Buy Boot Hill Heroes

The store page does not do a very good job of clarifying that only the first third of the game is actually complete (except for a single line at the very end of the description), and as such, there really isn't that much of a game here yet.

Minor Spoilers: Right as the game is about to really start, when you finally have all 4 characters in your party and a clear goal, the game abruptly stops. You actually only get to use your full group for one single boss encounter, before being whisked away to use several new sets of characters in what boils down to an interactive cutscene, and then the credits roll. You'll have to either buy BHH2 or pick up the DLC to have any real full party content.

The part of the game that is there is a solid, fun RPG, but I would not recommend buying this game until June 2015, when the final segment is slated to come out.

About the parts of the game that are complete though, the combat system is pretty strong, allowing a decent amount of customization, and a cool stance system adds timing and defensive elements typically not found in this type of RPG. Enemies also use stances, but the game does a pretty terrible job of explaining what your enemeis stances do when they're not the same stances that you can use.

As of October 2014, the game had quite a few bugs, and during my playthrough the game crashed 2 or 3 times, several times my characters started moving during dialogue, and once my character got stuck on a wall during scripted movement, and the game got stuck there until I restarted it.

This game shows promise, but I would wait for the trilogy to be completed before picking it up.

I picked this up on sale because I'm all for traditional SNES-era RPGs. What I found was something so very similar to one of my all-time favorite games, Earthbound. This beauty has similar artwork, music, animations, and fight mechanics. The only difference is, it's set in the late 1800s in a western setting. Pardon me while I go play this game. As an added bonus, you can use a Microsoft controller for Windows, or, I can only assume, retro USB gamepads.

Update after ten minutes of gameplay: This game features all of the best aspects of the Mother game series! This is definitely getting finished and put upon my proverbial game mantle. Games like this deserve to be played.

With nods to Earthbound and Classic Westerns, Boot Hill Heroes part 1 is a well-done entry in what could be a really good trilogy.

10 years ago, a hero averted disaster by bringing the leader of the Saint's Little - the most ruthless gang in all of Bronco County - to justice....but that was 10 years ago. I mean what is that? A decade? That's a mighty long time. It's time enough for all the Saint's Little Gang to plan for their return. Chaos is brewing, and it's up to a new generation of heroes to put a stop to it. Will they succeed? Or is it going to be their last round-up? Well, since this is just the beginning, I'd hate to imagine they failed their quest before it even started.

Earthbound gets mentioned often when discussing this game, and for good reason. Both games share similar aspects such as perspective and enemies appearing on the map rather than at random. BHH also has some obvious call-backs, which can be found in Kickstart Creek, but we're getting a little ahead of ourselves here. Let's talk about the biggest difference, the battle-system.

This game uses an active battle-system. Each character (up to 4) can equip four vantages. These can consist of attacks, healing abilities, stances, and so on. Having the right combination of vantages for battle is a necessity. Attacking is more than just stabbing or shooting something until it falls over. You gotta figure out a strategy. Do you pick the enemy apart with a thousand cuts? Debilitate them with several status effects? Or save up for those powerful attacks? There isn't an "item" option in battle. You can't hand someone a sarsaparilla if their health is low. Either have someone equip a healing vantage, or make proper use of stances. Stances are the cheapest abilities, and for good reason. They put characters on the defensive, reducing or outright avoiding damage. There are many stances, some not even defensive at all.

Meter management is an essential tactic. Using abilities requires power, and it can take awhile to use the most devastating attacks. The same goes for the enemy. Even when you don't know their next move, you always know how long it'll take them to perform it. That's the key moment to go in any stances that you have. Not doing so is a fatal mistake. Still, death isn't quite the end in battle, your characters will recover given enough time, but they'll be worse off. Wounded party members tend to bleed out, become less resistant to status effects, and generally have a tougher time staying alive. If they accrue too many wounds, they're permanently out. Okay, I mean permanent as in: "until they see a doctor" but whatever. Basically, you have to go into battle with the mindset that anything you can do, the enemy can do as well.

Like I said though, this is just the beginning of the trilogy. It only takes about 7 or 8 hours to reach the end of this chapter, and that's hardly enough time to get your boots wet. However, there are several battles that will require an understanding of how the west was won, and they're not the kind you can grind enough experience to breeze through. I expect battles in the next two entries to emphasize this unique and fun battle-system.

