Dead Mans Hand Review - PC

Disliking its guidelines of stealing from the rich and shooting the poor, El Tejon - a ruthless, gun-toting fellow - tried to leave his gang, but was shot in the back with a pistol. Fortunately he survived the shot and now roams the dusty streets on a mission to gain revenge on his nine former comrades and their hundreds of new recruits using his arsenal of western-style weapons.

Gameplay

Dead Man's Hand plays out over a number of missions that take place in the dusty, deserted streets of the western setting and inside famous western buildings such as saloons. The missions are all straightforward unfortunately, requiring you to simply blast your way to the end without dying. To keep it slightly interesting however, Human Head Studios has added a score system to each mission, known in-game as the Legend Score. Each time you kill an enemy or destroy an object - be it a bottle, chunk of fruit or explosive barrel - you'll be awarded a certain number of points that will contribute to your total score at the end of the mission. Your total score is generally pointless, but Human Head Studios has solved this problem by adding some fun to raising your score. In addition to simply killing enemies, there are many variations that'll net you a whole lot more points. For example, you can execute certain stylish kills known in-game as trick shots such as shooting the hat off an enemy or causing an object to fall on top of them by shooting the object itself or a nearby explosive that will cause the desired effect. Your score will also gain a large boost if you utilise Shot Chains. Shot Chains are pulled off by continually firing at enemies and various objects repeatedly, before the bar at the bottom of the screen returns to neutral. Keeping the bar up high by hitting eligible enemies and objects will cause your score to multiply considerably. Another bar at the bottom of the screen represents the power that you have available to fire Powershots, which are high-powered variations of the original shot that each weapon fires. Power is gained by shooting enemies and objects and is stored up until the end of the mission so that you don't have to waste it in a hurry.

Before beginning each mission you're presented with the option to play a quick game of Poker, which is a great addition to the game - mostly because it's an innovative way (continued next page)