Wild Guns Reloaded Nintendo Switch Review

"Switching West"

Campaign

Wild Guns Reloaded is a remaster of a classic SNES title that was available on other platforms and now the Nintendo Switch featuring upgraded pixel graphics and various other small enhancements. It's actually quite a well done update adding a couple new characters, multiplayer support for up to four local players with online rankings. There are additional stages, bosses and a Boss Rush: Time Attack mode. There's not really any narrative here and the general goal is to gain the highest possible score by blasting away the waves of enemies that sway across the screen. This definitely feels like a shooting gallery and it's actually rather fun to play.

This was surprising considering the simplicity of it all, yet I definitely enjoyed jumping around while shooting the many enemies that filled portions of the screen. Each area is a simple layout as you use one stick to move and aim while selecting other options to shoot in various ways. This includes the standard shot that can be upgraded by hitting power-ups on the map, the jumping option which can be used as a vertical or horizontal ability and the strong shot that's a special barrage which clears out the enemies on screen for the most part. As you fire away at enemies in a number of distinctly setup stages you eventually battle a boss and then progress to another level within the stage.

Gameplay

There’s a great looking pixel art present within Wild Guns Reloaded that really uses the style perfectly. There were so many tiny details that made the environments come alive from the many close enemies that attacked to almost miniature foes that would shoot from far distances on certain scenes. This created an intriguing old school shooting gallery with some depth and robotic aspects as well that make this completely stand out on its own. It was neat to mix the old west with some mechanical properties.

The controls felt great yet it would have been much better to have separate stick options for aim and move as that aspect was annoying. The game was also rather difficult even on the easiest of settings which would most likely make this harder for new players to get into. For the Nintendo Switch it worked well rather on the big screen or undocked on the go. It's a bit disappointing that the multiplayer aspect is local only as it might have been nice to see how the game faired with online competition.

The Conclusion

Wild Guns Reloaded was a great time providing rows of cowboys and mechanical monsters to shoot that would move amongst the many beautiful backdrops. I would have liked the basic controls to be more modernized and a bit of an easier difficulty though what's here feels classic, yet restored. It won't be for everyone as it can be rather difficult though for those that want a challenge it can definitely provide that. The pixel art is beautiful and it was certainly a different sort of western shooter with the wild robotic aspects. Wild Guns Reloaded is a solid remaster of the title that provides some new enhancements while respecting the original material. This all plays well to the strengths of the Nintendo Switch.

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Wild Guns Reloaded Review on Nintendo Switch
Review Code Provided by Clevercomm

Rating Overall: 7.2