Some other things I'll note:

-There are no clone NPCs. Usually with these 16-bit RPGs we see 20 dozen of the same townspeople everywhere. Not so with this game, everyone is different.
-I'd be lying if I said that the music doesn't elevate this game. Jake "virt" Kaufman provides a great soundtrack.
-Easy (and missable!) achievements. Pay attention to your surroundings.

In short, Boot Hill Heroes is on the right track. Hopefully subsequent entries are even better, I'd hate to see such a promising start go to waste.

My no spoiler review:
Boot Hill Heroes is a passion project funded by kickstarter and it shows in every aspect of the game (in a good way). The graphics have a "dirty pixels" style that really accents the western theme. The music is top notch and will instantly draw you in. Combine both of those and you will get a very atmospheric experience that you have to let yourself get lost in. This is my favorite thing about this game over all.

The game is high customizable in combat. it has all of the tactical thought and personal pace of turn based combat, without any of the waiting. Prefer active battle? You can do that as well. There are so many enemies you won't find in any other game, the art is very well done. From the way a ring of fire that enters you into combat, to the way enemies fall over (as if they were a hastilly constructed western movie setpiece), you can see very deliberate and very western themes. I wish more developers would steal this combat system, once you try it, you'll wonder why AAA games don't give you the amount of options you have here.

The game features an optional co-op combat system (I haven't tried it), and has 2 more parts scheduled for release. If you want to play a turn based western game that oozes charm from its every pore, this is it!

[Spoiler-Free Review]

Perhaps the biggest consideration before starting out with an RPG nowadays is, "Can I find time to finish this game?" As much as I adore the old SNES RPG’s for instance, I can’t really go back and play through them anymore; too big a commitment. Disregard that concern for Boot Hill Heroes. Between the hats, the music, and the characters, your time is well spent playing this game. Setting an RPG in the spaghetti west just makes so much sense!

So what do you need to know beforehand?

Times have changed.
Boot Hill Heroes is a modern RPG designed as a sort of homage to the glory days of the Role Playing and Wild West genres. The storyline is easy to follow and progresses at a snappy pace, the difficulty is forgiving (for the most part), and while it doesn’t allow for true ‘save anywhere!’ functionality, you’ll never feel locked-in to a play session beyond what your time allows. Despite being a linear experience overall, the game still manages to deliver a large scope RPG feel (complete with unique characters and game mechanics, twists and turns). Did I mention it can be played with up to four people simultaneously?

It isn’t just an Earthbound clone.
It’s easiest to draw associations between this game and Earthbound/Mother; the graphic style alone! Setting that aside however, what really distinguishes this game is the setting. The story features big entrances and over-the-top performances from a cast of characters the likes of which you’d expect to find in Vaudeville. I won’t give anything away but the characters (esp. the villains) are the true stars of the game and they don’t disappoint.

This game has heart!
Every character in the game is completely unique (in appearance and dialogue). It’s hard to imagine how much work went into creating a world, one character and one house at a time. Some of those efforts are obvious; you walk into a building and find the place has been meticulously decorated and arranged. It's not like you're going to stay over for dinner or anything, but you'll notice people's houses aren't cookie-cutter. In addition to the dinnerware, you’ll find livestock penned in barns and stables, people working the farms and such: towns feel alive.

Hat Mechanic
Hats are the means by which your characters change their appearances and acquire new abilities. They’re equipped, but don’t produce any defensive bonuses. This is crucial to what makes them work, once you've unlocked the skills associated with a new hat, you can choose to wear another hat for purely aesthetic purposes. In this way, you'll never have to worry about hats being outclassed by others discovered down the line. It’s a system that encourages experimentation. Receiving new hats throughout your adventure never feels old, you'll rush to try each one on as soon as you get them. Unfortunately there is some overlap in unlocked abilities so not every hat provides you with a completely new set of unlearned skills.

The writing is clever and witty!
Especially in battles where enemies are introduced and later eulogized depending on your performance. I wish there was a greater variety of phrases rather than one or two for each type of foe, but I always looked forward to seeing how they would come to grips with being defeated: I know at least one or two lives were changed thanks to my relentless beatings.

Dialogue could use a bit of tightening up overall. In battles you'll sometimes get a message detailing every aspect of what an enemy attack does. Lick is probably the most egregious example of what I’m trying to describe here, “Weak physical damage with small chance for confusion that slightly heals the user.” Thankfully, the developer has demonstrated a willingness to address issues as they're identified.

