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Classic Games

Sunset Riders

Wild West run-and-gun

Sunset Riders brought Contra-style action to the Wild West, with four bounty hunters chasing outlaws through saloons, trains, and frontier towns in colourful arcade action.

arcadesuper-nintendosega-mega-drive actionshooterkonami 1991

Overview

Konami took their run-and-gun expertise west. Sunset Riders delivered four-player arcade action across frontier settings—saloons, stampedes, trains, and mining towns. The colourful Western aesthetic and satisfying shooting made it an arcade favourite, while home conversions brought the bounty hunting to living rooms.

Fast facts

  • Developer: Konami.
  • Players: Four simultaneous (arcade).
  • Setting: American Wild West.
  • Genre: Run-and-gun.

Bounty hunters

CharacterWeaponStyle
SteveRevolverBalanced
BillyRevolverBalanced
BobShotgunSpread
CormanoShotgunSpread

Gameplay mechanics

ActionFunction
ShootMain attack
JumpPlatforming
SlideEvasion
Power-upsDual guns, rapid fire

Stage variety

LevelSetting
TownStreet shootout
SaloonIndoor combat
TrainMoving platform
StampedeCattle hazards

Boss outlaws

BossBounty
Simon Greedwell$10,000
Hawkeye Hank$20,000
Dark Horse$30,000
Sir Richard RoseFinal boss

Home conversions

PlatformDifferences
SNESTwo players, censorship
Mega DriveTwo players, different levels

Konami action lineage

ConnectionShared DNA
ContraRun-and-gun mechanics
AliensMultiplayer co-op
Crime FightersBeat-em-up elements

See also