Weird West – Review
Our Score: 8/10
Dishonored and Prey creators return with a new immersive sim that immerses you in the Weird West and its characters’ interwoven fates.
Re-imagine the Wild West as an epic tale of justice and lawlessness. Where lawmen and gunslingers co-exist with mythical beasts on the frontier. As you navigate your way through the story of a strange band of heroes, the choices you make in this harsh nation will become legend.
In this series of high-stakes adventures, every decision matters and the world reacts to your decisions. Each voyage is unique and personalised to the actions taken. Make your own legends in the Weird West by forming a posse or venturing off on your own.
Journey To The Weird West
Players take on the roles of five interconnected protagonists in a spooky Wild West populated by creatures from your nightmares. Like pigmen who are stitched together and sirens that won’t hesitate to cannibalize you as you progress through the game.
You’re playing in an immersive virtual world, you’ll be forced to try new things. Even swap allegiances between the many factions that populate it, thanks to this protagonist swapping mechanism. New side content and places are produced with each save so that players can experiment with different builds and weapons.
Your Actions Have Consequences
Everything in Weird West is built around the premise that consequences matter. If a town’s population is decimated, new factions or supernatural foes will move in. Do a favour to a stranger, and you’ll get back in the future when they’re ready to support you in war. If you leave a member of an opposing gang alive, they will declare a vendetta against you and go on the hunt for you. One of your posse members may leave or perhaps attempt to kill you if you do too many morally questionable actions.
When it comes to combat, this interactivity extends to a rather simple twin-stick shooter system, adding variable after variable. By collecting and redeeming Nimp Relics, you can unlock a wide range of powers, from fanning the hammer on your six-shooter to firing a silent but lethal shot with your rifle. When it comes to killing enemies, nothing beats the satisfaction of setting a guard on fire with an explosive barrel kicked from a ledge, or the satisfaction of firing through flames to incinerate foes. When it comes to battle in Weird West, imaginative gamers will have an absolute blast.
The Look of the Weird West
Weird West as a whole takes a lot of inspiration from spaghetti westerns and that’s also present in the audiovisual feel of the game. It isn’t a one-to-one reimagination because it is the weird west after all. But the merging of the “west” with the oddities of the inhuman world is great. It makes the world feel more authentic and lived in.
Final Verdict
Weird West is an incredible immersive sim. Melding the Wild West with the supernatural is an interesting concept. And the choices you make shape the world which is fantastic to see as you progress in the game. It’s reminiscent of the old-school CRPGs.
