Cactus McCoy The Curse of Thorns Game Review

Cactus McCoy and the Curse of the Thorns Game Background

Released in 2011, Cactus McCoy and the Curse of the Thorns is a platformer developed by Flipline Studios (the developers of the Papa Louie Arcade family of games) and sponsored by mobile game company Not Doppler. As a cursed treasure hunter turned anthropomorphic saguaro cactus, fight off your former employer Hex Hatfield and his seemingly endless hordes of outlaws. Return the cursed Thorned Emerald to its rightful place before you turn to stone.

How to Play Cactus McCoy and the Curse of the Thorns

Getting Started

To select, left click with your mouse. Select Continue at the bottom right corner of the opening loading screen to bring up the second loading screen. On the second loading screen, select Play! at the bottom center to load the welcome screen. On the welcome screen, select Play at the bottom center to begin.

Choose from one of the 3 available save slots to start your game. Selecting an empty slot begins a new game or select an occupied slot to play a previously saved game. You can clear a save file by selecting Delete File above the save slot. Your web browser automatically saves your game progress each time you finish a level.

When playing for the first time, the game will play a slideshow explaining the game’s plot. You can skip ahead to the first level (which acts as a tutorial) by selecting Skip Intro on the bottom left. Continue each slide by selecting Next on the bottom right corner.

Essential Controls

The game’s controls are optimized for desktops with keyboards.

To move, press the left and right arrow keys; this applies both when walking and when moving on a rope. To move down from one overlapping platform to the next, press the A key and the down arrow key simultaneously. Press the A key to jump. You can also use the A key to hop onto boards and grab onto and jump off ropes. Press the down arrow key to crouch and to jump off a plank or rope.

To pick up objects or open chests, press the down arrow key. You can only carry one item at a time. Press the S key to attack. If you are carrying an item, you will attack with that object; otherwise, you will attack with your fists. To throw a projectile weapon upwards, press the S key and the up arrow at the same time. Aim by pressing the up and left or right arrow keys at once while standing. To drop a weapon on another object, press the D key. Press the S key while holding a heavy object (such as a box or mine cart) to throw it as a weapon.

Basic Gameplay Advice

Summary

McCoy, a treasure hunter for the Old West crime boss Hex Hatfield, is asked to retrieve the legendary Thorned Emerald, and is paid in advance for it. He succeeds, but finds out that he’s been turned into a cactus person. A ghost by the name of Popōca, the previous thief that absconded with the emerald, tells him that he will turn to stone if he fails to return the emerald to its true place. He follows the ghost’s instructions.

However, he had been followed by one of Hex’s henchmen. He mistakes McCoy’s actions as betrayal and puts a bounty on the latter’s head. Now hunted by various unsavory characters under his former boss’ employ, “Cactus McCoy” must rely on his wits and newfound abilities to survive and return the Thorned Emerald to its rightful place in the Emerald Shrine.

Basic Rules

Move through the level and take on or avoid any enemies you may encounter. Explore the level and look for secret treasure.

As you approach the end of each level, you will be trapped in a chamber alongside a wave of enemies. These rumble rooms have log doors that close when the rumble begins and open when all the enemies in the room are defeated. Defeat them all to move to the last area of the level. In later levels, there can be several rumble rooms connected to one another that aren’t at the end of the level.

To finish a level, reach the last treasure chest at the end to pick up a fragment of the map. This will unlock the next level.

You can exit the level at any time before this by selecting the menu button, then selecting the exit button on the top left corner. This will bring you back to the map screen. Exiting the level erases some but not all of your progress. Although your score and coins collected will not be saved, the chests you earned will be.

Combat

Enemies (called “enemigos” in-game) prowl the level and can attack and chase you once you are within their range. You have the option to fight them with your fists or with any weapon you collect. The game gives you 59 different weapons to defeat enemies. In general, enemies fall faster if killed by weapons. Enemigos will sometimes, but not always, drop weapons you can retrieve. They do not respawn unless you reload the level.

Enemigos can be kept aloft after they’ve been defeated. Called “juggling,” this allows you to collect more coins from an enemy you already killed. As long as you can catch the enemy, you can continually juggle them as many times as you like. Every attack you make that lands a hit earns a combo. The more hits you make continuously, the higher your combo becomes. Juggling enemies is one of the better ways to accrue large combos, necessary for earning some badges and challenges.

Weapons can be found on the floor, hidden in objects like crates and bramble bushes, or dropped by foes. Weapons can be used for a limited time, as indicated by the bar on the bottom center right. When the bar expires, the weapon disappears and your revert to punching. There are 6 types of attacks in this game, which can be divided into melee and ranged attacks. Melee attacks are effective up close while ranged attacks work well from a distance.

