Red Harlow was left for dead on the border after being abandoned by bandits when he was a child; as a result, he grew up with a scar seared into his palm and the need for vengeance burned into his heart. Red is able to make a living as a bounty hunter in the dangerous environment of the Old West, where he is constantly on the lookout for a clue that will direct him to the individuals responsible for the deaths of his parents. Then, one day, that hint materializes. Put yourself in Red’s spurred boots and undertake his quest for vengeance in his stead.
Red Dead Revolver combines the third-person shooter gameplay of Max Payne with landscapes and artwork that are inspired by the classic spaghetti westerns. Red Dead Revolver’s gameplay is similar to that of Max Payne. Both the gameplay and the plot advance in a linear fashion over a series of stages. These stages include many levels in which you assume the role of a different character (a British trick shooter, a female rancher, a renegade Mexican general, a stealthy native warrior, and a Buffalo Soldier). Each character has a unique ability that is considered to be his “signature move.” For example, Red’s “Dead-Eye” slows down time and enables you to set up targets for a rapid “fan fire” takedown, while General Diego’s flare rifle enables you to specify a target for bombardment by Diego’s cannons. Other characters also have unique abilities.
If you complete each level successfully, you will receive reward money (and chaining together many limb shots and multiple kills will earn you bonus money). You can spend your money on canonical Old West weaponry, such as pistols, rifles, and shotguns of many different varieties, as well as knives, molotov cocktails, poison, and dynamite. You can also spend your money on unlockable characters for the multiplayer game, journal entries that offer backstory and character information, or journal entries that offer both.
As a mini-game mechanism, the game includes a pistol duel with some boss characters. This requires you to time your draw to an advantageous moment and prepare targets as you raise your gun. In addition, there is a split-screen multiplayer mode that is not networked and allows you to compete against friends or computer-controlled opponents. A broad variety of powerups, an alternate dueling showdown mode, and two different kinds of optional poker subgames (based on the stud or Texas Hold ‘Em) that add some strategy into the action are all included in the multiplayer portion of the game.
