Sunset Riders
Encyclopedia
is a side-scrolling run-and-gun style shoot-'em-up released by Konami
as a coin-operated video game
in . The game is set during the American Old West
, where the player takes control of a bounty hunter who is seeking the rewards offered for various criminals. The coin-op version was released in two variants: a 2-player version and a 4-player version. Home versions of Sunset Riders were released for the Sega Mega Drive (Genesis) in and for the Super Nintendo Entertainment System
in .
, revolves around four bounty hunter
s who are out to claim rewards given for eliminating the most wanted outlaw
s in the West. There is no true "storyline" aside from collecting progressively larger rewards. At the beginning of each level the player is shown a wanted poster
, showing the criminal, the reward for stopping them, and the line "Wanted dead or alive".
s (for faster shots), while Bob and Cormano both use shotgun
s (for wider shots). In the 2-player version, each player can choose the character they want to control before starting the game, while in the 4-player version each set of controls is assigned to one specific character.
The game's controls consist of an eight-way joystick for moving the character and two buttons for shooting and jumping. The player's gun has unlimited ammunition and can shoot forwards and upwards while the player is standing or jumping. The player can jump between different floors when possible by holding the joystick up or down while pressing Jump. During the upper levels, the player can shoot downwards (diagonally or vertically) while crouching (whereas on the ground level, the player can only shoot forwards while crouching). The player can also slide by holding the joystick downwards diagonally while pressing Jump.
Two badge-shaped power-ups can be obtained by defeating sack-carrying enemies: the Silver Badge grants the player a second gun, allowing their character to shoot at two directions at the same time; while the Gold Badge allows the player to fire continuously with the shoot button press down. Both power-ups can be used together. The other two items includes gold dust piles and roasted chickens, which will provide the player with additional points. The player can also find power-ups by entering certain buildings as well. Certain enemies will also throw dynamite sticks at the player, which can be picked up with the shoot button and tossed back at them. The player loses a life every time they get hit by the enemy, along with any power-ups they may have been wielding.
The game consists of eight stages. The objective is to reach the end of each stage and defeat the outlaw awaiting at the end in order to collect the bounty offered for the boss. The further the player progresses through the game, the greater the bounties will become If more than one player is playing, the player who does the most damage to the boss will get the entire bounty at the end. Some stages feature segments where the character is riding on a horseback. In addition to the regular stages, there are also bonus stages set from a first-person perspective where the player must shoot at enemies coming from eight directions.
Simon Greedwell ($10,000 reward)
Hawkeye Hank Hatfield ($20,000 reward)
Dark Horse ($30,000 reward)
The Smith Brothers ($40,000 reward)
El Greco ($50,000 reward)
Chief Scalpem ($60,000 reward)
Paco Loco ($70,000 reward)
Sir Richard Rose ($100,000 reward)
The bonus stages are played from a first-person perspective, where the joystick is used to aim a targeting cursor. The player has a limited time to shoot up to 50 enemies that pop up in various locations on the screen. The enemies do not fire back, so the player cannot lose anything from playing these stages.
Only four of the eight bosses from the arcade version are featured, and each of the four chapters are divided into two stages: the objective of the first stage is to rescue a kidnapped girl awaiting at the end, while the second stage ends with a boss battle. The bosses featured in this version are Simon Greedwell, Paco Loco, Chief Scalpem, and Richard Rose. The bounties for the first two bosses are different as well (Greedwell's bounty was increased to $20,000, while Paco's was reduced to $40,000). Paco Loco's stage was changed to the traintop battle where the player fights El Greco in the arcade version. The power-up icons have also been replaced as well (the Gold and Silver badges were changed into a small picture of a Bullet and a Gun respectively). Unlike the other versions, the player can cause a dynamite stick to explode by shooting it. To access the bonus stages, the player must collect a Star-shaped item located in either stage of each chapter. The bonus stages differs from the ones in the arcade version, in which the player chases after a moving wagon on a horseback, while the woman in the wagon tosses bonus coins and extra lives at the player's path.