• Punching is a melee attack that involves hitting things with your fists. This includes any weapon that amplifies the impact of the punches like gloves.
• Swinging is a melee attack involving a long, hard weapon held firmly in your hands.
• Shooting is a ranged attack that allows you to shoot enemies with projectiles from a straight line. Use these attacks to snipe at enemies from below or from a 45 degree angle.
• Throwing is a ranged attack that has you toss an object. These are usually incendiary objects like bombs.
• Whipping is a melee attack that has you hit and push back an enemy using a long, flexible weapon.

Every new level except the last one yields at least one new weapon. You can also use objects like boxes and mine carts to harm enemies.

Health

You start the game with 5 lives and a full health bar. Each time you get hit, you slowly lose health. Lose all your health and you lose a life. You can neither replenish your health nor gain more lives. Meanwhile, you instantly lose a life if you fall down a bottomless pit.

Each time you lose a life, you reappear in the last place you were in before you died. If you fell to your death, this could either be very close or some significant distance away. You will lose the weapon you have on hand each time you die and must pick it up again.

Lose all your lives and you fail the level. You must play it again from the beginning.

Coins and Upgrades

There are several ways to earn coins in this game. The first and most common is to collect them as you play the game. Enemies drop coins as they perish; you can coax enemies to drop many more coins by hitting them multiple times in mid-air as they die. Indeed, bouncing your enemies around like hacky-sacks is both fun and a good way to farm for coins. Be sure to collect the coins as soon as they drop; they will disappear in a few seconds after falling.

Another way to gain coins is by earning a badge. Badges are rewards for accomplishing a specific in-game task. These usually involve doing a specific number of actions such as killing enemies with a particular weapon. There are 80 badges in the game, all of which come with a one-time coin reward. Coins can also sometimes be found hidden inside objects you break or open.

Collect coins to pay for upgrades to McCoy’s abilities. Each upgrade corresponds to a type of attack (punching, swinging, shooting, throwing, and whipping). Upgrades have a ramping cost, and it may take a while to earn a sufficient amount of coins to pay for them.

Treasure and Challenges

You only need to reach the last chest to finish a level. To complete a level, however, you must finish all the challenges and find all the treasures. Each level has 5 challenges and 5 hidden treasures. You can view both by selecting its icon on the map or by opening the menu screen. Keep track of the challenges using the stars on the top left corner and the treasures using the chests on the top right corner.

Challenges consist of a specific set of actions that you can do in the level. Some of the many actions include collecting unique objects, attacking or killing a specific number of enemies using a particular weapon, or finishing the game in a specific time limit. You typically cannot finish all the challenges in a single playthrough; be prepared to replay a level to complete the remaining challenges.

Treasures appear in chests similar to the ones where the map fragments appear. They contain random treasures like gold bars and jewels. Often, they are located in difficult to access areas and require thorough exploring and backtracking to reach.

Scoring

You earn points based on a variety of in-game actions. The most common way of earning points is by defeating enemigos, which yield on average 10 points per hit. The actual value of the points may vary depending on the type of enemigo, and you gain extra points for continuing to hit them in mid-air after they perish.

You also earn points from completing challenges. Each challenge you fulfill is 500 points. Completing all 5 challenges grants you 2,500 points. Every treasure you find is worth 500 points, which grants you another 2,500 points. Winning badges also grant you points; the number varies between badges and can range between 150 to 750 points.

Your web browser automatically saves your current and best scores for every level you finish.

Levels

The game has 12 levels, which are unlocked sequentially over the course of gameplay. You automatically begin each new game on the first level, which also acts as the game’s tutorial. The game’s levels are primarily based on scenes from the American Old West and include deserts, mines, frontier towns, and trains. Most levels consist of several interconnecting areas, with players moving from one area to the next by passing through a tunnel. The train levels consist of one larger, longer main area one or two smaller end areas on either end of the train.

The goal of each level is to find a new piece of the map that will lead McCoy to the Thorned Emerald’s rightful resting place. Each new treasure chest opened unveils a new piece of the map, and the level selection screen appears as a giant map divided into 12 sections.

Level Features

Ropes and chains serve as a means of crossing between parts of an area. McCoy automatically latches onto them when they pass by them. Frequently, they span in the upper parts of a level, though on occasion, a rope or chain may appear in the lowest part of a level. These act as “safety nets,” keeping McCoy from plummeting down an otherwise bottomless pit.

Planks appear throughout the levels, often but not always appearing in columns and serving as staircases. They may also appear by themselves and function as small platforms.

McCoy can pick up several in-game objects and toss them as impromptu weapons. These include wooden and metal boxes, and mine carts. Some of these objects can be used as platforms to help McCoy reach areas too tall for him to jump. They can be carried to or tossed where they need to be placed, though you cannot stack them one on top of another. These can also be broken to reveal coins and weapons. You cannot carry objects and weapons at the same time.

