El Hijo: A Wild West Tale Reviews
If you like the idea of a Western-themed stealth game with cute graphics, El Hijo: A Wild West Tale is just the game for you.
The stealth can be frustrating at times, the bugs can be grating, and it can be simpler than you might want it to be, but El Hijo still has a lot to love. Honig Studios have crafted an incredibly wholesome experience with a freedom in choice about how to approach each scenario that leaves things nice and flexible. It's an extremely breezy experience, one you can glide through in a few sittings, that I think this industry needs more of.
Its gameplay is good, but what really sets El Hijo apart is its amazing setting and charming use of a child protagonist.
It may look deceptively cute, but El Hijo hides a level of stealth cunning to rival its peers in the genre. Not so much difficult-to-master as tempering your own patience, the reward for persevering is ultimately worth sticking it out.
With its unique visuals, clever environmental puzzles, and non-violent gameplay, El Hijo is a welcome entry in the somewhat overlooked stealth/puzzle genre. If you don't buy into the gameplay before the repetition sets in, however, it can become an adventure that's easily abandoned.
An experience with a great message and a simple but funny story.
Review in Spanish | Read full review
A suitable title for the Nintendo Switch, El Hijo introduces a lighter touch to the more familiar stealth genre. With its endearing art style and storytelling, it is plainly set for a younger audience. Although more seasoned players may find it lacklustre or too laid back for their taste, some will still find enjoyment through the challenges set by taking the mixture of diverse paths.
El Hijo – A Wild West Tale is a charming little spaghetti western stealth game that gamers of all ages can enjoy. It might not be hard enough for more seasoned gamers but the level design and puzzles do get more challenging as you make your way through. I also just really like the theme of a young boy trying to find his mom and being able to help other children along the way. If you’re looking for a new stealth game to spend a few hours with that asks you to use things other than violence to sneak around then El Hijo is worth checking out.
El Hijo - The Wild West Tale attends well to everything it proposes with its experience without violence. It is light and challenging enough for casual players who are not used to the stealth genre, and that can leave the most demanding a little frustrated, but not dissatisfied. The Wild West is never out of style, but here the stealth could be a little more daring.
Review in Portuguese | Read full review
Navigating through El Hijo - A Wild West Tale's world is tense without being overwhelming which makes it a truly great stealth game.
A charming, gentle take on the Wild West and stealth genres aimed at all ages, but with occasional spikes in difficulty which may trouble younger players. The art design and narrative are both captivating, so providing you have the patience for stealth and puzzles, it's highly recommended.
Although it targets the whole family, it can be recommended only for those who are looking for the challenge due to the steep difficulty level. Still, El Hijo A Wild West Tale radiates candor and innocence, two qualities that recommend it to everyone.
El Hijo: A Wild West Tale is a challenging and fun stealth puzzle solving platform game produced by an indie developer with an obvious love for the Spaghetti Western genre. If this review strolled into your local saloon and piqued your interest, you will not be disappointed by what the game delivers.
Stealth games, in general, usually aren't my bag for whatever reason but while El Hijo heavily involves that mechanic there's enough charm and variety that it works for me...
El Hijo: A Wild West Tale is a simple stealth and puzzle game focusing on the puzzle aspect. It has a straightforward story and features simplistic game mechanics that make it a more suitable game for gamers without prior experience in the genre. There are some problems in the rationale of some gameplay elements like shadows, but it is straightforward yet enjoyable.
Review in Persian | Read full review
If you’re in the market for a good old-fashioned stealth adventure, El Hijo – A Wild West Tale is certainly worth a look – just don’t expect it to wow you in any way. Its charm, while initially strong, soon starts to wear thin, while its repetitive gameplay may eventually struggle to hold your attention. Throw in some unnecessary frustrations, and you have a game that will occasionally delight, but rarely truly impress.
El Hijo is certainly a lovely experience. It has gorgeous visuals, as much storytelling as a player wishes to see, smart puzzles, and some of the more frustrating aspects of stealth games are given features to make it more palatable to a larger audience. Sadly, though, these features dumb down the stealthing side to an extent and take away the dynamic feeling of many others of the genre, leaving players coming for a stealth heavy game wanting more.
Looked at as a puzzle game, or as a strictly entry-level stealth adventure, El Hijo has a lot to recommend it. It has a distinctive and attractive look, and a charm all of its own. Those looking for a genuinely emergent or inventive stealth experience, however, will be better served elsewhere.
El Hijo’s steam page immediately attracted my interest thanks to its gorgeous art style and promise of a “spaghetti-western stealth game”. Is El Hijo as good as it looks? Find out in this Rapid Review.
El Hijo feels a bit like an introduction to stealth games. It’s restrictively linear nature makes it an excellent choice for beginners, but a frustrating experience for inveterate stealth players. Still, its monotonous nature can, at times, be overshadowed by the cutesy, innocent spirit of the game which shines through in spite of gameplay concerns. Oddly, El Hijo might scratch the itch for players that have either never played a stealth or who have played nearly all of them. For those players in the middle of the pack, who still have plenty of options left, your time might be better spent elsewhere first.