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Desperados: Wanted Dead or Alive

86%Game Brain Score
story, gameplay
stability, grinding
86% User Score Based on 1,396 reviews

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About

Desperados: Wanted Dead or Alive is a single player strategy game. It was developed by Spellbound and was released on November 20, 2013. It received positive reviews from players.

"Desperados: Wanted Dead or Alive" is a real-time tactical strategy game set in the Wild West of 1881. You lead a team of six diverse mercenaries, each with unique skills, to complete missions involving stealth, combat, and puzzle-solving. The story revolves around stopping a series of train robberies for the Twinnings & Co railroad company, with a generous reward on offer.

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86%
Audience ScoreBased on 1,396 reviews
story100 positive mentions
stability12 negative mentions
  • Desperados: Wanted Dead or Alive is a classic real-time tactics game that combines engaging storytelling with challenging gameplay.
  • The game features a diverse cast of characters, each with unique abilities, allowing for various strategic approaches to missions.
  • Despite its age, the graphics and atmosphere still hold up well, providing a nostalgic experience for players.
  • The game can be frustratingly difficult, with some missions requiring extensive trial and error to complete.
  • There are significant compatibility issues on modern systems, leading to crashes and performance problems.
  • The controls can feel clunky and unresponsive, making it challenging to execute strategies effectively.
  • story
    368 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The story of "Desperados: Wanted Dead or Alive" is a classic western narrative that follows bounty hunter John Cooper and his diverse posse as they tackle a series of challenging missions involving train robberies and bandit capture. While the plot is engaging and features well-developed characters, some players find it somewhat superficial and predictable, with a mix of strategic gameplay that allows for both stealth and brute force approaches. Despite its age and occasional bugs, the game's immersive storytelling and rich atmosphere make it a standout in the tactical genre, appealing to fans of strategy games and western themes alike.

    • “With strategic planning, well-crafted missions, and a gripping story, this classic is a must-play for fans of isometric tactical games.”
    • “The story is great and follows each character as they work together to achieve their goals and the music accommodating the gameplay is nice and fits in well with the wild west theme.”
    • “Very story driven and rich game where strategy, planning, flavor and soul runs through the whole game from start to finish.”
    • “The story is a standard western plot.”
    • “The story is pretty much straight-forward and is not the strongest part of this game, so I will not address it specifically.”
    • “Desperados has laughable cliché characters but the gameplay and the story (which has a surprising twist) make it well worth the buy if you are into RTS games.”
  • gameplay
    178 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The gameplay of *Desperados: Wanted Dead or Alive* is praised for its engaging tactical stealth mechanics, reminiscent of the *Commandos* series, and its ability to introduce new elements in nearly every mission. While some players find the mechanics have aged poorly and can be frustrating, the game still offers a rich, immersive experience with a unique Wild West atmosphere and a variety of strategic options. Overall, it remains a standout title in the genre, appealing to fans of strategy games despite its dated graphics and interface.

    • “Desperados: Wanted Dead or Alive shows that great gameplay stands the test of time.”
    • “Its engaging gameplay, memorable setting, and challenging missions make it a must-play for anyone who loves strategy games or the wild west.”
    • “The game's wild west setting and unique gameplay mechanics left a lasting impression on me, and I still think about the game fondly to this day.”
    • “The gun-shoot mechanic is broken.”
    • “Well, after playing for a few more hours, I can say with certainty most of the gameplay mechanics have aged very poorly.”
    • “Some mechanics are not very well executed (like the recorded/planned movements); you can't plan knife throws etc. very well, which overall is its biggest downfall.”
  • graphics
    152 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The graphics of the game, while undeniably dated by modern standards, still manage to hold a certain charm and nostalgia for players, particularly those who appreciate its isometric 2D style and hand-painted visuals. Many reviewers note that the artwork and environments remain visually appealing, despite some technical limitations and blurry cutscenes. Overall, the graphics are considered acceptable for an older title, contributing to the game's immersive atmosphere and engaging gameplay.

    • “I'm a fan of isometric graphics, especially when the environment is detailed and beautiful like in this game.”
    • “The game's got gorgeous graphics that have aged really well.”
    • “Yes, it is quite an old game now, but the 2D isometric graphics were so wonderfully rendered that the graphics still hold up quite well today, in a charming way.”
    • “The graphics are blurry on a normal monitor.”
    • “The heroes' skills are mostly useless, gunfights are random, as is the enemy AI, graphics are low-resolution, and even the performance is sluggish, in a 20-year-old game!”
    • “While it's not a terrible experience, its age makes it too clunky to really enjoy, and the graphics are very low res and basic.”
  • music
    60 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The music in the game is widely praised for its atmospheric quality and ability to enhance the overall experience, fitting well with the Western theme and gameplay. Many reviewers highlight the soundtrack as engaging and well-composed, contributing to the game's immersive storytelling and character development. While some feel it could be more epic, the general consensus is that the music effectively complements the game's visuals and strategic elements, making it a standout feature.

    • “The soundtrack is great, and always represents the situation you're in quite well.”
    • “Soundtrack and whole ambience actually are masterfully done.”
    • “This game got it all: some of the most atmospheric western music, absolutely badass characters, great and creative level design, superb voice acting, and some of the smartest AI I've ever seen.”
    • “By the late game, half of the guards will not respond to leftover playing cards, alcohol, musical lures, or even performing monkeys and sometimes dead bodies.”
    • “The soundtrack is very light in the game to reduce distraction when the player is trying to find solutions, but jumps up when the team should be informed of an alarmed sentry.”
    • “I did get some hard crashes when playing the game, but when I turned the music off, I only got a few soft crashes.”
  • atmosphere
    36 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The atmosphere of the game is widely praised for its authentic depiction of the wild west, enhanced by stunning 2D graphics, immersive music, and strong voice acting. Reviewers highlight the nostalgic and engaging environments, with particular appreciation for the atmospheric CGI cutscenes and the blend of humor and tension throughout the gameplay. Overall, the game successfully creates a rich and captivating atmosphere that complements its tactical gameplay.

