A Devil of a Town.
Silverload is a horror-western point-and-click Adventure Game developed by Millennium Interactive (who would later become Guerrilla Cambridge) and published by Psygnosis (in Europe) and Vic Tokai (in America- under Nova Spring for the PC release). It was released in 1995 for Microsoft Windows, but was given a remake (not a straightforward port) for the PlayStation in 1996.
It's 1879, You are an unnamed Gunslinger just travelling along the western frontier. However, along your travels you come across a trio of strangers camping after they were attacked by, as one sitting by the campfire says, members of a nearby town beyond the storm close who all have strange facial features (notably yellow-ish unnatural eyes). The same survivor explaining all this has one good reason- they took his son. Begging for you to enter the titular mysterious town to rescue the boy, you set off to find and bring him back to his father- but you also got past forgotten ties to the town itself…
Silverload is a strange beast amongst its genre peers. Having an eerie atmosphere built on the backbone of a western, it takes a more stylistic approach to telling its story of a cursed haunted town as one man attempts to fight the conspiring Sheriff and the mysterious Preacher as they also try to stop him from finding the Traveller's son. Using a mixture of visual styles (such as using live action actors to portray certain characters and for certain shots during the climax, but the game itself is pixel-art intensive) to tell bring its story to life, Silverload has become a polarising experience since its release. It suffers from many gameplay issues of the genre during its point in history. That said, the game has a very unique storyline, nightmare-like atmosphere, darker interpretation of western storytelling- It's worth checking out if you like the odd Adventure Game here and there.
This game provides examples of:
- All There in the Manual: While the PlayStation remake has a tone-setting opening FMV, the original release actually has an extended introduction that tells the story of two side characters in how they ended up in Silverload. This also reveals how Carl got bitten before you find him and before you figure out why the townsfolk have those golden eyes.
- Ambiguously Gay: The town's flamboyant barber expresses a possible attraction towards the Gunslinger.
- Animal Eye Spy: The Preacher can see through the eyes of the vultures around town, allowing him to spy on the Gunslinger from afar.
- Badass Normal: The Gunslinger is a skilled, but otherwise ordinary cowboy who manages to fight off vampires, werewolves, and evil cultists.
- Betting Mini-Game: The best (and only) way to make money in the town is to play a game called Snake Bite with the local gambler. If you play the game using loaded dice, the player can ensure their victory every time.
- Big Bad: The Preacher, who is behind Ben's kidnapping and everything else going on within the town.
- Bittersweet Ending: You manage to save the Stranger's kid and escape the town as the great spirit destroys it. You also manage to avenge your parents by killing the Sheriff and Preacher, who caused everything to begin with. However, Shelia and her father are now dead. Leo and Carl's fates are left unclear, though it is likely that Leo managed to escape before Wolfstar destroys Silverload (and since Carl became a monster, he likely died in the destruction).
- Blessed with Suck: Thanks to the curse, the townsfolk are now virtually immortal and superhuman. However, they are incapable of leaving the town's boarders and are now harmed by the silver they once coveted. Very few of them are happy with their new monstrous existences.
- Buried Alive: One of the fates that can befall the player if they run afoul of the Sheriff.
- Cold-Blooded Torture: The Mayor mentions in his journal that the Preacher once punished one of his subordinates by sprinkling silver dust in his open wounds.
- Cool Versus Awesome: Cowboys vs. vampires and werewolves.
- Dark and Troubled Past: The Gunslinger, upon The Reveal.
- Disproportionate Retribution: Implied. The player finds the body of a hanged man outside the town, and, if the loaded dice in his pocket are anything to go by, it appears that he was sentenced to death over cheating at gambling.
- Does This Remind You of Anything?: After being forced to serve as the Sheriff's mistress, Sheila was infected by him with The Virus. Late into the game, if the player decides to sleep with her without wearing a silver locket as protection, they will also be infected.
- Eye Scream: In one of their many deaths, the Gunslinger has his eyes torn out by the Preacher's vultures.
- Feathered Fiend: The many vultures that watch over the town also happen to be the Preacher's minions.
- Fixing the Game: The only way to ensure that you don't lose all your money playing Snake Bite is to use loaded dice, which will ensure your victory every time. However, the player can only do this so many times before the gambler gets wise.
- Genocide Backfire: The Preacher and his men annihilated a local Native American tribe after convincing the townsfolk that they were vile creatures. This resulted in the sole survivor, a Native Shaman, cursing him and the entire town.
