TL;DR
Step into the boots of a deceased gunslinger in West of Dead, a visually striking roguelike with a killer Ron Perlman narration. Fight your way through an eternity of challenging missions with a diverse arsenal, all wrapped in a gritty, Western aesthetic. While the unique weapon system shines, the game is unfortunately marred by persistent bugs, a punishing level of repetition, and a frustrating aiming mechanic that can quickly lead to defeat. Despite its rough edges, the game's style and Perlman's voice acting make it worth a look, but be prepared for a tough ride. Dive into our full review to see if this afterlife adventure is for you!
“War, war never changes” – the iconic opening line delivered by Ron Perlman in the acclaimed Fallout series – is a major selling point for West of Dead.
You find yourself deceased and thrust into the afterlife. However, your fight continues as a gunslinger tasked with enduring eternity through increasingly challenging missions. Fortunately, you have access to an arsenal of revolvers, rifles, and other weaponry to aid you.
The striking visual style of West of Dead immediately stands out. The character designs are compelling and well-suited to the game’s genre. Furthermore, Ron Perlman’s voice acting initially raises expectations, though these are unfortunately met with some caveats…
Unfortunately, West of Dead suffers from several bugs. During testing on the Xbox One X, the game crashed on three separate occasions. A patch is highly recommended to address these issues. Beyond stability, the game’s design incorporates a punishing level of repetition. Failure results in a return to the beginning of a level, necessitating the repeated acquisition of weapons to progress. This cycle proves exceptionally tedious.
The high frequency of deaths can be attributed, in part, to the aiming mechanic. The implementation, which relies on holding a button to aim and releasing it to fire, is problematic. The isometric perspective exacerbates aiming difficulties. The inability to directly point and shoot, coupled with the need to aim before each shot, often leads to swift and frustrating defeats.
Conversely, the weapon selection system is well-designed. All weapons remain active, with trigger buttons assigned to firearms and bumper buttons controlling axes and other throwable weapons. This provides a fluid and intuitive experience, were it not for the aforementioned aiming complications.
In conclusion, West of Dead boasts a distinctive visual style and benefits significantly from the inclusion of Ron Perlman as the narrator, elevating it from potential obscurity. However, the presence of bugs and the unforgiving game mechanics contribute to an unnecessarily high level of difficulty. Despite these drawbacks, the positive aspects outweigh the negatives, warranting a qualified recommendation.
