The Wild Bunch (game)
Encyclopedia
The Wild Bunch is a computer game released in 1984
for the ZX Spectrum
and 1985
for the Amstrad CPC
by Firebird Software. Despite its name, it has no relation to the 1969 film
but is set in the Wild West
. The title refers to a fictitious gang of outlaws featured in the game, loosely based on the real Wild Bunch
gang who were prominent in the 1890s.
who finds a dying man who was attacked by a member of the Wild Bunch gang. Before dying he describes the culprit and gives you his colt 45
, just as the local sherriff arrives on the scene. You are assumed to be the murderer and the sherriff tries to arrest you but you escape. The object of the game is to prove your innocence by tracking down the real murderer and handing him over to the law. Along the way you can also arrest and hand in other members of the gang, whose descriptions you obtain from wanted posters. Scoring is based on the money you earn from rewards, gambling
at poker
or find as gold nuggets while travelling. The game ends if you die due to your strength reaching zero, you are killed in a gunfight or are arrested. It is, however, won by successfully tracing, identifying and handing in the real murderer, which usually involves killing him in a gunfight.
At the start of the game, the player can choose to start off in one of five towns. Each town has a number of premises which you can visit to obtain information about the Wild Bunch gang and how to avoid being arrested yourself. The player can also earn money by playing poker, increase their strength by drinking in the saloon bar or buy items of use in the store. The player can travel between towns (journey time is reduced by buying a horse and saddle). When travelling, food and water are consumed on a daily basis and each day the player runs a risk of encountering enemies which must be dealt with by fleeing, fighting or bribing them. Random events such as sandstorm
, rockslides and even your horse going lame
will increase journey times. Running out of food or water reduces your strength and your horse can also die from this, though the amount of horse food that you buy does not seem to decrease when travelling from town to town. When first arriving in a new town, there is a risk of being arrested, although if this is avoided it is possible to stay in the town for as long as is needed.
The game has three levels of difficulty to choose from and allows the player to choose a name for the character they control.
ballad
Streets of Laredo
.
1984 in video gaming
-Notable releases:* May 10, King's Quest , the first animated adventure game, the first in the King's Quest series, and the first to use the AGI engine.* June 4, Nintendo releases Donkey Kong 3...
for the ZX Spectrum
ZX Spectrum
The ZX Spectrum is an 8-bit personal home computer released in the United Kingdom in 1982 by Sinclair Research Ltd...
and 1985
1985 in video gaming
-Notable releases:* Brøderbund releases Where in the World is Carmen Sandiego?, the first game of the prolific Carmen Sandiego series* Nintendo releases Super Mario Bros. on September 13, 1985, which eventually sells 40 million copies making it the best-selling video game of all time until 2008.*...
for the Amstrad CPC
Amstrad CPC
The Amstrad CPC is a series of 8-bit home computers produced by Amstrad between 1984 and 1990. It was designed to compete in the mid-1980s home computer market dominated by the Commodore 64 and the Sinclair ZX Spectrum, where it successfully established itself primarily in the United Kingdom,...
by Firebird Software. Despite its name, it has no relation to the 1969 film
The Wild Bunch
The Wild Bunch is a 1969 American Western film directed by Sam Peckinpah about an aging outlaw gang on the Texas-Mexico border, trying to exist in the changing "modern" world of 1913...
but is set in the Wild West
American Old West
The American Old West, or the Wild West, comprises the history, geography, people, lore, and cultural expression of life in the Western United States, most often referring to the latter half of the 19th century, between the American Civil War and the end of the century...
. The title refers to a fictitious gang of outlaws featured in the game, loosely based on the real Wild Bunch
Wild Bunch
The Wild Bunch, also known as the Doolin–Dalton Gang or the Oklahombres, was a gang of outlaws based in the Indian Territory that terrorized Kansas, Missouri, Arkansas, and Oklahoma Territory during the 1890s—robbing banks and stores, holding up trains, and killing lawmen. They were...
gang who were prominent in the 1890s.
