Lone McLonegan Switch Review – The Most Wanted Outlaw Around!

Lone McLonegan is a game that just sprung up on us out of nowhere earlier this month, and this old school point-and-click adventure is a riot that clearly borrows from some classics in the genre. Stylized as Lone McLonegan: A Western Adventure, we follow the antics of the former top outlaw Lone as he attempts to become “The Most Wanted Outlaw In The Wild West” once again!

So does Lone McLonegan have what it takes to accomplish his goals? Or does this outlaw need to hang up his boots for good? Let’s find out!

The story of Lone McLonegan is a super-fun one. Very similar to other popular point-and-click classics, Lone McLonegan never takes itself seriously, and it simply takes you on an adventure that is silly and absurd in all the right ways. Lone finds out that he is no longer the most wanted outlaw in the West, so he straps his boots on, jumps on a coach, and makes his way to Oldewell in order to reestablish himself as the top outlaw by stealing from the new top outlaw.

The entire game can be played in one sitting, as it is not very long. However, it is a riot from start to finish, with some ridiculous characters, plenty of shenanigans, and lots of goofy conversations that strongly entertain throughout. Point-and-clicks need a strong and entertaining story, and Lone McLonegan does this in spades. From the very first encounter in Oldewell where you get a double-barrel shotgun put into your face to the endless amount of colorful characters throughout, it never seems to let down once the ball starts rolling.

Lone is a fantastic lead, too, and the way he dialogs with you, particularly, is top-tier. Any time you try to do something silly like kick a cow farmer, Lone will question your intelligence in a wonderfully comical way. He is also the right amount of silly for this type of game, and he is a joy to follow throughout. The only issue I have with him is that he is not voiced at all. I know voice work would cost a lot more, but I think this game would have benefited tremendously from some solid voice work, particularly for Lone.

Where Lone McLonegan struggles a bit is in its counterintuitive gameplay and poor interface. There are times in the game where things just do not make sense, and when you finally try enough options to figure it out, your brain just wants to explode. Thankfully, this is not always the case, but when it does happen, it is quite frustrating and does not feel like the player’s fault at all but poor design. As for the interface and controls, it also works fine for the most part, but switching to the right action (Look, Interact, Kick, etc) becomes tedious when the options could be presented more easily. Some times important objects or places to search are hidden to a degree, which also feels like poor design as certain clues can be unfortunately missed.

Despite those issues, the game plays well throughout, and since the whole game takes place in Oldewell (And a few smaller areas just outside), most of your time will be returning to the town where your rival is and trying to take back your place as the most wanted outlaw in the wild west.

The art style in Lone McLonegan is fantastic. It has that old-school point-and-click look and feel about it, while also bringing this fusion of the old west with some modern touches that add to the comedy. An alarm system in a bank yet there is no electricity? Yeah. It is that kind of absurdity that makes the look of the game so fun and unique. The soundtrack is equally great with some excellent blues and country riffs filling the air space while you search for clues and talk to the wild citizens of Oldewell.

Lone McLonegan is a fun and incredibly entertaining point-and-click adventure. It may not be the longest nor does it have a lot of replay value, but the characters are wonderful and the story is really well told despite its absurdity. Some of the puzzles could have been better designed, but overall, the experience is a worthwhile one.

Lone is a character that definitely deserves a few more rounds, and I think Lone McLonegan: A Western Adventure is only the first in a potential line of Lone McLonegan stories. If future iterations improved upon the interface and expanded the world around Lone, we could see a new point-and-click protagonist that is on par with one like Grim Fandango, but as it stands now, our outlaw is just above average with a lot of potential.

Lone McLonegan Review provided by Nintendo Link
Review also found on OpenCritic
Publisher: Flynn’s Arcade
Developer: Sonomio Games
Release Date: November 4th, 2021
Price: $9.99, £9.99, €9,99
Game Size: 1.8 GB