Arcade Archives: Sunset Riders is a rerelease of a 1991 arcade game set in the Wild West. You play one of four gunslingers and fight through eight levels and eight charismatic bosses, including a guy on a horse called Dark Horse, a Mexcian guy with a whip called El Greco, and and a Native American who throws knives called Chief Wigwam(Scalpem in the arcades). The bosses are the highlight of the game, and really the only reason to play. The run and gun portion of the levels in Sunset Riders are short and kind of forgettable in my humble opinion. The game was kind of a classic in its time. But has it stood the test of time? Read on.
In this Arcade Archive release of Sunset Riders, you get the Japanese and American versions both in two and four-player versions each, for a total of four version of the game. I played through the 2 player North American version pretty quickly, it is a short game. What made it possible is the L button, which adds credits. And you’ll need them, as this game can get hard. Also remember that arcade games like Sunset Riders were designed to suck quarters out of you, so it is hard on purpose. It is also a simple game mechanically, because arcade games were also designed to be pickup and play. You shoot, you jump, that’s about it.
This being an Arcade Arcade Archives release, there are tons of features and options, but I did not touch one of them. They are almost irrelevant. So is Sunset Riders worth playing in 2024? Not really. That seems harsh, and it is harsh. But the game is relic of the past. With infinite credits, the difficulty disappears, and you will see how short and bare bones the game really is. Sunset Riders was a good arcade game for its time, but it hasn’t aged well, in my opinion. You play through once, you’ve seen all that it has to offer. There are nice details, like El Greco giving you his hat which you wear through the rest of the game, but it is simply not enough to carry this.
I’m giving Sunset Riders a YMMV with a six back-end score. I wanted to give this a higher verdict and score, but I’m not sure it deserves it anymore, especially with infinite credits.
Overall: Sunset Riders was a classic in it’s day, but it’s a very short experience with little replay value. It just hasn’t aged well.
Verdict: YMMV
| Release Date | 6/11/20 |
| Cost | $7.99 |
| Publisher | Hamster |
| ESRB Rating | E10+ |
For a great Wild West game, try Gunman Clive. For a horrible Wild West experience, try Guns and Spurs 2!
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