    • “An absolute gem, with stunning backgrounds, a diverse cast of characters, and an atmosphere so thick and juicy, you can eat it with a spoon.”
    • “Desperados III is good, but still can't match the gameplay, atmosphere, and storyline of this original.”
    • “The atmosphere is such a high level of what a tactical game should be like.”
    • “Desperados is a fantastic tactical game that manages to build up the atmosphere of the wild west as well as games like Red Dead Redemption.”
  • humor
    20 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The humor in the game is widely praised, with characters like Sanchez and Sam's snake providing laugh-out-loud moments and witty dialogue that adds charm to the experience. While some elements may feel outdated or problematic, the overall comedic tone, filled with swagger and clever cliches, keeps players engaged and entertained. Many reviewers fondly recall the game's humor as a standout feature from their childhood, making it a memorable and enjoyable experience.

    • “Yes, the graphics are old, and some of the themes are a bit...problematic, but the dialogs are funny and sassy, the story is interesting and the group tactics are both challenging but don't require the best dexterity, but more thinking and finding the right timing.”
    • “If you haven't played Desperados before, it is essentially Commandos 2 but set in the Wild West with hilarious clichés to the max! Very fun, lots of character, beautiful artwork (although it has obviously aged quite a bit), excellent story, and lots of tactical variety.”
    • “The humorous and deadly atmosphere keeps it together.”
  • optimization
    20 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The game's optimization is a mixed bag; while it runs smoothly on Windows 10 after recent updates, many players report sluggish performance and low-resolution graphics, especially on modern systems. Some users have found that the Steam version offers no significant improvements over the original retail release from 2001, leading to frustration for those unfamiliar with necessary fixes. Overall, while the game can be immersive, its performance issues detract from the experience, making it hard to recommend without caveats.

    • “The game runs smoothly on Windows 10, and even though it is as old as 20 years, it is still an immersive experience.”
    • “Review update: the update they launched today, 05/Jul/18, made the game run smoothly and fine on Windows 10!”
    • “Well, now the performance and UI are all perfectly smooth.”
    • “However, the Steam version of this game is no better performance-wise than the retail version from 2001 (it's probably identical) and will run poorly on this generation's computers for some unlucky people out there.”
    • “Even though I have a very good computer, the game runs slowly. I understand this is due to the game being old and incompatible; however, I wish it said on Steam that to get this to run normally you will need to do loads of other things. The game is good, but I am not happy with the performance and I'm not computer knowledgeable enough to fix this.”
    • “For this to be sold again without any optimizations at all is not what I expected...”
  • stability
    16 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The game's stability is mixed, with users reporting occasional glitches, freezes, and crashes, particularly on Windows 7. While some players find it generally playable and reminiscent of its original release, others describe it as a "buggy mess" that requires fixes to improve performance. Overall, the game's age contributes to its instability, with erratic NPC behavior noted in certain levels.

    • “Not buggy, unlike other complaints.”
    • “It seems like a faithful reproduction that runs great in 2018.”
    • “Having played the game more and more, I've found it to be rather buggy at times.”
    • “And some of the levels are a bit buggy with the NPCs acting erratically at times.”
    • “Please try to fix the game, because for whatever reason in its current state it is a buggy mess.”
  • grinding
    8 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    Players find the grinding aspect of the game to be quite demanding, often requiring significant time investment, which some describe as tedious. While the lack of camera rotation and slow gun reloads contribute to the grind, the expansive and detailed levels, along with varied enemy AI, provide some redeeming qualities. Overall, the grinding can feel excessive, but it also adds a layer of challenge to the gameplay.

    • “You'll need a second life for grinding.”
    • “It's a bit tedious because you can't rotate the camera.”
    • “The reload of the guns is a little bit tedious, but otherwise it would be too easy, I guess.”
  • replayability
    6 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The game is noted for its high replay value, with players expressing strong enjoyment and a desire to revisit it. However, some suggest alternatives like the re-pop of Commandos or Shadow Tactics for a more engaging experience in the genre.

    • “For me, this game has a really high replay value and is and always will be one of my favorite games.”
    • “Good replay value!”
    • “Good replay value!”
    • “Instead, get the re-pop of Commandos, which is more playable, or just go for Shadow Tactics if you want to play a masterpiece in the genre.”
  • emotional
    2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The emotional aspect of the game is heavily impacted by poorly balanced characters, leading to frustration and disappointment among players. This imbalance evokes strong negative feelings, with some expressing a desire to cry over the experience.

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6h Median play time
6h Average play time
6-6h Spent by most gamers
*Based on 2 analyzed playthroughs
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Frequently Asked Questions

Desperados: Wanted Dead or Alive is a strategy game.

Desperados: Wanted Dead or Alive is available on PC, Mac OS, Windows and Linux.

On average players spend around 6 hours playing Desperados: Wanted Dead or Alive.

Desperados: Wanted Dead or Alive was released on November 20, 2013.

Desperados: Wanted Dead or Alive was developed by Spellbound.

Desperados: Wanted Dead or Alive has received positive reviews from players. Most players liked this game for its story but disliked it for its stability.

Desperados: Wanted Dead or Alive is a single player game.

Similar games include Desperados: Wanted Dead Or Alive, Robin Hood: The Legend of Sherwood, Desperados 3, Commandos: Behind Enemy Lines, Shadow Tactics: Blades of the Shogun and others.