It’s the year 3030, and the Wild West has changed quite a bit since the days of dusty saloons and cattle rustlers. The outlaws are now aliens, the local troublemakers have access to advanced weaponry, and your trusty six-shooter is competing with laser blasts and robotic enemies. Unfortunately, some things never change. There’s still a gang terrorizing the county, the law isn’t doing a particularly good job of stopping them, and somebody needs to ride into town and clean up the mess. Looks like it’s time to dust off your cowboy hat and teach a few extraterrestrials how things are done in the West.
Cowboy 3030 is a third-person roguelite shooter from Soy Boy Games that combines classic Western shootouts with futuristic weapons, alien outlaws, and 3D bullet-hell combat. Released into Early Access in May 2024 before reaching version 1.0 that December, it sends players into Hololasso County to take down the Nebularos, a gang of alien criminals and robots causing trouble across the region.
With several playable bounty hunters, randomized upgrades, and four-player online co-op, it’s a strange little combination of Risk of Rain 2-style action and old-fashioned gunslinging.
This Town Ain’t Big Enough for the Both of Us
The first thing you’ll discover about Cowboy 3030 is that the aliens aren’t interested in a fair fight. Rather than challenging you to a duel at high noon, enemies attack from multiple directions, filling the battlefield with bullets, lasers, and other projectiles that you’ll need to dodge while returning fire.
Combat takes place from a third-person perspective, with movement and positioning playing a major role in keeping your bounty hunter alive. You’ll encounter enemies with different attack patterns, including snipers capable of landing precise shots and bosses that unleash sweeping waves of red lasers.
The gang leaders are especially dangerous. One of the game’s notable bosses, the Blade Mistress, provides a serious test of your ability to avoid incoming attacks while finding opportunities to deal damage. It’s a little different from the Western movies, where the hero usually survives by drawing their revolver faster than everyone else. Here, being quick on the trigger won’t help much if you’re standing directly in the path of a laser barrage.
Six-Shooters, Shotguns, and Some Questionable Cowboy Technology
One of the game’s strengths is its cast of bounty hunters, each equipped with different weapons and special abilities. Calix is your close-range gunslinger, armed with a revolver and abilities that encourage aggressive play. His Electro Lasso can strike multiple enemies, while Flash Bang gives him a way to disrupt opponents when things get crowded.
Keri uses a long-range marksman rifle to pick off enemies from a safer distance. Her Electro Screen can amplify shots, while the Bowling Bomb provides a more explosive way to deal with groups. Then there’s Teri, who prefers getting up close with a shotgun. Her Magnetic Grappler pulls enemies toward her, and Electric Shock can stun them before they get a chance to retaliate.
Later additions expanded the roster further. Otto arrived during Early Access as a specialist in automatic weapons, bringing machine guns, a Frost Bomb, and a Quick Reload ability into the mix. The full release also introduced Sam, Hololasso County’s doctor, whose abilities include throwing scalpels and using a poison-filled petri dish.
A New Build Every Time You Saddle Up
As with any good roguelite, your chances of survival improve as you collect upgrades and experiment with different builds. Cowboy 3030 uses a randomized progression grid that changes between runs, presenting different perks and improvements for your weapons and abilities.
That means you can’t rely on finding exactly the same upgrades every time. You could discover a combination that turns your revolver into an impressive close-range weapon, only to find yourself working with an entirely different set of bonuses on your next attempt.
The game also introduced a badge system during Early Access, adding permanent progression without completely changing how individual runs work. You can unlock badges by completing missions and equip up to four before starting a run. Their effects include making barrels drop coins, providing additional weapon rewards from bosses, and letting you reroll the progression grid.
It’s a useful way to make your next attempt a little more promising, especially after you’ve spent the previous run discovering just how many different ways an alien can shoot you.
The Wild West Is Better With a Posse
If tackling the Nebularos alone sounds like a bad idea, you can bring up to three friends along for the ride. The game supports four-player online co-op, letting different bounty hunters combine their abilities against the alien gangs. A team could have Keri picking off distant threats while Teri charges into close-range combat, with Calix and the other characters providing additional firepower.
Of course, adding more players also means more opportunities for somebody to get caught in a boss attack while everyone else is busy trying to survive. For players looking for an additional challenge, the Havoc system introduces tougher encounters. An August 2024 update expanded it with new boss options, including Iron Taurus, Shadow Beak, and Rustlord.
These encounters give experienced players something more demanding to tackle after becoming familiar with the standard enemies.
Is Cowboy 3030 Worth Saddling Up For?
Cowboy 3030 has earned a Very Positive overall rating on Steam, with approximately 87% of its user reviews recommending the game. It’s a relatively small review pool, but the reception suggests this unusual Western has found an appreciative audience. The game is available on Windows, supports controllers, and has a free demo for anyone who wants to try the combat before buying.
Its appeal lies in the combination of fast-paced shooting, character-specific abilities, and randomized progression, with the futuristic Western setting giving it a personality of its own. If you enjoy third-person roguelite shooters and fancy trading medieval dungeons for alien-infested frontier towns, Cowboy 3030 is worth a try.