The graphics in battles aren’t the best…
A bit rough around the edges shall we say? Don’t expect to be blown away. Some of the enemies look like they were created in MS Paint. In addition, the font style (all caps, some spacing issues) makes it somewhat difficult to read what’s being said at times. I’m not saying you can’t read it, I’m saying you’ll appreciate how easy it is to read text in other games.

The Music/Soundtrack!!!
Does the industry have an award for Videogame Music of the Year? What won? This is better.

Missing content from PS Vita version?
This is the definitive package, all content released on other platforms is being included in the Steam release.

Post-Release Support?
Boot Hill Heroes Part 1 is finished but new features have been added post-release (including a new mini map feature in the latest patch). Since the game is being spread out over multiple episodes, the developer has seen fit to reward early adopters by offering each DLC release free at launch (free for one week), the price then becomes $0.99 each. What does this mean? Buy the game now and get all future episodes for free.

TLDR:
If you've got any interest in RPG games of old, get Boot Hill Heroes. This game is special.

Did you ever wonder what Earthbound: Wild West would look like?

Of course you have, so play this game.

If not, you're a sad person and need to play this game.

If you don't know what Earthbound is, you're an even sadder person who really needs to play this game and then play Earthbound. Or the other way around, doesn't matter.

I was someone who funded this game on Kickstarter and have already played through it on the PS Vita. I am gladly go to replay this game again on Steam.

It really is simple when it comes to this game. It's a Earthbound clone with a lot more character than anything made via something like RPG Maker and is very professional in its presentation. The story is engaging and not anywhere near as hackneyed as many JRPGs are these days. The combat is essentially a FF ATB system kind of thing with a little bit more customization and diversity thrown in and it works well. It does take a little time to get used to the pace, but once you do it's one of the more fun JRPG battle systems you'll find.

Another thing of note here is the music. It's extremelly well done. It totally captures the feel of something from the days of the SNES but with a lot of the overall compositional quality you'll find in a lot of today's AAA titles. It really helps evoke the western feel.

For me, this is a simply choice whether to recommend this title. It's a western JRPG based largely off Earthbound. You'd have to be high not to salivate at that sentence if you enjoy JRPGs at all. This game is lovingly crafted, well implemented, and a pretty great value at such a low price.

If you are a fan of SNES rpg's (Earthbound, Chrono Trigger, Final Fantasy), you'll like this game. It has that Earthbound asthetic which is pleasing to the eyes. There are also some Earthbound refences hidden in there as well. The developers worked hard on this game. The music is composed by Jake "Virt" Kaufman the composer for Shovel Knight, he is very talented, the music sets the tone. Great game, I highly recommend this game.

Great game, exceeded my expectations.

If you're a fan of oldschool JRPG's you owe it to yourself to give this a shot. It's clearly heavily inspired by Earthbound (which is a good thing) but with plenty of it's own original flavor. The battle system in particular is much more engaging than most cookie-cutter rpg's you see these days and you can tell the whole project was made with a lot of love.

Having beaten the game within a week and getting all the extra content I would say that this game is definitely worth the price of admission. This is part one of a series of three.

These are the strengths and weaknesses of the game and having obsessively played it and beating it start to finish I feel I have a fairly good comprehension of where the game excels and in some areas underwhelm for those who don't want to read everything I have to say I will sum things up first with a 8/10 score although this could be subject to change as some of the gripes I have that hold this game back from being a masterpiece could easily be remedied as this game is not yet complete as previously mentioned.

Strengths:

1) Local Multiplayer is something that is lacking in a lot of new games, I feel that Dave definitely knew what he was doing not just in getting a game to function for multiple people but also to have it flow well. I like the fact that locally I can still change my gear and skills while my friend may be running around or vice versa if we alternate party leaders. The menu system leaves a bit to be desired in terms of it's looks in my opinion but in terms of functionality A+

2) The pacing is done well, I strongly dislike how part one ends in that it feels like you are cut off right as the story is getting started but aside from that I never felt bored or that I was in a certain area for too long, I have this listed as a strength because once part 2 and 3 come out and the game is finished my main issue with the pacing (the end of part one) will cease to exist

3) Level Design, again keeping in mind that there will be more content to come I feel what is there is done well the areas are colorful and are quite different as you travel from one main hub to the other considering that all of this takes place in a western setting the variety within that is quite vast. The towns feel like the right size and the different dungeons feel like the right length, the only part I felt was tedious was the bonus dungeon at the end (without any spoilers you'll know why when you get there) with that exception though as I said what is there works great.


