HandyGames is back again with another worthwhile port
HandyGames is building a solid stable of ports on Android, with releases like SpongeBob SquarePants: Battle for Bikini Bottom, Titan Quest, and Battle Chasers: Nightwar, as these are some of the best Android games out there. The latest mobile port published by HandyGames is El Hijo – A Wild West Tale, a non-violent indie stealth game from Honig Studios. The title revolves around a young boy that’s embarked on a dangerous quest set in the Wild West, all so he can find his lost mother. It’s a familiar and straightforward setup, and the execution is something to behold, thanks to the slick Spaghetti Western setting based on Sergio Leone’s famous movies.
You can watch the release trailer for El Hijo directly above, and it offers a quick outline of what to expect from the game and its story. If you pay close attention, you’ll notice that the music resembles the compositions from Ennio Morricone, an Italian composer that created the iconic sounds found in Sergio Leone’s westerns, such as the Man with No Name Trilogy. So the look and sound of El Hijo are quite clear where their inspirations are pulled from, adding a dose of nostalgia to the game that should appeal to Spaghetti Western lovers.
Of course, El Hijo is a stealth game, and it’s designed around non-violent gameplay. So even though there are some darker themes, such as your farm being burnt to the ground, the path forward is always stealth gameplay without any killing, which means El Hijo is pretty much appropriate for any age. It’s a premium game, so you will have to pony up $9.99 to jump in (the Steam version retails for $19.99, for reference), but there are no ads or in-app purchases, which means you get the complete game without any of mobile’s well-known annoyances.
As for the controls, the new touch inputs for the mobile release works well, and you also get full controller support if you prefer something a little more tactile than a glass screen. Performance is pretty good, with three graphical options that range from Low to Balanced to Ultra. I cranked the game up to Ultra on my ROG 5, and the framerate held a stable 60FPS. Cloud saving is also in the mix, so you can easily pick up where you last left off, even if you change Android devices.
To me, it’s clear HandyGames has done an excellent job bringing El Hijo to mobile. The game’s performance is excellent, the controls work well, and the stealth gameplay is pretty enjoyable. You also get an interesting story, fantastic art, and of course, a slick Spaghetti Western theme that can’t be beaten. So if you’re a fan of stealth games or are a Sergio Leone stan, El Hijo is indeed a mobile port worth looking at.
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