Levels have several objects that McCoy can interact with. These include torches, posters, and suitcases. How they function varies with the level. Posters, for instance, appear on walls and are removed when McCoy passes by them. Others, like suitcases, act as containers. A few, such as incendiary barrels, are especially useful as incendiary. All these are tied to level challenges in at least one level, so read about them at the start of the level and take note of them whenever they appear.

Chickens are a particularly useful recurring object. In Level 4, they are tied to a challenge; they must be collected and deposited onto an enclosure in one area of the level. Throughout the game, they act as a special booster for McCoy, slowing down his descent as he falls and allowing him to glide further. Be careful not to toss them into a bottomless pit, as they will glitch out and fall from the sky perpetually and cannot be retrieved.

Hazards

The most common hazard in the game is the bottomless pit. Sometimes, this will be indicated by the presence of a sign, but quite often it would be implied. Some bottomless pits have a rope or chain over them, keeping you from falling off to a certain point. To avoid falling off, simply avoid hitting the down arrow key.

Other hazards are rhythmic objects that become dangerous in predictable intervals. These include the weight aptly named “The Crusher” and flame-generating traps. When activated, they will cause harm. To get past them, time your moves when they are inactive.

Boss Fight

The boss fight starts off as a regular level, with one hidden, maze-like area to the left containing the last two treasure chests. This area must be reached by platforming. The area to the right is where the actual boss fight takes place. It begins with a brief cutscene showing Hex Hatfield challenging McCoy. Once this concludes, the battle begins in earnest.

You begin by fighting Hex by yourself. Thanks to his magic coat (the “coat of arms”), he gains an extra pair of arms, which he uses to wield an extra pair weapons. He fights with a pair of swords and a pair of guns. After a brief brawl, he will summon more minions for you to fight not long after, then return to fight you again when the enemigos are taken out.

His style of attack changes with each wave. In the first through third wave waves, he tries to either stab you from above or slice you with your swords. By the fourth wave, he alternates between attacking you with swords and guns.

Hex’s health bar appears on the top right corner of the game screen. When his health bar is empty, you win the boss fight. The game ends with a brief cutscene showing Hex’s defeat and McCoy returning the Thorned Emerald to the shrine and narrowly avoiding getting permanently petrified.

Advanced Playing Tips & Strategy

General Tips

Be careful when dropping objects. Tossing objects will damage them, and wooden objects will fall apart when tossed even once. Gently let go of objects whenever you still need them as platforms. If you must toss an object (i.e. to move it to a much higher platform), choose a sturdier object that’s made of rock or metal.

Some of the in-game challenges have fixed requirements that limit your ability to fulfill them in a single playthrough. These include killing enemies with a specific weapon or, more commonly, speed running a level. Some of them require you to replay the level multiple times. To save time, use the reset button on the bottom left corner of the game screen to restart the game from the beginning of the level. This is a convenient way of starting the level if you find yourself in a situation where you can’t attain a level challenge and must start over.

Spend your first playthrough of every level exploring every nook and cranny. Watch out for planks that are just out of reach or tunnels that appear just at the edge of the screen. These could lead to chambers that contain hidden treasure. If items that can be uprooted (e.g. bramble bushes, tall grass), remove them to reveal hidden items. To hop onto platforms just outside your reach, use items you can hop onto.

Combat Tips

Each type of weapon has their own range and disadvantages. Punching and weapons related to it require you to close the distance between you and your opponent, while rifles require at least some distance to be effective against your foes, but will allow you to take them out without getting close.

Pay attention to the weapon your enemy wields and the weapon you have on hand before deciding how to attack. If you have a close range weapon and your enemy is ranged, get as close as you can to your foe before attacking, preferably without them noticing you. If you have a ranged weapon, start shooting or tossing at them from a distance before they close the distance.

Speed Running Tips

We recommend attempting a speed run after you’ve played through a level at least once (a few times is better). Spend the early playthroughs completing the other challenges before gunning for the speed run to familiarize yourself with the level’s layouts and the placement of the enemigos within. This will help you find the right moves to make to save time.

During a speed run, it is best to keep enemy engagement to a minimum. Try to avoid all but the most unavoidable enemy fights. Your goal is only to survive and reach the end of the level within the time limit and below.

Educational Aspects

Like all fast-paced fighting platform games, this game hones a player’s hand-eye coordination and reaction times, especially during speed runs. Players are also encouraged to think creatively and are rewarded for thoroughly exploring their environment and finding creative solutions using the tools they have on hand.

Player Age Recommendations

This game is a challenging platformer suitable for older school-aged players and above. The game contains some cartoon violence and depicts the usage of firearms and other dangerous weapons but otherwise has no adult content. We recommend it for fans of the side-scrolling platformer genre. Players who enjoy this game should also check out the sequel Cactus McCoy 2.