The past year was remembered, among other things, for the triumphant return of classic tactical stealth in the form of Desperados III. In addition to it, there were other memorable games in this genre – for example, domestic "Partisans 1941". And then at the end of the day there was another surprise on the topic – a tactical strategy was released about… a six-year-old boy who is looking for his mother. However, in El Hijo – A Wild West Tale in terms of complexity, everything is quite mature.

To the only mother in the world

A farm somewhere in the Wild West, where our little hero lived with his parents, was attacked by bandits. Fleeing from them, the mother left her son in a secluded monastery. However, the boy decided to escape from there, going alone in search of his mother.

And he didn’t do it in vain. Strange things were obviously going on in the monastery – child labor was being exploited there with all their might. And beyond its borders it’s even worse: soldiers from the American Civil War (or maybe they’re bandits?) patrol the area, manufacture and stockpile explosives, conduct suspicious work in the mine. Then they kidnap the boy, his mother rushes to the rescue and frees him from the car of a speeding train. Then she too is captured..

In general, there is enough intrigue and events, everything is very serious and dangerous. However, the authors emphasize that El Hijo – this is a “non-violent stealth game” and no one gets killed here. Soldiers can endlessly shoot at each other without getting hit while we sneak by; they, like the monks, do not shoot at the boy, but catch him; our hero uses slingshots and firecrackers, which at most temporarily blind and stun.

Stealth toys

However, these are not the only tools in the stealth inventory. At first you just need to sneak past opponents, memorizing their routes according to the classics, watching cones of vision and hiding behind small covers.

At the same time, of course, they are allowed to throw pebbles in order to distract the eyes of opponents. Then it becomes possible to launch mechanical toys that force you not only to look, but also to move in their direction. This is especially helpful against those who hum something under their breath and do not hear the impacts of stones.

With the help of a slingshot we https://nonukcasinosites.co.uk/300-deposit-bonus/ destroy light sources – in the dark the character will be noticed and grabbed only if he is very close. You can also use a slingshot to break locks on doors and jugs that prevent you from going somewhere. Or, for example, we shoot at crows, forcing them to fly from one stuffed animal to another, thereby leading the dogs barking at them in the right direction.

At the end they allow you to use a huge sombrero so that the boy can hide in it. Another way to sneak past is to throw a special object that literally throws dust in the eyes, or stun with the already mentioned firecrackers. In addition, very often you have to move heavy objects like the already mentioned trolleys and hide behind them. On one of the levels, behind them and other shelters, we hide even from the strongest gusts of wind during a sandstorm – the situation literally quotes the level from Inside.

Linear tactics

And here comes the time for criticism. IN A Wild West Tale there are quite a lot of repeating situations – with constant moving of boxes that prevent us from passing, hiding behind them and other shelters, destroying light sources, moving ladders along which we climb to the right place, and so on.

Even the locations themselves are often repeated – not one to one, but still. For example, for several levels in a row we can sneak past monks in cells or enemies in mines, where, according to the same scheme, we need to carry out exercises with the same trolleys, hiding the boy from opponents.

Unlike the same Desperados III, here the hero is almost always alone (mostly my son, although sometimes they let you play as your mother), so there is no nonlinearity and no special creative freedom in how to overcome obstacles. Yes, they allow you to be distracted and look for children who work for bad adults, and then “inspire” them – they will start clapping their hands and can replenish the supply of the same firecrackers or wind-up toys. But these are still more side activities, but achieving the main goals, as a rule, involves a strictly linear passage.

There are also problems with controls when you need to throw a stone, aim, and so on. Sometimes it’s difficult to do this right away and accurately because the radius is small and something often interferes with the throw. And the hero himself, when moving, every now and then strives to get stuck somewhere. And this can be critical when you need to sneak past evil guys. Moreover, he cannot run for a long time – he gets tired.

Finally, no less critical bugs occur that “broadcast” the passage and force you to start the level over again.

All the best for children!

And yet, despite this, positive emotions from El Hijo outweigh. New mechanics are revealed gradually and in the right places, so there are plenty of new situations here too.

And just interesting ones – for example, when we first shoot down a lock on an enclosure with a slingshot, and then bulls come out of there, behind which we move and hide. Or when we are waiting for the train to enter a tunnel so that we can quickly sneak past in the dark.

The intentional childishness and kindness of the game are also captivating. The boy distracts with wind-up soldiers, the children inspired by him begin to draw, juggle pebbles, and play tic-tac-toe. And when we raise the camera to see the vision cones of the patrols, a bird flies into the sky. Everything is drawn in a bright style. And the ending is emotional – it’s also inspiring.

U El Hijo – A Wild West Tale there are problems, but overall it is a fairly interesting and varied game in the tactical stealth genre. Moreover, it is extraordinary and touching.

Pros: plot and characters; game mechanics; quite a lot of tactical tools; audiovisual performance.

Cons: many repetitive situations and levels; progression is mostly linear.