The Town with No Name
A drifter faces an outlaw gang in a surreal Western.
The Town with No Name is a Western action-adventure point-and-click video game developed by Delta 4, first released for the Commodore CDTV in 1992 and ported to MS-DOS in 1993. It follows an unnamed drifter who must duel members of an outlaw gang in quick-time events. The game received generally negative reviews at launch but later gained attention for its surreal humour and internet memes.
Quick Facts
- Developer
- Delta 4
- Publisher
- On-Line Entertainment
- Platforms
- CDTV, MS-DOS
- Released
- 1992: CDTV; 1993: MS-DOS
- Genre
- Action-adventure, point-and-click
- Director
- Fergus McNeill
- Producer
- Clement Chambers
- Composer
- Fergus McNeill (credited as "The Jester")
Facts from the source article.
Plot
A stranger with a deep, John Wayne-like voice steps off a train at a station outside a frontier town that has no name. As he enters, a gunman challenges him and is killed. A man smoking a cigarette then explains that the dead man was the youngest brother of Evil Eb, who leads the Hole-in-the-Head Gang, and warns that Eb will send his men after the stranger. The stranger, called the Man with No Name, searches every building, either talking to residents or playing minigames, and fights gang members as he leaves each one. After killing all outlaws except Eb, he faces the leader but only shoots off his hat. Eb, who dropped his gun in surprise, believes the stranger is a man named Billy-Bob and asks to be killed. The stranger clarifies he is not Billy-Bob and came to meet his sister in Dodge Gulch. Eb tells him Dodge Gulch is at another station twenty miles away. Because of the misunderstanding, the stranger spares Eb, and they go to the saloon for whiskey. If the player leaves by train before meeting the bandit Wildcard Willy McVee in the saloon, an alternate ending occurs: a boy yells, "Come back, Shane!" The stranger shoots the child, replies, "My name's not Shane, kid!" and the train flies into outer space.
Gameplay
The gameplay combines a point-and-click format with menus and short animated scenes, and a light gun-type interface where the player must shoot a target before being shot. Minigames include three-card monte, Chase the Ace, and a quick-time event where the player clicks a moving drink slid by the bartender. Duels with gang members are triggered by entering and leaving buildings, but the order of buildings entered does not affect when bandits appear; the player can fight them in the same sequence regardless. The exception is the required encounter with "Wildcard" Willy McVee in the saloon; after that, leaving triggers the final duels and the showdown with Evil Eb. An optional duel involves Immortal Isaac, a knife-thrower in an upstairs saloon room. Wanted posters in the jailhouse are marked with red X's for killed bandits, except Isaac's, which gets a question mark. If the player dies, they must restart from the beginning.
Development
In the game's bonus features, it is noted that the main antagonist Evil Eb was originally named "Three-Gun Theo" and had an extra hand to carry three pistols. McNeill confirmed in a 2021 tweet that he composed the game's music, credited as "The Jester".
Reception
The Town with No Name received mostly negative reviews, with critics highlighting its lack of longevity and poor 3D animations. Dave Winder of Amiga Computing was more positive, stating it is let down by a lack of real lasting gameplay but lifted by its humour and hidden sequences. Retrospective reviews noted its surreal humour and perceived lack of content; Tanner Fox of Game Rant speculated on the developer's intentions but found it hard to tell if Delta 4 deliberately conceived it as a parody. Time Extension called it "Hypnotically Awful". The game has since become subject of internet memes due to its humorous quick-time events and cutscenes, such as the bartender drink event and the alternate ending.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who published The Town with No Name?
The Town with No Name was published by On-Line Entertainment.
Who directed The Town with No Name?
The Town with No Name was directed by Fergus McNeill.
Who composed the music for The Town with No Name?
The music for The Town with No Name was composed by Fergus McNeill (credited as "The Jester").
More in Point-and-Click Adventure Games of the 1990s
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