Lead and Gold: Gangs of the Wild West is a team-oriented, class-based Third-Person Shooter developed by Swedish studio Fatshark and published by Paradox Interactive.
Set in The Wild West, the game pits two gangs against each other in a variety of game modes. What sets it apart is the synergy mechanic. A blaster grants nearby gang members a defense buff, whereas a deputy has a damage buff. As a player gains levels, their synergy gets more effective. As a result, players are encouraged to stick together rather than go it alone.
The game was released on April 8th, 2010 for PC, and for PlayStation 3 a month later.
Lead and Gold provides examples of the following tropes:
- Booby Trap: The trapper's special ability is setting up bear traps.
- Clueless Deputy: Inverted, as the deputy class can tag and track enemy players to the point where they can be seen through walls.
- Critical Hit: All weapons have a low chance to do extra damage. Being near a friendly trapper will increase the chance.
- Dueling Games: Released a month before another Western-themed game with team-based multiplayer.
- Ghost Town: Several maps are towns that are devoid of human life with the exception of the players.
- Guide Dang It!: A deputy can remove tags put on his gangmates by an enemy deputy, but you'd never know unless you went digging for a dev post in the forums.
- Guns Akimbo: Averted. All classes have just one six-shooter. Even the gunslinger, who uses his as a primary weapon.
- The Gunslinger: A class in the game that leans towards Type B, using his Fanning ability to fire off every shot as fast as possible.
- Logical Weakness: The trapper's synergy is often rendered useless because, as a sniper, she'll be farther away from the battle than her allies.
- The Power of Friendship: The synergy mechanic makes you more powerful if you stick with friends. You also regenerate health faster as well.
- There Is No Kill Like Overkill: Normally a player will fall to the ground when they run out health, but they can be revived by a fellow gangmate. Do enough damage with the killing blow and they'll be instantly killed instead.
- Token Minority: The deputy is black and the trapper is female.
- Unstable Equilibrium: The gang that does well is going to get more experience, which in turn boosts their synergies and lets them fight even better. This isn't too dramatic, as there are a number of ways to get experience without fighting.
- Walk It Off: Very slow when alone, almost to the point where it may be faster to just die and respawn if you're close enough to death. Get close to even one friendly player, however, and it speeds up dramatically.