Gameplay
The Wild Bunch is a text-based adventure game, with limited use of graphics. The player controls a protagonistProtagonist
A protagonist is the main character of a literary, theatrical, cinematic, or musical narrative, around whom the events of the narrative's plot revolve and with whom the audience is intended to most identify...
who finds a dying man who was attacked by a member of the Wild Bunch gang. Before dying he describes the culprit and gives you his colt 45
Colt 45
Colt 45 may refer to:In firearms:* Colt Single Action Army, a revolver produced by Colt's Manufacturing Company* M1911, a semi-automatic pistol produced by Colt's Manufacturing Company* .45 Colt cartridge* .45 ACP cartridgeIn popular culture:...
, just as the local sherriff arrives on the scene. You are assumed to be the murderer and the sherriff tries to arrest you but you escape. The object of the game is to prove your innocence by tracking down the real murderer and handing him over to the law. Along the way you can also arrest and hand in other members of the gang, whose descriptions you obtain from wanted posters. Scoring is based on the money you earn from rewards, gambling
Gambling
Gambling is the wagering of money or something of material value on an event with an uncertain outcome with the primary intent of winning additional money and/or material goods...
at poker
Poker
Poker is a family of card games that share betting rules and usually hand rankings. Poker games differ in how the cards are dealt, how hands may be formed, whether the high or low hand wins the pot in a showdown , limits on bet sizes, and how many rounds of betting are allowed.In most modern poker...
or find as gold nuggets while travelling. The game ends if you die due to your strength reaching zero, you are killed in a gunfight or are arrested. It is, however, won by successfully tracing, identifying and handing in the real murderer, which usually involves killing him in a gunfight.
At the start of the game, the player can choose to start off in one of five towns. Each town has a number of premises which you can visit to obtain information about the Wild Bunch gang and how to avoid being arrested yourself. The player can also earn money by playing poker, increase their strength by drinking in the saloon bar or buy items of use in the store. The player can travel between towns (journey time is reduced by buying a horse and saddle). When travelling, food and water are consumed on a daily basis and each day the player runs a risk of encountering enemies which must be dealt with by fleeing, fighting or bribing them. Random events such as sandstorm
Dust storm
A dust / sand storm is a meteorological phenomenon common in arid and semi-arid regions. Dust storms arise when a gust front or other strong wind blows loose sand and dirt from a dry surface. Particles are transported by saltation and suspension, causing soil to move from one place and deposition...
, rockslides and even your horse going lame
Lame
Lame may refer to:* Lameness , lameness in horses* LAME, MP3 encoder* "Lame" , song by Unwritten Law* Licensed aircraft maintenance engineer...
will increase journey times. Running out of food or water reduces your strength and your horse can also die from this, though the amount of horse food that you buy does not seem to decrease when travelling from town to town. When first arriving in a new town, there is a risk of being arrested, although if this is avoided it is possible to stay in the town for as long as is needed.
The game has three levels of difficulty to choose from and allows the player to choose a name for the character they control.
Trivia
The game music is a cover of the famous cowboyCowboy
A cowboy is an animal herder who tends cattle on ranches in North America, traditionally on horseback, and often performs a multitude of other ranch-related tasks. The historic American cowboy of the late 19th century arose from the vaquero traditions of northern Mexico and became a figure of...
ballad
Ballad
A ballad is a form of verse, often a narrative set to music. Ballads were particularly characteristic of British and Irish popular poetry and song from the later medieval period until the 19th century and used extensively across Europe and later the Americas, Australia and North Africa. Many...
Streets of Laredo
Streets of Laredo (song)
"Streets of Laredo" , also known as the "Cowboy's Lament", is a famous American cowboy ballad in which a dying cowboy tells his story to a living one. Derived from the English folk song "The Unfortunate Lad", it has become a folk music standard, and as such has been performed, recorded and adapted...
.