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Here you stand, opposite Tombstone Pete, eye to eye under the scorching midday sun. Your hand is only a heartbeat away from the revolver at your hip, ready to draw and deliver his end with precision. Watching his eyes but aware of his hands, you’re too focused to wipe the sweat from your brow. Dead silence, except for the squeak of the swinging saloon doors and feint footsteps of bystanders hurrying off. He shouts “DRAW!” and BANG!… Howdy
Three Rings’ multiplayer online strategy game Bang! Howdy is a western themed turn based tactics game based around direct battle with other players. It is free to download and play, but is still in the testing stages at this point.
When you first enter Bang! Howdy you view the town, which is the home screen. Clicking different buildings in the town will allow you navigate sub-menus, which offer a range of game options. At the Barber Shop, new faces, hair styles, eyes, etc. can be purchased to change the look of your character. At the Bank you can purchase currency in game (gold) for real money along with a few other financial options such as trading with other players. Go to the Ranch to buy and view details on your Big Shots as well as see what troops you can use and purchase available units.. The Saloon is the gateway to the action. This is where you can configure your battle settings and Bang! Howdy will match you with other players and drop you into battle.
Bang! Howdy is centralized around the battle system. At its core, it is a turn based strategy game, with an added real-time element. You begin by choosing one of your Big Shots, which is a leader of sorts with special traits. Then chose three units from a list to join your Big Shot in battle. Initially, the units you have to choose from are Artillery, Dirigible, Gunslinger, and Steam Gunman. Later on, you can purchase the capability to use a Sharpshooter or Shotgunner as any of your 3 units. Each of these units has there own advantages, long range of movement, high attack etc.
After the units have been selected, you enter battle with up to three other people. Your units start grouped together near your mine, which represents your home base. There are different types of battles, but the idea is essentially the same. Collect resources (gold, cattle etc.) to get more points than your opponents while, at the same time, attacking and defending from enemy attacks. After a unit is destroyed, it respawns at your mine after a determined number of turns. When a unit is selected, a movement grid appears on the map with available places that unit can move (Final Fantasy Tactics style). You move your units around the field a certain number of squares at a time. Each unit has its own action bar that fills up over time, and when the bar is full, that unit can act. This is where the real-time element comes in. Units can be queued to act when able. So as items appear on the map and your opponents move, you can dynamically arrange your troops to respond accordingly.
An interesting feature incorporated in to Bang! Howdy is the use of cards in battle. Cards and be bought at the General Store or picked up in battle and then played to get an advantage. Cards can do anything from restore health to a unit or deal direct damage, to something a little more creative like expand movement or delay your opponents next turn. Only a few cards can be held during battle so it is not a “more cards = I win” system.
The competitive element of Bang! Howdy is really what makes the game. You can view standings of other players on a ladder, as well as gain ranks of your own to fight higher ranked opponents. Battles are not long, 5 to 10 minutes, and money is distributed based on the number of points each player earned. So earn that money and win some games, because everyone knows n00bs won’t own themselves.
+ Pros: Online game means you will never experience the same match twice. Ranks are determined by skill, not by how much you play. Good sound and cartoony graphics, creative, fun and FREE!
- Cons: Bang! Howdy has a learning curve worth mentioning. It is good to know what each unit’s strengths and weaknesses going into battle, and it will take a few matches to get used to the mechanics (reading this review over may answer some in-game questions) Play a couple games and you have seen all that there is to see in Bang! Howdy. No real surprises or new content until Three Rings decides to add more (which I am sure they will).
Overall: Good for anyone who enjoys competing against other people, especially if you are a strategy game fan. It is free so there is no reason not to try it out.
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One Response to “Bang! Howdy”
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June 6th, 2006 at 4:57 pm
I gave it a shot a little while back after it was mentioned on Penny Arcade. Tried it for about an hour or so, but I just wasn’t feeling it. If I ever feel the need to waste my life away again, I’d probably go back to Gunbound.
I was always a Scorched Earth fan when I was little.