odds and ends from Boot Hill

Besides a cryptid in a straw hat… I can say that the battle system is very refreshing – timing and strategy both need to happen at the same time and it takes a little bit of getting used to before you can ace or “F” your way through the battles. While you play, your hat represents your skill tree – it is what levels up and gives you new skills and determines what skills can be transferred “between hats.” Both your hat and your character level up, which is a nice touch. All in all, it took roughly two days to beat the game – and I’m rarin’ for more. David Welch from Experimental Gamer did quite the number on this piece and my only gripe is that the game wasn’t longer. Graphics: 7/10, it’s not the best but it isn’t bad. Sound: 8/10, fitting very fitting. Gameplay: 9/10, smooth and engrossing. Overall: 8/10, I might just need to give Boot Hill Heroes a try.