Loading Studios, not happy to secure a spot in their country’s video gaming history by producing the first Portuguese physical Game Boy release Alentejo: Tinto’s Law earlier this year, is now returning to the 8-bit fray with a bigger sequel.
Alentejo: The Tinto and the Ugly once again casts the player in the well-worn western boots of Gildo, who is now accompanied by love interest and fearless cowgirl Dolores in their continued quest to free the county of Alentejo from the grips of exceptionally cruel and corrupt vineyard owner Baron Tinto.
Like the first game, this top-down action RPG allows you to explore the Portuguese lore and culture of Alentejo while dealing with outlaws and the Baron’s own evil deeds and helping the people living in the small villages spread across the game map.
Having been invited to the release presentation and party on release day (October 25), we had the opportunity to speak first hand with the developers and were showcased the new features of this ambitious sequel, including new gameplay mechanics such as the horse riding sections between zones and the brand new pistol duel combats that allow Gildo to dispatch of troublesome opponents if your reflexes are up to it.
This time, exploration will also take the player beneath Alentejo, with several puzzle-filled mines to tackle, and even beyond the county, as the action takes our fearless gunslinger hero across the border into Spain.
One of the more memorable sections involves a train robbery, with its own unique gameplay style. Perhaps it is our nostalgia acting up, but we certainly loved to explore the game the proper way it was meant to be played on a TV screen: using the Super Nintendo’s Super Game Boy.
At the presentation were also several Game Boy models with the game, so attendees could experience it, ranging from the original DMG Game Boy to the deliciously niche Game Boy Micro. Even more appetising: The very last stock physical copies of the original Alentejo: Tinto’s Law were also on sale, to the delight of present collectors.
On a final note, Loading Studios also revealed a teaser for its next project, also Game Boy bound: a military sci-fi adventure based on the 1572 acclaimed Portuguese masterpiece, The Lusiads, by Luís Vaz de Camões. But that is a story for another day.
Alentejo: The Tinto and the Ugly is immediately available to purchase from Loading Studios’ very own itch.io page. If you prefer a physical cartridge to have on your Game Boy shelf, pre-orders are now open from Teknamic Software’s website and will begin to ship in December.