Coyote Episode 1: The Mexican

This will be a shortish review of a very short game, but don't let that put you off giving Episode 1: The Mexican a try...or off reading this review for that matter!

Coyote Episode 1: The Mexican was created by Tim Hengeveld and serves as an introduction to 'The Coyote' and the world of which he is a part. It is a prequel to a possible full-length future offering.

Story

The game's central character is 'The Coyote', an outlaw on the trail of a Desperado and it is defeating this foe that the player is tasked with here. Enough of a backstory is given so that the player knows what the game is about, but overall the storytelling element of this game is very sparse.



Atmosphere

The strongest element of this game is the atmosphere. Firstly, it looks great, with the hand-drawn backgrounds really doing a good job of making the Western theme seem authentic.

Likewise the sound is very good. The music fits fine although it is the voice acting of the main character that hit me. Including voice acting can sometimes be counter productive for a game, destroying the immersion for the player rather than adding to it. That is certainly not the case here though, with 'The Coyote' himself being voiced brilliantly. I was genuinely surprised at how well this part was acted. The other characters aren't quite so good but are by no means terrible.

There are however a couple of things that I feel spoil the otherwise well developed atmosphere of the game. Firstly, the walking animation looks weird - almost like 'The Coyote' uses the same leg to step forward with every stride. This looks a little comical and not in keeping with the rest of the game. Secondly, there is some strong language used in one conversation which seemed unnecessary and a bit of a cheap way of trying to portray the grittiness of 'The Coyote', something that I felt the developer had already easily achieved by this point in the game.

Despite these minor nuances it is clear that a longer game set in this world would be capable of providing the player with a very immersive Western experience.



Gameplay

The puzzles are basic, easy, and very small in number. In the full-length game hopefully this aspect of the game will be better developed and more inspired than is the case here. On the positive side, it is always clear what the next objective is.



Summary

On completion of this game I felt compelled to review it, not because it is going to blow anyones mind in its current state, but rather because of the clear potential it has. If a full-length sequel can provide the same high level of immersion, but with a properly developed story and improvements in puzzle design, it could be a cracker of a game.

In closing, it's difficult to recommend this as a game, purely because there's not much game there. It is however worth a quick playthrough just to see the undoubted potential that it has, particularly if you're a fan of the wild west.

Download the game for free;

Coyote Episode 1: The Mexican