Decent but could be better:

1) The story is not bad but not great either. That could have a lot to do with the fact that by the time you finish part one it is just barely getting started, it's too early to say in terms of the overall scope but having said that I think you should have done and seen more by the time you reach a third of the games length. The characters are servicable and have their own motivations as to why they join up with the protagonist but to be honest I feel like every character in this game is a character I've seen a million times before. It's not a big deal but for the longevity of the series I hope these characters can break out of their stereotypes (Kid and Doc and the antagonists come to mind) I feel like there is potential in all of them to be something more but Moon in particular as a native american is not someone you see in a games story too often and I think there are a lot of interesting themes that could be explored with some research now that the story is starting to take off as part one ends.

2) The music wasn't bad, it definitely suited the theme of a western well, this really just comes down to my own personal opinion but I wish there were tracks that were a bit more catchy. When I think about games that this one was based off of like Earthbound there are just things that make you go "oh wow" and make you stop and listen to the track like Onett for example. The music does its job but I'm hoping that some tracks will come along that stand out a little bit more as the game picks up.

3) The first playthrough getting new attacks was interesting and the there is nothing wrong with a turn based rpg but I feel like there could be more variety, you learn a lot of different skills with different hats that you unlock as the game progresses but when I tried playing through a second time with a friend it was almost agonizing that there was usually just a go to move that was better than everything else or offered no real tactical change, kick kick kick dodge, or kick kick kick heal, etc. I feel like the core combat system and the idea of using x amount of points based on how strong the attacks are is a great idea but it needs to come with some skills that have a bit more variety. Also the customization of the weapons leaves a bit to desire, maybe it's because I never really liked grinding to gather materials to improve gear but I also feel like the options there are kind of limited, I would like to see it expanded upon in the latter 2 installments.


Weaknesses:

1) The overall presentation of this game was pretty good but I feel like the menus look very ugly relative to the characters and the buildings. I think the health bars etc. should be redone as they stand out as something not quite on par with everything else, The dialogue boxes are not as bad but it wouldn't hurt if they were spruced up a bit.

2) The length of the game is very short, I completed it in a couple of days. I think there should be some extra things for you to do outside of going to a dungeon or grinding for materials. This would take some work but it would be cool if there were some random side quests or other interesting things to do while waiting for part 2 or part 3 when part 2 is out. Random encounters and the like to make the world a bit more lively. Maybe some bandits roll into town and you get some perks for beating them or something. Just something to break up the monotany of town/dungeon over and over.

3) There is no online multiplayer I feel like with how well the local multiplayer was designed this was a missed opportunity, Though I understand the reason why it was not included (most likely down to resources)

4) I feel like the game and a lot of games like this are lacking the innovations that it was inspired by. If you just want to go back to the old days and play a game like the snes days then this is right up your alley, and for me I did enjoy it quite a bit because of the yearning for nostalgia but to me I would like to see some new interesting ideas. I'm not talking about mind blowing graphics or state of the art effects but innovation in terms of gameplay. Things to do, places to see. Just because it was inspired by old school games doesn't mean it should be limited by those same conventions. The art style? makes sense because it's one main guy and a couple of outsiders helping him work on the game, completely makes sense. As an example and I'm just throwing it out there I didn't think about this in depth or anything but just something to inspire, what about if you could duel people in the game? Maybe a mini game to clear a town that has been raided by bandits with a timer and then you can have a gun duel with the leader it could be a weekly or monthly event where you could unlock new gear. How about horse races with your friends? These may sound bland but elaborated upon I'm sure they could be something interesting that could help elevate the game. If they don't work don't put them in the game but It'd just be neat to have something on the side to do and look forward to.


Final Thoughts:

I do really like this game, despite a lot of the things I have said there is nothing wrong with what's here, I just figured I could contribute some ideas and as parts 2 and 3 are completed maybe some of them will find their way into the game in some form. I'm not really complaining more just constructive criticism as I feel the foundations for a strong game are definitely here. If not this is still worth $10 easy.

8/10