- Gorn: The various death screens show the Gunslinger with his throat slashed out, mutilated by vultures, and being torn apart from the inside by a voodoo doll.
- Horror Hunger: The inhabitants of Silverload are cursed to feed on the flesh of humans passing by to survive.
- Human Sacrifice: The reason why Ben was kidnapped by the settlers to begin with. The Preacher intends to sacrifice him to satanic powers so that he can escape Silverload. It's implied that he has tried to do this to other children in the past.
- Magical Native American: Silverload and its inhabitants were cursed by a Native Shaman as revenge for the townsfolk murdering his entire tribe. Downplayed in the case of The Gunslinger, who is capable of communicating with Wolfstar and the spirit trapped within a skull, but is otherwise Badass Normal.
- Ms. Fanservice: Sheila, the Sheriff's unwilling mistress, who is scantily clad throughout most of her appearances.
- My Instincts Are Showing: Many of the townsfolk the Gunslinger can interact with have moments of showing their more monstrous traits, usually whenever they get close to his neck.
- Nighttime Transformation: Many of the town's residents transform into bloodthirsty creatures by night. The player can find this out firsthand, if they don't have the foresight to lock their doors against them.
- Our Werebeasts Are Different: During the climax of the Playstation remake, The Preacher transforms into a vulture-like creature to battle The Gunslinger.
- Our Werewolves Are Different: The many werewolves that appear throughout the game vary from being furrier, more beastial humans to hulking wolf monsters; implied to be the result of the curse affecting the townsfolk in different ways.
- The Many Deaths of You: If you fail to account for any situation that might arise ( such as you not putting on the goggles before traversing through the storm.), you will die. The game has a surprisingly decent amount of ways to perish.
- Settling the Frontier: The events of the story are set off by the inhabitants of Silverload deciding to set up a silver-mining town in Injun Country. Naturally, things do not go as planned.
- Shotgun Wedding: The Sheriff forced Sheila to become his mistress by threatening to kill her father.
- Showdown at High Noon: The final battle between the Gunslinger and the Sheriff.
- Silver Bullet: By the end of the game, the Gunslinger fashions silver bullets to use against the townsfolk. The Preacher, the Sheriff and their men also use silver bullets to keep the townsfolk in line.
- Small-Town Tyrant: Both the Preacher and the Sheriff.
- Smoking Barrel Blowout: The Gunslinger is shown blowing out his gun after each shootout in the original PC release.
- Spoiler Opening: In the original PC release, the opening sequence spoils many events that the remake does not, including the true monstrous nature of the townsfolk, the Preacher's massacre of the Native American tribe, and Carl Whitehead's transformation into a vampire.
- Resist the Beast: Carl Whitehead is seen fighting to resist his newfound bloodlust after being sired by one of the townsfolk.
- The Reveal: What has the Gunslinger forgotten about? His parents were murdered by the Sheriff by the order of the Preacher decades ago, which his mother had to leave him behind to save him from a brutal fate. Alongside the common man's rage against his kind, The Gunslinger was so traumatised to forget about it before becoming who he is now.
- Tragic Monster: Carl Whitehead ends up being infected by one of the townsfolk and spends the rest of his time struggling to hold onto his humanity, determined to kill himself before he can hurt anyone. Sheila also detests what she has become after being infected with the curse.
- Troubling Unchildlike Behavior: The Gunslinger encounters two children playing with something outside. Inspecting closer will reveal that their toy is a piglet carcass, and that the children themselves are quite monstrous.
- Unexpected Gameplay Change: In the PlayStation remake, there are a few 3D sequences that have Gunslinger aim and fire at the enemies he faces throughout the story. Contrasted with the straightforward original version's point-and-click mechanics. It does massively change how certain scenes play out, most notably with the climax.
- Vampire Hickey: Shelia unintentionally gives one to the player if they are not wearing the silver locket to protect them.
- The Virus: Anyone bitten by one of the townsfolk will transform into a monster like them, as Carl Whitehead and the player can be unfortunate enough to find out.
- Voodoo Doll: The Preacher tries to use one to kill the Gunslinger on the second day. He will succeed if the player is unable to find the doll and destroy it.
- Wolves Always Howl at the Moon: The first thing the Mayor does after transforming into a werewolf is howl at the full moon.
