Wild Gunman

Wild Gunman is the quick-draw duel from the early days of the NES. An outlaw walks out into the desert, stops and stares at you. Do not move until his eyes flash and he shouts FIRE!!, then shoot before he does. Draw too early and it is a foul. On the NES you needed the Zapper light gun; here your mouse or your finger is the gun, so it plays right in your browser with nothing extra.

More classic NES games: Battle City, Excitebike and Super Mario Bros.

How to play

1. Press Play under the title picture. Pick a mode with Select (V), then click or tap the game, or press Start (Enter).
2. Game A: one outlaw. Game B: two outlaws at once. Game C: a whole gang.
3. Wait. The moment the outlaw’s eyes flash and the FIRE!! bubble appears, aim at him and click or tap.
4. The two timers at the top show your time and the outlaw’s. Beat his time to win the reward; shoot before FIRE and it is a foul.
5. Lose a duel and you lose a life. The outlaws draw faster as you go.

Controls

Computer: the mouse is the Zapper: move it to aim (a small cross shows where) and click to shoot. V is Select and Enter is Start. Move the mouse over the game to show the bar with pause, restart, sound, save state, load state and full screen buttons.

Phone and tablet: tap the outlaw to shoot. Select and Start buttons appear under the game.

When you shoot, the screen flashes for a moment. That is how the real Zapper worked: the game blinks the targets white to see what you hit.

Cheats

Press the magic wand button next to the full screen button above the game. A small panel opens over the game, and the game waits until you close it.

• Unlimited lives: losing a duel never ends the game.

Reloading the page turns the cheats off again.

About Wild Gunman

Gunpei Yokoi made the first Wild Gunman in 1974 for Nintendo, as an arcade light gun machine that played film of a real gunslinger. The Famicom game came out in Japan on 18 February 1984, with the light gun, and in North America on 18 October 1985 as one of the Zapper games of the NES launch. Marty McFly plays it in an arcade in the film Back to the Future Part II.

Frequently asked questions

Is Wild Gunman free to play here?

Yes. You can play it free in your browser on Yes This Game, with no download and no sign-up.

Do I need a Zapper to play Wild Gunman here?

No. Your mouse works as the light gun on a computer, and your finger on a phone or tablet.

Why does it say FOUL?

You shot before the outlaw shouted FIRE. Wait for his eyes to flash and the FIRE!! bubble, then shoot.

Can I play it on my phone?

Yes. On a phone or tablet you tap the outlaw to shoot.

Can I save my progress?

Yes. The bar under the game has save state and load state buttons that keep the game in your browser on this device.