ODW is a top-down action game. Each character has a set of three different attacks such as a spread shot for the Outlaw and an arachnid pet minion for the Whore. Each stage has an objective that must be cleared to spawn the exit to the next level.
In 2018 it got an Updated Re-release on Steam, with one extra level and some further upgrades.
This trope features the following tropes:
- Bonus Dungeon: After clearing the game once, you can access an extra level in the main menu where you must kill 70 enemies. If you do, the Devil lets you pick one out of two random key items as a prize.
- Cap: Stat caps vary per character and increase with each New Game Plus loop.
- Collection Sidequest: You can collect and keep a certain number of key items per playthrough. Each one increases certain stats, but what's interesting is that each one you collect for the first time adds a permanent stat boost for every subsequent run.
- Continuing is Painful: Dying results in a few penalties such as halved money and max HP loss unless you got the key item from giving 20 gold at once to the Prospector character.
- Deal with the Devil: The protagonists die in such a lame way in the story's premise that the Devil tells them to get up and do the job right. At the end of the game the Devil decides to claim the federal gold for himself and leave the player character for dead in Hell unless he's challenged to a round of Poker.
- Drunken Master: Stuart the Drunk can recover 1 HP from drinking booze items. Those are only worth points for the other two characters.
- Game-Over Man: Your character's miserable ghost is shown in the game over screen.
- Gotta Catch 'Em All: You must collect all 4 ace cards to be able to challenge the Devil at Poker and win the game, or else you're locked into the bad ending.
- Intimate Healing: Most levels have a prostitute who'll patch you up once. Each character has to pay a different price, with Blondie being who pays less.
- Luck-Based Mission: To get the good ending and loop the game, you must beat the Devil's hand at Poker.
- Mercy Invincibility: This attribute can be upgraded and doesn't cost much at shops.
Enjoy it. - The Minion Master: Blondie's Gringo Skill calls a pet tarantula or scorpion to help fight nearby enemies.
- Mythology Gag: The Blade of Del Duio relic is a recurring item in the developer's works.
- New Game Plus: After finishing the game with the good ending it loops over until you somehow happen to die or lose the Poker minigame. You can use those loops to max out your stats and unlock as many key items as possible.
- Nintendo Hard: The game is certainly beatable on a first playthrough, but it takes a load of skill and some luck. In any given level you have limited resources to kill a sizable army of enemies who can take two or more bullets and won't fall easily to melee attacks. Most of them have ranged attacks too, so you shouldn't be close and personal with them in the first place. You need to make sure every single shot, item and local prostitute service counts.
- Retraux: The game is rendered in 8-bit esque pixel art.
- Schrödinger's Player Character: The two characters you don't choose to play as have no role in the story.
- Spread Shot: James' Piercin' Shot skill fires in such a way and, as the name implies, even pierces through enemies.
- Status Effects: Characters can get sick or poisoned from certain sources of damage, which is healed by two different items. The Resistance stat determines how likely it is for your character to be unnaffected by them and Blondie, ahem, can have the most of it.
- Unexpected Gameplay Change: The game ends with a single draw of Poker if you manage to find the 4 ace cards.
- Video Game Tutorial: The game features a tutorial option at the main menu.
- Villain Protagonist: The Player Character is out to steal gold from the army.
- "Wanted!" Poster: Once you find one of these, the game asks if you want to turn yourself in to the authorities. If you do so, you lose a 1-Up in exchange for some money. The reward depends on how many enemies you killed and is only really worth it from the second loop on.
