What do you think of when you hear words western or Wild West? Bandits and cowboys, gunfights and face-to-face shootouts, dusty towns with ramshackle houses and isolated ranches, vast valleys and prairies... That's the common stereotype which firmly sits in peoples’ minds. Cinematography and men of letters did their bits in creating a strong image and typical western characters.

At the beginning of the development process of Golden Trails: The New Western Rush we took into consideration all stereotypes as we wanted to create a genuine Wild West atmosphere. We mustn’t break them on any account. Otherwise it won’t be a western. On the contrary, we decided to add something new both in the plot and gameplay, plus a bit of romance.

In spite of the fact that there is a number of games with The Old West setting, we are confirmed that western is a very rich theme and there is much space for imagination and lots of uncovered possibilities for creation. In Golden Trails: The New Western Rush we intend to reveal the great potential of western as a casual game theme.


Golden Trails: The New Western Rush Storyline

When making Golden Trails: The New Western Rush, the developer’s team aimed at making a catchy and appealing storyline. It’s very important to make it familiar, true to life and at the same time to bring in something unexpected.


  
     Golden Trails: The New Western Rush Intro


Golden Trails: The New Western Rush can boast of rich and intricate plot. It begins with an ordinary bank robbery in Sunnyvale, a small Wild West town, but as soon as you go deeper into the game you uncover lots of intriguing facts.


 
     Typical game characters: dance-hall girl Charlotte and Sheriff Jack


In spite of the fact that Golden Trails: The New Western Rush features detective storyline, romance of the Wild West is one of the most essential aspects in the game. While the player investigates the bank robbery, two love stories unfold before his eyes. We think that love theme is a unique possibility to reveal characters’ personality.


  
     Golden Trails: The New Western Rush screenshot # 1


Golden Trails: The New Western Rush is a great adventure with lots of secrets to unravel! When thinking about the plot, we wanted to make the player live the game. So we tried to center on people’s lives and their personal secretes rather than on abstract mysteries.


Golden Trails: The New Western Rush Artwork

Artwork plays a very important role in the game making process. It is not only the game’s appearance. Graphics set atmosphere and influence the player’s perception of the game.

Working on Golden Trails: The New Western Rush graphics our artists focused on creating a vivid Wild West image. We decided to try an absolutely new type of graphics which is different from what you can see in Cradle Of Rome or Romance of Rome games. It looks a bit cartoonish but at the same time it’s not deprived of the sense of reality.


Game Characters

The main task set out for our artists was to present a genuine, heartwarming and welcoming atmosphere and make the player feel ‘here and now’. A special attention is paid to our characters. They are the brightest prototypes of the Wild West dwellers.


 
     Some of the main characters of the game


Each character is a remarkable and memorizable personage. For example, Charlotte, a pretty dance-hall girl, adventurous Cowboy Joe, brave Sheriff Jack, Mr. Taylor, a greedy and self-interested banker. Every character has his own secret which you will uncover playing the game.


Backgrounds and Locations

We used the most distinctive and associated with the Wild West locations such as The Grand Canyon, Indian Camp, Stable (a ranch can’t do without a stable), Sheriff’s Office…


  
     Golden Trails: The New Western Rush screenshot # 2. Canyon


A special emphasis was put on details such as views from windows, county style furniture, wooden and leather textures, wallpaper patterns, décor items. Houses and buildings which you’ll see in the game are chiefly made of wood and are typical of small Wild West settlements. At the same time we tried to create bright and lively scenes by adding rich in color items and animated elements. Every item should fit perfectly the theme and situation.


  
     Golden Trails: The New Western Rush screenshot # 3. Square


Audio

Sound effects and soundtracks always make a significant contribution to the game atmosphere. Golden Trails: The New Western Rush is rich in ambient sound effects which help to enliven the environment. For example, horse neighing, birds chattering, or guitar strumming. Pleasant county tunes which will remind you something of ‘The Good, the Bad and the Ugly’ soundtrack accompany the gameplay.

Moreover, we are preparing a surprise for you! A special song will vivify the game. It’s going to be about game events and will be performed in a cheerful and humorous way. We hope you’ll appreciate it.


Trophies and Rewards

Golden Trails: The New Western Rush is very generous with rewards. We actually tried to think over every possibility to encourage our players. Each found item brings you points. The faster you find them, the better score you have. That influences your total game success. When you have won a definite number of points you are awarded with a Bonus Star which goes to the Main Menu.


  
     Golden Trails: The New Western Rush screenshot # 4


Like Romance Of Rome, Golden Trails: The New Western Rush will compliment you with trophies! On completing the game, the player gets a possibility to publish his achievements online to his Awem account. In addition, the game has a very impressive Trophy Room where all the players’ achievements are collected.





This is just a little bit of what awaits you in Golden Trails: The New Western Rush. Next time I’ll dwell upon the gameplay and some innovative features. Stay tuned!