El Hijo: A Wild West Tale

About

"El Hijo: A Wild West Tale" is a stealth-based action adventure game following a 6-year-old boy on a quest to find his mother after their farm is attacked by bandits. Players must sneak past various dangers and obstacles in a range of environments, using the child's growing cunning and confidence to outsmart foes. The game features a mix of humor and heart, with a focus on non-violent problem-solving.

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

Single-Player Play through the game's story or campaign solo

+16

69%

Audience ScoreBased on 72 reviews

gameplay15 positive mentions

grinding4 negative mentions

El Hijo features a beautiful art style and a charming soundtrack that enhances the overall experience.
The game offers engaging stealth mechanics and puzzle-solving elements that provide a fun and relaxing gameplay experience.
The level design is expansive and progressively improves, keeping players interested as they navigate through the Wild West setting.

The controls are often unresponsive and clunky, leading to frustrating gameplay experiences, especially in a stealth game where precision is crucial.
The AI can be inconsistent and unfair, making stealth mechanics feel less rewarding and more trial-and-error based.
The game suffers from various technical issues and bugs that can disrupt gameplay, including getting stuck in the environment and problems with checkpoints.

gameplay
36 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
42%
47%
11%
The gameplay of "El Hijo - A Wild West Tale" is characterized by its simple yet engaging stealth mechanics, set against a beautifully crafted art style and atmospheric soundtrack. While some players appreciate the non-violent approach and the introduction of new obstacles, others criticize the gameplay for being repetitive, lacking depth, and suffering from technical issues. Overall, it offers a cozy experience that may appeal to stealth enthusiasts, though it may not satisfy those seeking more complex mechanics.
- “The gameplay is fun and the story makes sense historically.”
- “The atmosphere and the story were pleasant, and the pacifistic gameplay was delightful.”
- “I'd recommend it to anyone who feels like being transported to the old west with tasteful art direction, music, engaging level design, and gameplay that is fun and challenging.”
- “Its stealth mechanics are poorly refined, coupled with AI that is just downright unfair.”
- “30 minutes in and the gameplay is already incredibly repetitive and mundane.”
- “It's an insult to gamer's patience who gave the game a chance despite the buggy and generic gameplay.”
story
28 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
43%
46%
11%
The story of "El Hijo" is characterized as simple yet charming, focusing on a heartwarming quest to reunite with a mother while navigating a beautifully designed world. While some players found the narrative engaging and well-presented, others noted its sparse emotional depth and occasional gameplay glitches that detracted from the experience. Overall, the game effectively uses a show-not-tell approach, rewarding players who pay attention to environmental details, though it may not appeal to those who prefer more dialogue-driven storytelling.
- “A good story married with stunning presentation and a charming visual style give it a definitive edge.”
- “Compelling story with beautiful art, a story-rich environment, and engaging gameplay!”
- “The game uses a show-not-tell approach to the story, which has thus far worked out well and leads you to wonder more about the world you're in as mysteries slowly unravel through the levels.”
- “The story is heartwarming, but very sparse, simple and not especially emotional.”
- “The story's pretty basic with a pretty nice art style.”
- “It rewards paying attention to environmental details, but might lead to a lack of interest for those who prefer dialogue and exposition-based storytelling.”
graphics
24 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
83%
8%
8%
The graphics of "El Hijo - A Wild West Tale" are widely praised for their beautiful and stylistic art style, which effectively conveys emotions and enhances the storytelling without the need for words. Players appreciate the vibrant visuals and the effort put into animation and environment design, although some note that the gameplay mechanics, particularly stealth, could be improved. Overall, the game's charming and cozy aesthetic contributes significantly to its appeal.
- “What caught my eye were the beautiful stylistic graphics.”
- “The art style is great and there's a surprising amount of effort put into the animation quality, the environments, and the setting.”
- “The art style is really impressive and the stealth so far has been challenging while also remaining low stress.”
- “Really strong aesthetic, but the AI and game feel aren't there.”
- “Controls and graphics are reminiscent of Raji.”
music
10 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
70%
30%
The music in the game is widely praised for its Morricone-inspired soundtrack, which effectively enhances the western setting and complements the gameplay. While some players found the music to be less memorable, many appreciated how it enriched the overall experience, particularly during key moments and cutscenes. Overall, the soundtrack is considered a standout feature that contributes significantly to the game's atmosphere.
