Whatever happened to the fixed-screen, frontal shooter sub-genre "Cabal" popularized at the arcades? Its sequel "Blood Bros." and "NAM-1975" kept it alive for while, but in the following years it misteriously faded away into oblivion even though it proved to be a very solid quarter-pumping formula. Could the rise of beat'em-ups and fighting games in the early 90's have had anything to do with it? Probably.

American cover

In comes sweet Natsume. A very Japanese-to-the-core developer devoted gamers can't help but love not only for somehow transforming niche Japanese ideas like "Legend Of The River King" and "Harvest Moon" into successful never-ending series AND marketing them in the west, but also for quietly borrowing other people's intelectual properties and reworking them into amazing updates like "Pocky & Rocky" and "The Ninja Warriors" on the SNES. Add a few NES action cult-classics ("S.C.A.T." and "Shatterhand" come to mind) and you'll have Natsume's best-of-the-best list. One that although far from extensive shines for its design quality.

Japanese cover

Obligatory "Trigun" and "Wild Wild West" comparisons aside, the "futuristic western" is still somehow an unexploited theme in videogame land. The plot involves beautiful blonde Annie going out for revenge. Her family has been murdered by the Kid gang, so she decides to hire local Clint to help her do some justice of her own. Both characters can be chosen, with only minor, very sutile variations between their jumps barely differentiating them at all.
1994's "Wild Guns" is Natsume upgrade to the formula popularized in the late 80's by TAD Corporation's Cabal: One that has you (alone or with a friend) shooting down a set number of enemies to progressively advance thru "shooting gallery"-style fixed-screens, taking down impressive end-of-level bosses with varied weapons.
With a set number of lives and no health gauge, players shoot by moving the cross-hairs over the screen while holding down the fire button. Dodging bullets and maneuvering your character around means you'll have to stop shooting altogether, creating the frenetic and addictive dodge / shoot rhythm the sub-genre was known for. A true new challenge to those who never had a taste of Cabal, Blood Bros. or NAM-1975 before.
Many temporary weapons are made available by dead enemies and flying small robots: a wide spread-shot shotgun, powerful but slow grenade launcher, rapid-fire machine gun, or a highly annoying and detrimental pea shooter that causes no damage whatsoever.

Closely following in its predecessor's footsteps, Wild Guns' heroes can move left and right and also "quick-dodge" shots by pressing 2 buttons simultaneously. But it wouldn't be Natsume-like to just embellish an old idea and resell it. Here's the long list of improvements and upgrades that makes this title not just another ripoff:

- jump and double-jump as additional dodging maneuvers	- limited bombs that hit everything on the screen
- a paralizing lazo you can hurl by tapping the fire button rapidly	- melee attacks for close enemies
- pick up and toss TNT back at your enemies.	- bonus stages
- and finally, the "V-Gun" gauge. A special green meter bar that for a limited time renders your character invincible while at the same time putting in your hands a very mean gatling gun. (Hint: shooting down enemy bullets raises the meter the fastest.)

Lots of cyborg cowboys, gatling gun robots, mechanic horses, and gigantic mechs will keep you busy during the 6 levels of this regretfully short masterpiece. Quality before quantity they say, a small price to pay when trashing down entire backgrounds and leaving bullet holes on everything in sight is only half the fun. Hardcore, advanced players will find themselves unlocking inbetween bonus stages or even shooting down enemy bullets to quickly fill up the powerful V-Gun's gauge.

The presentation's quality shows Natsume at its best. Destructable backgrounds, lots of style, and some screen-shaking Mode 7 explosions make for the purest arcade experience. One that could possibly foul your friends into thinking you own a Neo-Geo.
Describing the soundtrack's quality wouldn't do it any justice, so I would rather let you discover it yourself. Let's just say it's up to par with what Capcom and Konami used to put out in its best days. Amazingly catchy.

Soundtrack:
	Ammunition Depot
	Armored Train
	Carson City
	Desolation Canyon