Portuguese Sharpshooter Gildo Returns To The Game Boy In ‘Alentejo: The Tinto And The Ugly’

Loading Studios, not happy to secure a place in their country’s video game history by producing the first physical Portuguese version of a Game Boy Alentejo: Tinto’s law earlier this year, now returns to the 8-bit fray with a bigger sequel.

Alentejo: The Tinto and the Ugly once again puts the player in the well-worn western boots of Gildo, who is now accompanied by Dolores, a love interest and fearless cowgirl, in their continuing quest to free Alentejo County from the clutches of the exceptionally cruel and corrupt vineyard owner, Baron Tinto.

Like the first game, this top-down action RPG lets you explore Alentejo Portuguese traditions and culture while confronting outlaws and the Baron’s evil deeds and helping the people of small villages spread across the game’s map.

Having been invited to the launch presentation and release day party (October 25), we had the opportunity to speak directly with the developers and were able to experience the new features of this ambitious sequel, including new gameplay mechanics such as the riding sections between zones and the all-new gun duel battles which allow Gildo to take out troublesome opponents if your reflexes are up to par.

This time, the exploration will also take the player beneath the Alentejo, with several puzzle-filled mines to tackle, and even beyond the county, as the action takes our intrepid gunslinger hero across the Spanish border.

One of the most memorable sections involves a train heist, with its own unique gameplay style. Maybe it’s our nostalgia, but we certainly loved exploring the game in the proper way to play it on a TV screen: using the Super Game Boy on the Super Nintendo.

During the presentation, several Game Boy models were also present with the game for attendees to experience, ranging from the original DMG Game Boy to the delightfully niche Game Boy Micro. Even more appetizing: the very last physical copies of the original Alentejo: Tinto’s law were also on sale, to the delight of current collectors.

Finally, Loading Studios also revealed a teaser for its next project, also tied to the Game Boy: a military sci-fi adventure based on the acclaimed 1572 Portuguese masterpiece, The Lusiads, by Luís Vaz de Camões. But that’s a story for another day.

Alentejo: Tinto and the Ugly is immediately available for purchase on Loading Studios’ itch.io page. If you’d rather have a physical cartridge on your Game Boy shelf, pre-orders are now open on the Teknamic Software website and will begin shipping in December.