Peacekeepers

Peacekeepers is a 2D side-scrolling run-and-gun action platformer developed and published by ACS. Released in 1994 for Arcade (ACS Supra System), PlayStation and Sega Saturn.

Peacekeepers takes place in the Wild West, where bounty hunters Billy, Tiago and Jesse must rescue damsel in distress Sally Hawkins from the clutches of the notorious E. Ville. The game is named after the Peacekeeper, the strongest weapon in the game.

Gameplay
In Peacekeepers, the player must traverse through six levels, refferred to in-game as “scenes”, shooting constantly at a continual stream of enemies in order to reach the end of each scene, where they would then face off against a “boss” character: an outlaw, each with different ways to attack and methods to defeat.

The arcade version of the game supports up to three players at once, though a version for two-player cabinets was soon released. Billy (Player 1) and Jesse (Player 3) are armed with revolvers, while Tiago (Player 2) uses a rifle.

The game features three buttons: one for shooting, and one for jumping, and one for throwing sticks of dynamite The game features the ability to shoot in all 8 directions, bearing more resemblance to the shooting in games like Contra and Sunset Riders.

By default, each player starts off with three lives per credit. Getting shot by or touching an enemy outlaw would lead to the player dying and losing a life.

Along the way, players come across various items which increase a player’s score, as well as weapon upgrades that increase the player’s firepower in various ways. The player can also ride on horses in certain areas, which allows players to move around the level faster.

The Heroes

 * Billy McCormick

The player 1 character, armed with a revolver. A notorious bounty hunter who fears no outlaw, Billy is currently in a romantic relationship with a saloon girl named Sally Hawkins. When he heard that Sally was kidnapped by the outlaw E. Ville, he, Tiago and Jesse set out on a quest to take E. Ville down, even if it kills them.


 * Tiago Mendes

The player 2 character, armed with a shotgun. A former Mexican bandido who was spared by Billy and Jesse, Tiago swore by his saviors to fight for the side of justice. When he heard that Sally was kidnapped by the outlaw E. Ville, he, Billy and Jesse set out on a quest to take E. Ville down, even if it kills them.


 * Jesse Hawkins

The player 3 character, armed with a revolver. Billy’s partner-in-crime and Sally’s older brother, Jesse will stop at nothing to protect his sister from everyone that would harm her. When he heard that Sally was kidnapped by the outlaw E. Ville, he, Billy and Tiago set out on a quest to take E. Ville down, even if it kills them.

The Outlaws

 * Sheriff Burns

The corrupt sherriff of Goon Town. He serves as the boss of Scene 1.


 * Tommy Longshot

A hitman armed with a bolt-action rifle. He serves as the boss of Scene 2.


 * Chief Tatanka

The chief of the Indian village. He serves as the boss of Scene 3.


 * Petey Fortune

A greedy prospector. He serves as the boss of Scene 4.


 * Los Diablitos, Rojo y Azul

A pair of Mexican bandido twins. They serve as the boss of Scene 5.


 * Edward Ville

The most feared outlaw in all of the Wild West. He serves as the boss of Scene 6.

Others

 * Sally Hawkins

Billy’s love interest, and Jesse’s sister,who works as a saloon girl. She was kidnapped by the notorious outlaw E. Ville as part of his plans.

Scenes
Boss: Sheriff Burns
 * Scene 1: Goon Town

Boss: Tommy Longshot
 * Scene 2: Runaway Train

Boss: Chief Tatanka
 * Scene 3: Indian Village

Boss: Petey Fortune
 * Scene 4: Gold Mine

Boss: Los Diablos
 * Scene 5: Saloon Showdown

Boss: E. Ville
 * Scene 6: Kingpin’s Palace

Trivia

 * The game was developed by ex-Konami employees who worked on the 1991 run-and-gun shooter Sunset Riders, and was developed as a spiritual successor of the game.


 * The Saturn version of Peacekeepers was praised by critics as an arcade-perfect port of the original. By comparison, the PlayStation version suffers from cut animation frames due to the console’s RAM limitations. The Saturn version was released in all regions, while the PlayStation version was only released in Japan and Europe.


 * Super Nintendo and Sega Genesis ports of the game were planned, but was cancelled shortly thereafter, most likely due to the arrival of the 5th generation consoles shortly after the game's release. Similarly, a 3DO port was also planned, but was later cancelled.