Roguelike twin-stick shooters aren’t new and especially on the Nintendo Switch, there are plenty of those to find. And yet, Colt Canyon does things differently, adding a lot of stealth and strategy to the genre. It’s nothing like the other roguelike games you’ve played before and it’s definitely worth giving a shot.
The basics
At its core, Colt Canyon is a rather traditional twin-stick shooter with roguelike elements. You play on randomly created maps with randomly created enemies and supply crates. But, the levels themselves are rather open, compared to the more traditional roguelike twin-stick shooters, this certainly is a welcomed change. During your runs, you’ll collect weapons and ammo, aim with your aiming circle which activates with the help of the right stick and advance until you reach the next level. The goal of the game is to eventually save your partner from a bunch of outlaws but that won’t be an easy job.
When first starting this, it’s easy to make the mistake to think this is just another run and gun game set in the Wild West. In Colt Canyon, ammo is always scarce and if you go in gun-blazing, you won’t survive that long. The trick is to use the stealth gameplay to your advantage. If you manage to sneak up to an enemy while using your evasive roll maneuver and attack the enemy instantly with the shoulder button, you’ll take him down without the others ever noticing your actions. This is crucial for your advancement in the game and it also adds a nice flow to the game. Rolling towards your enemies and taking them down in a single move has something therapeutic over it and it’s just relaxing to do. The game truly finds the right balance between high-paced action and strategy, doing things a lot differently than a lot of other twin-stick shooters.
Unique style
On top of the rather original gameplay mechanics comes the art style. Now if you can see on the screenshots, the game truly is visually unique, using an extremely pixellated style for the characters and a brown color scheme for the world-building. Of course, this won’t be for everybody but I liked it a lot. It really fits the game perfectly and the addition of the red blood of your enemies really transforms this into a rather unique looking game. It’s not the best looking or heaviest game on the system but it marches at its own drum, which I really appreciate. The more you play, the more you’ll unlock. This includes new characters with new guns and new characteristics, all fitting in the unique style. The same goes for the prisoners you’ll meet from time to time. If you set those free, you can upgrade your health or arsenal and even those upgrades are perfectly integrated into the visual style. It’s clear to see the team had an idea of what they wanted to create and I’m pretty sure they nailed every aspect of it. I’m well aware this is just a matter of personal taste but this style really works well and adds a lot to the overall atmosphere while playing.
Conclusion:
Colt Canyon is a great twin-stick shooter that truly embraces the roguelike elements and elevates both genres to new heights thanks to the openness of the worlds and the use of stealth. Even if you’re not a true fan of the genres, this one is definitely worth giving a shot as you certainly won’t be disappointed at all!
