Tough Story: Big Hell

Tough Story: Big Hell is the first volume in the Tough Story series, a handcrafted action game series whose volumes each have their own theme, story, characters, soundtrack and mechanics. This volume draws on western films, including Sergio Leone’s Dollars Trilogy, Clint Eastwood’s 70s westerns and Unforgiven, and Quentin Tarantino’s Django Unchained.

Story

In 1872, between Reno and San Francisco, the town of Big Hill is controlled by the Kinney Brothers. They want to buy your land to exploit its gold mine. After you refuse, they hire the desperado gang led by El Lobo to kill you. El Lobo kills your wife and leaves you in the desert with six bullets in your stomach.

Mysterious men find you close to death and heal you in an obscure ritual. Years later, you arrive in Big Hill seeking retribution and threatening the local bosses’ business. The Kinney Brothers and El Lobo have built an empire together, and your campaign for vengeance turns the city into hell until you finish the job.

Gunfights and tactics

You fight with a S&W model 3 Schofield handgun and a 10-gauge shotgun. Dynamite can destroy enemies, walls, doors and other obstacles, and you can shoot it to make it explode before its fuse runs out. Filling the badass-o-meter lets you slow time for combos and cinematic moves.

You choose how to get through each level. Break or shoot through windows, kick in locked doors, take cover inside buildings and close doors for protection. Enemies can use these tactics too. A shot to an enemy’s arm makes them drop their weapon, and the same applies to you. Some levels also put you on horseback to pursue and kill enemies.

Game features

• Top-down shooting with a hardcore tone
• Fast-paced action and gunfights
• Pixelated graphics and an original soundtrack
• Chapter ranking system