This week's game is Iron Horse, Konami's Wild West game that isn't Sunset Riders. It's a simple game set entirely on a train, but the way it offers three playstyles and smartly varied foes gives it more punch than you might expect:
It's not one you hear about much (nor did it get many ports), but Konami's Iron Horse is worthy of standing alongside the company's excellent 80s catalog of games. The premise is simple - get to the end of a train and save the day - but the proceedings are challenging and require the right approach to survive. Iron Horse is essentially a fusion of a beat 'em and a run and gun, leaning more in one direction or the other depending on the person playing it. You get a choice of three different weapons, and each one affects the way you approach the game, which is really cool! You can whip it good, run and gun, or give fools knuckle sandwiches and each weapon excels at something. If you're used to games of this vintage like Rush 'N Attack, Shinobi, and Rolling Thunder, you'll find this one to be comfortable real quick.
An attempt at this game is quick, but each run can feel pretty fresh between your weapon choice and the way enemy placements shake out, which I think is pretty impressive. The enemy variety makes it so you have to be careful at all times and players can find little spacing tricks that ensure safety depending on their weapon of choice. I also really like how this game handles "boss fights", challenging you to survive against a gauntlets of foes that have the environmental advantage over you rather than just win. This is one in Konami's 80s catalog I bet a lot of people haven't tried out, so it's an easy recommendation even if you just give it a quick spin or two. Konami was really cooking back then, after all!