In addition to the standard game mode, the Genesis version features a two-player versus mode where each player will fight each other to a gunfight. The player must shoot each other until one of the player runs out of health. The first player to win two out of three rounds will be declared the winner. There's also an Option Mode that allows the player to adjust the main game's difficulty, number of lives and continues, as well as the game's controls.
The SNES version however, features changes that were not made in the Mega Drive version. The barfly that kisses the player character in Stage 1, as well as the saloon dancers from Stage 4 are dressed more conservatively compared to the arcade version. Hunter dogs which were present in first segment of final chapter in the Genesis version has been removed. Also, the Native American enemy characters from Stage 6 were removed and replaced with regular outlaws, leaving only Chief Scalpem (who is renamed Chief Wigwam in the SNES game) as the stage boss. The dynamite tossing female bandits were removed from the SNES port as well (although, they were not in the Mega Drive version either).
Konami
is a Japanese leading developer and publisher of numerous popular and strong-selling toys, trading cards, anime, tokusatsu, slot machines, arcade cabinets and video games...
as a coin-operated video game
Arcade game
An arcade game is a coin-operated entertainment machine, usually installed in public businesses such as restaurants, bars, and amusement arcades. Most arcade games are video games, pinball machines, electro-mechanical games, redemption games, and merchandisers...
in . The game is set during the American Old West
American Old West
The American Old West, or the Wild West, comprises the history, geography, people, lore, and cultural expression of life in the Western United States, most often referring to the latter half of the 19th century, between the American Civil War and the end of the century...
, where the player takes control of a bounty hunter who is seeking the rewards offered for various criminals. The coin-op version was released in two variants: a 2-player version and a 4-player version. Home versions of Sunset Riders were released for the Sega Mega Drive (Genesis) in and for the Super Nintendo Entertainment System
Super Nintendo Entertainment System
The Super Nintendo Entertainment System is a 16-bit video game console that was released by Nintendo in North America, Europe, Australasia , and South America between 1990 and 1993. In Japan and Southeast Asia, the system is called the , or SFC for short...
in .
Story
The game, which is set in a fanciful version of the American Old WestAmerican Old West
The American Old West, or the Wild West, comprises the history, geography, people, lore, and cultural expression of life in the Western United States, most often referring to the latter half of the 19th century, between the American Civil War and the end of the century...
, revolves around four bounty hunter
Bounty hunter
A bounty hunter captures fugitives for a monetary reward . Other names, mainly used in the United States, include bail enforcement agent and fugitive recovery agent.-Laws in the U.S.:...
s who are out to claim rewards given for eliminating the most wanted outlaw
Outlaw
In historical legal systems, an outlaw is declared as outside the protection of the law. In pre-modern societies, this takes the burden of active prosecution of a criminal from the authorities. Instead, the criminal is withdrawn all legal protection, so that anyone is legally empowered to persecute...
s in the West. There is no true "storyline" aside from collecting progressively larger rewards. At the beginning of each level the player is shown a wanted poster
Wanted poster
A wanted poster is a poster distributed to let the public know of an alleged criminal whom authorities wish to apprehend. They will generally include either a picture of the alleged criminal when a photograph is available, or of a facial composite image produced by a police artist...
, showing the criminal, the reward for stopping them, and the line "Wanted dead or alive".
Gameplay
The player can play as one of four bounty hunters: Steve and Billy are armed with peacemakerColt Single Action Army
The Colt Single Action Army is a single action revolver with a revolving cylinder holding six metallic cartridges. It was designed for the U.S...
s (for faster shots), while Bob and Cormano both use shotgun
Shotgun
A shotgun is a firearm that is usually designed to be fired from the shoulder, which uses the energy of a fixed shell to fire a number of small spherical pellets called shot, or a solid projectile called a slug...
s (for wider shots). In the 2-player version, each player can choose the character they want to control before starting the game, while in the 4-player version each set of controls is assigned to one specific character.
