El Dueloroso

Loading sources… all files

Overview

El Dueloroso is a western-themed arcade game by Adrián JG for the Nintendo Game Boy and Analogue Pocket, submitted as an entry to the Game Boy Competition 2021. Its gameplay experience is inspired by early Game Boy titles, with 15 levels, 3 game modes, 4 difficulty options, custom graphics and an original soundtrack.

The levels rotate between three kinds of stage. In Defeat the Gang you must defeat all the foes before the time is over or before you lose all your health, reloading your gun when out of ammunition and shooting the explosives before they go off. In Stop the Wagon you stop the wagon by shooting it before the time is over, while avoiding getting hit by barrels.

Each set ends with a duel: win three rounds against your opponent and shoot when indicated on screen. You will lose the round if you shoot early or if your opponent shoots before you do.

Made by: Adrián JG
Released: 2021

Controls guide

Defeat the Gang

Button and key	Action
Up+Left/Up/Up+Right	Aim at the top row of hideouts
Left/Right	Aim at the left or right middle hideout
Down+Left/Down/Down+Right	Aim at the ground, where explosives land
A`X`	Shoot (with no direction held, the sight rests on the middle hideout)
B`Z`	Reload one bullet per press
Start`Enter`	Pause and resume

Stop the Wagon

Button and key	Action
Left/Right	Ride left and right to dodge barrels; moving drops your aim
A`X`	While standing still, raise the sight; press again to fire as it sweeps across
Start`Enter`	Pause and resume

Duel

Button and key	Action
A`X`	Draw and shoot, only once the signal appears

Menus

Button and key	Action
Start`Enter`	Leave the title screen
Up/Down/Select`Shift`	Move the cursor (Left and Right too on the practice grid)
A`X`/Start`Enter`	Choose
B`Z`	Back to the previous menu
A`X`+B`Z`+Start`Enter`+Select`Shift`	Reset the game

Cheatsheet

Modes

Arcade mode: All 15 levels in order, with a chosen difficulty and a high score for each
Practice mode: Play any single level; you take no damage and return to the title afterwards
Survival mode: Endless duels; the first round lost ends the run, and the record is rounds won

Difficulty

Easy: 9 lives, 6 health, no score bonus
Normal: 6 lives, 5 health, 50 bonus per level
Hard: 3 lives, 3 health, 100 bonus per level
Extreme: 1 life, 1 health, 150 bonus per level

Levels

1-1 to 5-1: Defeat the Gang: 20, 50, 80, 100 and 150 foes
1-2 to 5-2: Stop the Wagon: 8, 16, 20, 28 and 36 hits
1-3 to 5-3: Duels with Lenny Simpleton, Harry Jones, Reed Matthews, Martha Gunner and Barry Jones

Level complete bonus

Level: 100 times the level number (100 for 1-1, up to 1500 for 5-3)
Time: Seconds left on the clock; after a duel, ten times the margins you won your rounds by
Difficulty: 0, 50, 100 or 150

Tips

Explosives can only be shot once they have landed and start flashing, and only while Down is held with the sight on their column. Letting one go off costs a point of health, although every other flashing explosive is defused by the blast.
The gun holds six shots and B adds just one per press, so top it up with a few quick taps whenever the gang goes quiet rather than waiting until it clicks empty.
In a duel, any press of A before the signal is a foul and loses the round. The faster you shoot after the signal, the bigger the time bonus at the end of the level.
After the wagon takes a hit it flashes and ignores further shots for a moment, so use that pause to reposition and dodge barrels instead of firing again.
Practice mode never takes away health, which makes it the place to learn the later gang and wagon stages before trying them on Hard or Extreme.
In Survival mode the opponents shoot sooner every ten rounds you win, until their fastest draw is reached, so the early rounds are the time to stay calm and not foul.

Secrets

Howdy

On the title screen, once Press Start is showing, press Up, Up, Down, Down, Left, Right, Left, Right, B, A, Start. Instead of the main menu you get a hidden picture of a chihuahua in a cowboy hat saying Howdy. Press any button to go back to the title.