Chilam Balam is a collection of Mayan books, containing scientific information as well as prophecies and esoteric lore. The story of the game eventually reveals a connection to these mysterious books, but it begins in a more prosaic way. Set in the American Wild West (with fictional locations), it follows the story of Wilfred R. Anderson, or simply Fred. His father left him a gift, a seemingly ordinary gun. But one day, Fred’s sweetheart Christina is kidnapped; the ransom note proposes a meeting in a saloon in another town, and demands that gun in exchange for Christina’s freedom. Fred and his friend Max and Edward head to the other town - and that is just the beginning of a very long journey, that will force the young men to face grave dangers and unspeakable supernatural forces.
The stand-out feature of Libros de Chilam Balam is its unusual Wild West setting. In other aspects, the game plays like a typical Japanese RPG, particularly similar to Phantasy Star series (the battles with abstract backgrounds and over-the-head view of the characters remind of Phantasy Star II). Characters can equip guns, but the way weapons are handled is no different from a standard Japanese RPG. The heroes roam the top-down world and fight random monsters in turn-based combat; there are even magic spells of various kinds - healing, supporting, and offensive. As in most Japanese RPGs, leveling up is automatic.
