Action · November 20, 2013

Desperados: Wanted Dead or Alive (2013)

local_offer-75% current discountgroup100k–1M ownersrecommend2.0k recommendations
'Desperados: Wanted Dead or Alive' is the first strategy game ever to combine a movie-based and story-driven atmosphere of an adventure game with the intellectual challenge of a real time tactic game. In this western-style title, discover a game of strategy and tactics played out in exceptional real time. You're in charge of a team of 6 mercenaries and must find a way to complete your missions, be it infiltrating an enemy fortress, saving a team member or escaping an ambush... Combine the different skills of your 6 heroes to lead them to victory. The Story El Paso, a typical Wild West town in the southwestern United States near the Mexican border. It is the year 1881. For the last few months, the trains belonging to the famous railroad company, Twinnings & Co have been the target of a whole series of hold-ups and ambushes. The management of the company has decided enough is enough and they have to put an end to the raids. It has offered a reward of $15,000 for anyone who captures the leader of the gang responsible. But no one in and around El Paso has the courage to take on the might of the bandidos, so the outlaws just keep on robbing train after train. Even the local Marshal is keeping well out of it. It’s only when a stranger rides into town that things start to change. Bounty hunter John Cooper pays a visit to the local Twinnings & Co manager offering to end the railroad company’s problems once and for all. He gathers together a gang of his old partners and declares war on the bandidos. But during his pursuit, which will take him through half of the southwestern United States, Cooper soon discovers that on this mission nothing is quite what it seems... Key Features More than 20 enemies with different profiles, from the lazy and cowardly bandit, to the fearsome mercenary. A team of 6 characters, each with their own very distinct characteristics, to manage in real time. 25 different levels provide nail-biting intrigue, with cinematic transition scenes and landscapes that will take your breath away. Amazing artificial intelligence! Each enemy is ranked on 10 different criteria, including intelligence, courage, marksmanship, resistance to alcohol, etc. An array of different settings: day-time, night-time, storms, dusk, villages, ghost towns, fortresses, gold mines, saloons, prisons, boats 6 training levels to allow the player to really get into the story

Action releases from 2013

104 Action titles launched in 2013 — top 6 by review volume.

Peer Action titles

Comparable titles in the same genre and review-volume band — ranked by Steam positive percentage.

Position in Action

MetricThis titleGenre position
Review volume2.2k Steam reviewsTop 94% in Action
Positive rating88% positiveGenre average: 83% — this title sits in top 46%
Metacritic78/100Genre average 77 — top 52% of Action titles
Engagement hours7 h averageTop 59% for session depth among Action

Community Tag Signals

Tag weights reflect how many Steam users voted each descriptor — larger pills = stronger consensus.

  • Strategy · 102
  • Western · 93
  • Tactical · 79
  • Isometric · 65
  • Action · 63
  • Stealth · 61
  • Real Time Tactics · 38
  • Singleplayer · 38
  • Classic · 29
  • Atmospheric · 20
  • Real-Time · 19
  • RTS · 17
  • Difficult · 15

Localization Coverage

Interface / Subtitles (6)

  • English volume_up
  • French volume_up
  • Italian volume_up
  • German volume_up
  • Spanish - Spain volume_up
  • Russian volume_up

Full audio (6)

  • English
  • French
  • Italian
  • German
  • Spanish - Spain
  • Russian

Reception Metrics

Steam community

88%Very Positive · 2.2k reviews

2.0k positive · 267 negative

Metacritic

78/100 critic aggregate

Open Metacritic page

Metacritic user score

8.9/10

Curator recommendations

2.0k

Press Quotes

“An incredibly fun and stylish game.” 8.1/10 – IGN “An engaging storyline, high-quality cut-scenes, a cast of unique heroes and a whole stampede of missions make Desperados a shining silver star.” 83 % – GameSpy “More than twenty missions guarantee nice and long fun.” 8.9/10 – ActionTrip

Release & Availability

Release dateNov 20, 2013
DeveloperSpellbound
PublisherTHQ Nordic
Base price$1.24 -75%
PlatformsWindows, macOS, Linux
Estimated owners100k–1M
External linksMetacritic page · [email protected]

Engagement Profile

All-time avg

7h

short (5–15 hours)

Median

4h

Typical completion time

Editions & Packages

  • Buy Desperados: Wanted Dead or Alive