Play in Fullscreen Mode

Learn About the Game Cactus McCoy And the Curse Of Thorn

I first stumbled into Cactus McCoy and the Curse of Thorn on a lazy Sunday afternoon, and let me tell you, it felt like diving headfirst into the wildest spaghetti western mash-up you’ve ever seen—except you’re made of sharp spines. You start off as a swaggering cowboy who’s somehow been cursed into a walking, talking cactus, and the game wastes no time throwing you into a sprawling, desert-bound world full of bandits, skeleton pirates, and mysterious underground caverns. There’s an old-school Metroidvania vibe to it, where every nook might hide a shiny coin stash, a secret passage, or a beefy boss just waiting to knock you back a few screens.

What really won me over is how fluid the platforming feels. You get your trusty whip by the end of the first level, and suddenly you’re cracking skulls from a distance, snagging secret ledges, and stringing together combos that almost feel unfairly satisfying. The maps are cleverly designed to make you backtrack once you’ve picked up new abilities—like a grappling hook or shiny red boots that let you dash through wooden crates—and those “aha!” moments are a big part of the fun. One minute you’re hacking through thorn-guarded tunnels, the next you’re riding a creaky stagecoach across a canyon rim.

The art style is bright and cartoony, but don’t let that fool you—things can get surprisingly challenging. Boss fights range from an enormous undead sheriff riding a ghost horse to a kraken-style sea monster in a flooded mine shaft. They throw in these cheeky little details, too, like skeleton bandits doing a conga line before attacking or treasure chests that pop out random nuisances like exploding barrels. It keeps the tone light and playful, even when you’re grinding through a tough section.

By the time you’re piecing together the shards of the Curse of Thorn and watching it all tie back to Cactus McCoy’s mystery past, you realize this isn’t just another browser platformer. There’s a real sense of progression—both in your moveset and in the lore—and when you finally lift the curse (or at least manage to survive long enough to see the credits), you feel like you’ve earned every single pixelated coin. It’s one of those games you’ll remember long after you close the browser tab.