The game's controls consist of an eight-way joystick for moving the character and two buttons for shooting and jumping. The player's gun has unlimited ammunition and can shoot forwards and upwards while the player is standing or jumping. The player can jump between different floors when possible by holding the joystick up or down while pressing Jump. During the upper levels, the player can shoot downwards (diagonally or vertically) while crouching (whereas on the ground level, the player can only shoot forwards while crouching). The player can also slide by holding the joystick downwards diagonally while pressing Jump.
Two badge-shaped power-ups can be obtained by defeating sack-carrying enemies: the Silver Badge grants the player a second gun, allowing their character to shoot at two directions at the same time; while the Gold Badge allows the player to fire continuously with the shoot button press down. Both power-ups can be used together. The other two items includes gold dust piles and roasted chickens, which will provide the player with additional points. The player can also find power-ups by entering certain buildings as well. Certain enemies will also throw dynamite sticks at the player, which can be picked up with the shoot button and tossed back at them. The player loses a life every time they get hit by the enemy, along with any power-ups they may have been wielding.
The game consists of eight stages. The objective is to reach the end of each stage and defeat the outlaw awaiting at the end in order to collect the bounty offered for the boss. The further the player progresses through the game, the greater the bounties will become If more than one player is playing, the player who does the most damage to the boss will get the entire bounty at the end. Some stages feature segments where the character is riding on a horseback. In addition to the regular stages, there are also bonus stages set from a first-person perspective where the player must shoot at enemies coming from eight directions.
Power-ups and bonuses
There are three types of hidden items in the arcade version. All of the gun power-ups are lost when the player gets killed.- Rapid fire: Represented by a gold sheriff'sSheriffA sheriff is in principle a legal official with responsibility for a county. In practice, the specific combination of legal, political, and ceremonial duties of a sheriff varies greatly from country to country....
badgeBadgeA badge is a device or fashion accessory, often containing the insignia of an organization, which is presented or displayed to indicate some feat of service, a special accomplishment, a symbol of authority granted by taking an oath , a sign of legitimate employment or student status, or as a simple...
marked with a large revolver, this item allows players to hold the button to fire (instead of hitting it repeatedly) and accelerates the bullets slightly. - Dual fire: Represented by a silver sheriff's badge emblazoned with two revolvers, this icon gives the player a second weapon. Steve and Billy fire their dual revolvers at different angles, while Bob and Cormano aim their paired rifles/shotguns in the same direction for a wider shot spread.
- Monetary award: A pile of gold coins (worth $2000) or a roast turkey (worth $500). In addition, once a character's guns are fully powered up, any rapid/dual fire items picked up are worth $1000 each.
Stages and bosses
There are a total of eight levels in the arcade version. Each boss says a short phrase at the beginning and end of each battle. A few of the phrases contain minor translation errors. Most of the game consists of side-scrolling on foot, however Stage 2 and Stage 7 are done primarily on horseback. In addition, there are two bonus rounds, one after Stage 2 and the other after Stage 5.Simon Greedwell ($10,000 reward)
- A wealthy rancher and crime boss who wields a rifle and fires from behind two destructible barrels.
Hawkeye Hank Hatfield ($20,000 reward)
- A sharpshooter with high agility who moves behind crates and emerges briefly to fire.
Dark Horse ($30,000 reward)
- A man armed with a revolver who rides a large, black, armor-plated horse.
The Smith Brothers ($40,000 reward)
- Two men on side balconies who hurl either explosives or lanterns at the player(s). During battle, the player can rescue two of three captive dancers in order to gain money or gun power-ups.
El Greco ($50,000 reward)
- A Mexican man who uses a bullet-proof shield, a whip, and wears a bright red sombrero. If Cormano is present, he will catch El Greco's sombrero after defeat, which he wears throughout the remaining stages.