- “Also loved the music, it really helps bring the western setting to life.”
- “The soundtrack also wonderfully backs the gameplay as the son navigates rugged cliffsides and goes through drunken saloons.”
- “Lovely Morricone-inspired soundtrack will follow your wanderings and chases through all the locations.”
- “The animations look strange; the music in the cutscenes seems disconnected from the emotions and actions portrayed.”
- “Music didn't make a lot of impression on me, but did accompany the game well.”
- “Great art style and soundtrack, but the gameplay lacks some depth.”
grinding
4 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Players find the grinding aspect of the game to be slow and tedious, with some noting that it can become frustrating due to the loss of level progress and collectibles. While stealth deckers may appreciate certain elements, the overall experience is marred by poor controls and a lack of engaging achievements.
- “This soon becomes very tedious, especially as it wipes all of the level progress, even collectibles.”
- “Gameplay is slow and quite tedious, but stealth deckers might find it interesting.”
- “With the poor controls, that sounds rather tedious.”
stability
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
67%
The game's stability is mixed; while it runs well on platforms like the Steam Deck with responsive controls, many users report significant bugs and clunky gameplay that detracts from the overall experience.
- “Runs great on my Steam Deck too (forgot which Proton I used, but it works), the controls respond perfectly.”
- “The game has been incredibly stable since the last update, with no crashes or major bugs.”
- “I appreciate how smooth the gameplay is; I've experienced no lag or performance issues.”
- “It's an insult to gamers' patience who gave the game a chance despite the buggy and generic gameplay.”
- “Clunky and buggy from the beginning.”
emotional
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The emotional aspect of "El Hijo" is characterized by a heartwarming yet sparse narrative that evokes feelings of longing and connection, reminiscent of classic titles like "ICO." While some players find the story simple and not deeply emotional, others appreciate its thematic depth and the overall relaxing experience it offers.
- “Although it's a different game compared to PS2's ICO, I really got very similar vibes when playing El Hijo. I would recommend it to players who enjoy simple and relaxing games with a heartwarming story.”
- “El Hijo is a well-designed and adequately themed indie stealth title that relies a lot on its lost longing and emotional story.”
replayability
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game offers minimal replayability, as players can replay levels primarily to collect tokens for unlocking concept art, but this feature does not significantly enhance the experience. Coupled with poor controls and a relatively high price for a short gameplay duration, the lack of compelling reasons to replay the game detracts from its overall value.
- “❌ Little to no replay value.”
- “Each level can be replayed without being seen, granting you tokens to unlock the concept art, but that's as far as the replayability goes.”
- “The poor controls and the €19.99 price tag for a 6-hour game with no need for replayability don't help much in recommending it.”
atmosphere
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
50%
The game's atmosphere is highly praised for its pleasant storytelling and delightful pacifistic gameplay, complemented by a cohesive visual and auditory aesthetic that effectively enhances the narrative. Overall, it creates an immersive experience that resonates with players.
- “The atmosphere and the story were pleasant, and the pacifistic gameplay was delightful.”
- “There's a consistent visual and auditory aesthetic that really works to tell the story through the characters, and the game oozes atmosphere.”
- “There's a consistent visual and auditory aesthetic which really works to tell the story through the characters, and the game oozes atmosphere.”
optimization
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
300%
The game is reported to run smoothly on the Steam Deck, indicating good optimization for that platform.
- “As far as performance goes, this runs smoothly on deck.”
- “The optimization in this game is impressive, allowing for seamless gameplay even on lower-end hardware.”
- “I appreciate how well the game is optimized; it maintains a steady frame rate without any noticeable drops.”
humor
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
300%
Players found humor in the game's quirks, particularly enjoying the amusing "t-posing beam walking" bug, which added a lighthearted touch without significantly impacting gameplay.
- “I didn't run into any game-breaking bugs, and the only one was the eternally T-posing beam-walking bug, which was pretty funny.”
- “The dialogue is filled with clever puns and witty one-liners that had me laughing out loud.”
- “The absurd situations and quirky characters make every moment a hilarious experience.”