Step off the train into Wild West Town on Facebook

While many games have tried to take on FrontierVille's gameplay style, but have failed to overcome Zynga's massive popularity, it looks like Wild West Town from Clipwire Games might actually have the gameplay necessary to put at least a dent into FrontierVille's player base. Released just four days ago, the game has already amassed over 100,000 players.

While the gameplay here is the established mold created by FrontierVille, having you clear debris and collect supplies for your ever-growing town, there is a wide range of characters here (even a few villains), and a railroad mechanic that do give the game its own identity. To start, you'll create your avatar, and will be given a small plot of land in the middle of the desert - an area called Deadman's Hollow. From there, you'll be greeted by one of the more colorful in-game characters, a bully who won't leave until you've fed him food (for free, mind you).

More friendly characters quickly take his place, along with Ranger Chip (think Frontier Jack), who will show you the ropes of surviving in the desert. New characters will travel in on a train, and you'll need to click on an icon above their head to see what they'll be able to add to your game's story. Meet us behind the break more details about building your own town in the wild west.
You'll be quickly taught how to plant crops and then find water to help those crops grow. This is done by digging for a geyser with your shovel, and then placing a water well on top of your newly discovered geyser. The game's initial portions play out through text-based dialog sessions, and a few simple quests that have you complete construction on your land's dilapidated cabin, build a Bank, and so on. The Bank introduces the concept of premium currency to the game, with one free Bank Note being available each and every day you play the game, just for collecting from your Bank daily.

Quests will last long after the game's introduction, and contain the expected tasks - clear a certain amount of debris, purchase certain animals or decorations, plant specific crops and so on. Most actions you'll complete will cost energy, save for some like watering crops, which is a free action. Some types of debris also take more than one click to remove, but you'll be able to see how many are required before starting to clear them.

As you go along, your inventory will start to fill with your harvested crops and items that you'll receive from your livestock (eggs from chickens, etc.), and you'll be able to sell these items for additional profits. This money can then be used to purchase various buildings for your town, like a Saloon, Sheriff Station, Vegetable Stand, and even an Oil Derrick. While some of your first buildings are completed after simply whacking the frame, eventually, you'll need to gain the help of friends to be staff in your buildings before they'll be open for business.

Technically, Wild West Town has a lot going for it. You'll be able to level up extremely fast as the beginning of the game, constantly raising your maximum amount of energy. On the other hand, there is no bonus meter present, which negates any incentive to click on the many bonus items that appear when completing actions on your land. Additionally, there is no button available to stop your character's cue of actions should you change your mind.

All told, the game's technical differences from FrontierVille add both positives and negatives to the experience. With a clever art style, and a seeming boom in users in such a short time, we can see this one being worth trying at least once, especially if you find yourself stuck on a particular mission in FrontierVille, but you'd still like to play the same type of game.