Chief Scalpem ($60,000 reward)
- A Native American shaman who flings throwing knives at the player(s) and can block bullets.
Paco Loco ($70,000 reward)
- A rather obese man who sits atop a fort gate and fires a Maxim gun.
Sir Richard Rose ($100,000 reward)
- A British man who fires at the player from a balcony behind a statue of two lions. He initially prefers to hide behind the safety of the statues while his private army does most of the dirty work, but the battle soon switches gears and he dashes around the screen with agility that rivals the player characters. He also has to be defeated twice (since he wears bullet proof armor in the first half of the battle). The statues can be shot away to give a better field of fire.
The bonus stages are played from a first-person perspective, where the joystick is used to aim a targeting cursor. The player has a limited time to shoot up to 50 enemies that pop up in various locations on the screen. The enemies do not fire back, so the player cannot lose anything from playing these stages.
Sega Mega Drive (Genesis)
The Mega Drive version of Sunset Riders features the most changes made to the game between the two home versions of the game. Out of the four main characters from the arcade game, only Billy and Cormano are featured. The two characters in the Mega Drive version were given surnames that they originally didn't have in the arcade version (Billy Cool and Cormano Wild). The controls are identical to the arcade version aside for addition of two shooting buttons instead of just one: one buttons allows the player to walk and shoot at the same time, while the other shoot buttons keeps the character still when pressed down, allowing the player to change their aim only.Only four of the eight bosses from the arcade version are featured, and each of the four chapters are divided into two stages: the objective of the first stage is to rescue a kidnapped girl awaiting at the end, while the second stage ends with a boss battle. The bosses featured in this version are Simon Greedwell, Paco Loco, Chief Scalpem, and Richard Rose. The bounties for the first two bosses are different as well (Greedwell's bounty was increased to $20,000, while Paco's was reduced to $40,000). Paco Loco's stage was changed to the traintop battle where the player fights El Greco in the arcade version. The power-up icons have also been replaced as well (the Gold and Silver badges were changed into a small picture of a Bullet and a Gun respectively). Unlike the other versions, the player can cause a dynamite stick to explode by shooting it. To access the bonus stages, the player must collect a Star-shaped item located in either stage of each chapter. The bonus stages differs from the ones in the arcade version, in which the player chases after a moving wagon on a horseback, while the woman in the wagon tosses bonus coins and extra lives at the player's path.
In addition to the standard game mode, the Genesis version features a two-player versus mode where each player will fight each other to a gunfight. The player must shoot each other until one of the player runs out of health. The first player to win two out of three rounds will be declared the winner. There's also an Option Mode that allows the player to adjust the main game's difficulty, number of lives and continues, as well as the game's controls.
Super NES
In contrast to the Mega Drive version, the SNES version of Sunset Riders features relatively fewer changes, as it features all four main characters (although only up to two players can play) and all eight stages with their corresponding bosses. The power-up items are also the same. Instead of an additional shooting button like the Mega Drive version, the sliding ability is now assigned to its button.The SNES version however, features changes that were not made in the Mega Drive version. The barfly that kisses the player character in Stage 1, as well as the saloon dancers from Stage 4 are dressed more conservatively compared to the arcade version. Hunter dogs which were present in first segment of final chapter in the Genesis version has been removed. Also, the Native American enemy characters from Stage 6 were removed and replaced with regular outlaws, leaving only Chief Scalpem (who is renamed Chief Wigwam in the SNES game) as the stage boss. The dynamite tossing female bandits were removed from the SNES port as well (although, they were not in the Mega Drive version either).
See also
- Mystic WarriorsMystic Warriorsis a ninja-themed side-scrolling action game released as a coin-operated video game by Konami in . It was developed by the same team that also produced the earlier arcade game, western-themed Sunset Riders, and features similar gameplay to its predecessor....
- Wild West C.O.W.-Boys of Moo Mesa
- List of Western computer and video games