Cactus McCoy and the Curse of Thorns is a 2D Flash Platforming/Beat-em-up series developed by Flipline Studios.
The first game is that on a routine treasure hunt, due to missing warning symbols, McCoy takes the cursed Thorned Emerald and thus, is transformed into a walking cactus by the ancient Curse of Thorns. His mission is simple — to return the emerald to its true home by following the map pieces. If he fails this quest, the curse will eventually turn him into a lifeless stone cactus — just like the last foolish person. Complicating his quest are the army of Enemigos employed by the four-armed Hex Hatfield, who wishes to have the emerald for his own greedy purposes.
Brawl, gun, and platform your way through the swarms of Enemigos and the terrain's natural traps. All across journey, you will find and master a multitude of weaponry ranging from machetes to bombs to even squirt guns. As you complete levels, you will gain the missing map pieces that will guide you to the emerald's true resting place (and the rest of the levels). As you beat Enemigos, you gain money and/or their weapons (temporarily). Of course, the money you can gain can be increased drastically by juggling enemies repeatedly. You can then use that money to upgrade all the different stats available — such as punching strength, sword strength, etc. Master all these techniques, gain the five hidden treasures in each level, and complete all the achievements to make a path towards victory and dispelling the curse!
Eventually, an epic showdown between McCoy and Hatfield takes place, and with Hatfield defeated, the former finally restored the Emerald to its rightful place... Or not.
The second game titled Cactus McCoy 2: The Ruins of Calavera follows up our story as after the events of the first game, McCoy is now a seasoned treasure hunter (but is still half-cactus, because why not?). He encounters a mysterious winged woman who reveals herself to be Ella Windstorm, the Last of Her Kind. Together they plan on taking back Ella's ancestral treasures, but not before being interrupted by Dark Action Girl Malana Mire, who along with her Enemigos and the Evil Duo of Alpaca Jack and Dumbbell, also plot to steal Ella's treasure by kidnapping her. Cactus McCoy must again punch his way of trouble to rescue Ella as Malana Mire also seeks a weapon which can prove deadly under her control...
Needs wiki magic love.
Cactus McCoy provides examples of:
- 100% Completion: Good luck with that. There are multiple upgrades, 60 hidden treasures, 60 challenges to complete, and 80 badges to earn in total.
- In the sequel, there are only 60 badges, but that's mainly because the weapon mastery badges have been lumped together by type. There are now 75 weapons.
- Ambiguously Human: Plenty. The titular character is a humanoid cactus, after enduring the "Curse of Thorns". We have to guess to what extent it affects his everyday life.
- Hex Hatfield has two pairs of arms. Downplayed, as they actually come from another "curse" linked to his coat (see "Badass Longcoat" below).
- The Enemigos have undistinctive pitch-black features beneath their clothes, only revealing their eyes, but it's never clarified if it is their natural skin, body paint, or full undersuits (unless they're deliberately depicted featureless so we won't mind to punch them).
- In the sequel, we learn about the ancient people of Volados and Reptaras. While the Volados have feathered wings, seemingly allowing them to fly, the Reptaras have no extraordinary feature, beyond their dark gray skin, white hair and eyes without pupils.
- Badass Cape: The titular character's cape.
- Badass Longcoat: As mentioned above, Hex Hatfield's "Coat of arms", a crimson vest with four sleeves, which give him an additional pair of arms.
- Bad with the Bone: A bone can be used as a weapon in both games.
- Batter Up!: Bats can be used in the first game.
- Boulder Bludgeon: Large boulders appear in some levels, and can be thrown at enemies to hurt them.
- Breakable Weapons: Every weapon has a certain durability or number of uses left. Though, the number depends on the weapon and weapon type. Of course, depending on the weapon type, using it may or may not deplete the number of uses. Melee weapons degrade when they hit something. Projectiles, guns, and (in the sequel) thrusting weapons, like the chainsaw, degrade when fired or thrown.
- The Brute: Dumbell, from the second game.
- Cactus Person: McCoy is transformed into a cactus man in the intro.
- Cartoon Bomb: The fuse bombs in the second game.
- Chain Pain: A chain can be used as a whip in both games.
- Chainsaw Good: A chainsaw can be used in the second game.
- Cool Train: The train is the theme of many of the levels. Check Rustler Railroad, Midnight Express, Deadridge Railway and Southwind Express in the sequel.
- Crowbar Combatant: A crowbar can be used in both games.
- Cursed with Awesome:
- The protagonist. He is a walking, punching cactus man!
- The big bad from the first is mentioned to be "cursed" with an extra pair of arms. Flipline's wiki
explicitely mentions it's hardly a curse to be able to wield swords and two pistols at the same time.
- Edible Bludgeon: McCoy can throw eggs at enemies in the second game. There's even a badge for killing ten enemies with them.
- Epic Flail: The meteor weapon.
- Explosive Stupidity: The proximity mines in the second game make this possible.
- Grenade Launcher: Appears in the second game, along with a tear gas variant.
- Grenade Spam: Grenades appear in the first game, and McCoy can throw twenty-one of them before running out.
- Grievous Bottley Harm: Bottles are throwing weapons in the second game.
- Harpoon Gun: Appears in both games.
- Hoist by His Own Petard: You can (and must if you want an area challenge) gun down Alpaca Jack with his own firearm.
- Hooks and Crooks: The tow chain and meat hooks.
- Infinity +1 Sword: After getting 100% completion in Cactus McCoy 2, the Serpent Blade is added to your arsenal. It kills normal enemies in one hit, and can take out the first boss in about six. It's also incredibly durable. In Cactus McCoy 1, it is Hatfield's pistol, which becomes a bit more common in Cactus McCoy 2.
- Knows the Ropes: A rope can be used as a whip in both games. In the second game, it's only available in the last level and is required to complete an area challenge.
- Lethal Joke Weapon: The Squirt Gun has a crazy fast fire rate, is just as strong as the other pistols, and has tons of ammo. Of course, it's only available at the very end of one normal level and hidden in a maze that requires a good bit of platform puzzling to even enter in the final level.
- Locked into Strangeness: At the end of the first game, McCoy manages to return the emerald to its original place and undo the curse, but he remains stuck as a cactus person permanently.
- Machete Mayhem: Machetes appear in both games.
- Pipe Pain: One of the first weapons encountered in both games.
- Plunger Detonator: Appears in the second game, most prominently in Calamity Cave.
- Powerful Pick: Pickaxes can be wielded as weapons, usually in mine levels.
- Primitive Clubs: A club appears as a weapon in the first game, and there is a badge titled "Prehistoric" for killing fifteen enemies with one.
- Shout-Out: A few badge and challenge names are these:
- A badge for killing eleven enemies by throwing chickens at them is "Eleven Herbs and Spices".
- A badge for killing thirty enemies with a bazooka is "Rockets' Red Glare".
- A badge for killing thirty enemies with an axe is "Heeeere's McCoy".
- A badge for killing thirty enemies with a banjo is "Dueling Banjos".
- An area challenge in the second game for killing twelve enemies with a fly trap in Makopa Jungle is "Feed me, McCoy!".
- Shovel Strike: A common weapon in both games.
- Sinister Scythe: They can be used in both games. The Serpent Blade is a double-ended version.
- This Is a Drill: Power drills can be weaponized in the second game.
