West of Dead Reviews

[h1] Leggi la recensione completa: [/h1] https://criticalglitch0.wordpress.com/2025/03/19/quando-mike-mignola-incontra-il-lontano-west/ ■ STORIA ■ Plot ------------------■■▢▢▢ Personaggi -----------■■▢▢▢ Dialoghi --------------■■▢▢▢ ■ GAMEPLAY ■ Combattimenti -------■■■▢▢ Non Combattimenti --■■▢▢▢ U.I. -------------------■■▢▢▢ Giocabilità -----------■■■▢▢ ■ CONTENUTI ■ Mondo ---------------■■■▢▢ Obbiettivi ------------■■▢▢▢ Boss -----------------■■▢▢▢ Puzzle ---------------■▢▢▢▢ ■ STYLE ■ Visual ---------------■■■■■ Musica --------------■■■■▢ Suoni ----------------■■■▢▢ ■ VALORE ■ ■■■▢▢

POOPS

If you are a fan of this genre of game. It is a nice one to check out!

Western style rogue-like with awesome art style and cool mechanics would definitely recommend!

good game but good god the outlaws and preachers are so annoying to fight its not even funny

had potential game looked good but the controls are clunky and the games art style makes it hard to see enemies it was an ok experience up until i reached the first boss it was very underwhelming as you spend most of the time spam dodging until you can shoot mid game

Gameplay is really clunky, could be so good with a few tweaks, the dodging and shooting just feels slow.

Overall: 7/10 Story: In West of Dead, you step into the boots of William Mason, a marshal who meets an untimely death at the hands of a shady, corrupt preacher and finds himself stuck in purgatory. What follows is a gritty, supernatural Western revenge tale with you blasting your way through various procedurally generated dungeons to get your shot at justice (or vengeance, depending on how you look at it.) The narrative isn't overly complex, and honestly, it doesn't need to be. It’s a straightforward concept: fight through the underworld, kill anything that stands in your way, and ultimately track down and take out the man who put you here in the first place. It’s simple, but it works well with the game’s grimy Western aesthetic and tone. A big part of what makes the story land, at least for me, is the performance by Ron Perlman as Mason. His voice is perfect for the role: gravelly, intense, and world-weary in the best way. Even though there aren’t any flashy animated cutscenes, the game leans into atmospheric storytelling. As you progress, you’ll collect "memories" from certain enemies you defeat. Bringing those memories to the witch (who also handles your upgrades) unlocks narrated sequences. These are presented through still, hand-drawn illustrations that are simple but detailed, and paired with Perlman's narration, they hit a really cool balance of mood and mystery. What I appreciated is that these flashbacks don’t spoon-feed you the plot. You’re never smacked over the head with something like “Hey, this is the moment I got shot!” Instead, it’s more nuanced, with little glimpses into Mason’s life and death that you can piece together yourself. It adds some depth to the world without getting in the way of the gameplay. Gameplay: The gameplay is designed as a twin-stick cover shooter with an isometric camera, and while it looks like a game made with a controller in mind, I personally just couldn't get into it that way. Something about the aiming and movement felt way more natural on KB+M for me. Though it all comes down to preference, I felt it was worth noting. That said though, this game REALLY clicked with me. I don’t consider myself a rogue-like/lite expert by any means, but I think I’ve played enough to appreciate when a game offers solid variety, and WoD delivers. Combat is punchy and satisfying, with weapons falling into familiar but flexible categories like pistols, revolvers, rifles, and shotguns. Then there are the abilities: these can be healing items, grenades, thrown weapons, or even melee-based attacks, depending on your loadout. Even though the categories seem simple on the surface, there’s actually a lot of depth underneath. Each weapon and item has its own quirks, strengths, and weaknesses, and experimenting with different combinations can lead to all kinds of playstyles. There's a real sense of replayability here, especially since you can approach levels with a more aggressive or defensive strategy depending on your setup. Next, cover is a huge part of WoD’s mechanics, and it’s handled really well. You’re encouraged to stay behind objects, dodge roll between cover spots, and avoid standing out in the open, additionally so since reloading is faster while in cover. Ammo is infinite, but positioning and timing are still key. There’s a great rhythm to the gunfights once you get into the flow. The game also throws a lot at you to keep things interesting. Cover is destructible, some enemies lob dynamite, the darkness plays a big role, etc. and you have to light up areas by igniting lanterns to clearly see/target enemies, which encourages constant movement. One of the more unique aspects is the "Lost Souls" mechanic. These are NPCs you find who ask you to take on their curses so they can finally pass on. While cursed, you take significantly more damage, but you’re rewarded for sticking it out. Purging the curse requires eliminating six enemies, but I wish this system had a bit more variety. You'll quickly realize that the only handicap you ever get is increased damage taken. It would’ve been cool to see other debuffs like slower movement, reduced damage output, or maybe even shorter firing ranges for all weapons to add some extra flavor and challenge. World: The world/level design strikes a nice balance. There are around ten levels total, and while none of them are overly colorful or visually striking in the traditional sense, they all have a strong sense of individuality. The art direction leans heavily into shadow and moody, which works well for the tone of the game, even if it means you won’t find much visual variety in terms of color. Every area manages to stand out in its own right, despite all sharing that same dark, gritty western aesthetic. Additionally, they all have their own quirks: unique enemies, environmental touches, and layouts that give each one a flavor. It’s clear there was thought put into making the levels feel distinct without breaking the overall atmosphere of the game. Nevertheless, even though the variety is there in a technical sense, the replayability doesn’t always hold up. You'll probably see the majority of what WoD has to offer within the first five hours. And while that’s not necessarily a bad thing, (it’s a pretty tight experience) it does make longer sessions feel a bit repetitive. Interestingly, I found that the level design started to wear thin faster than the gameplay itself. The levels do their job and serve as solid backdrops for the action, but after going through any area two or three times, a lot of the initial charm starts to fade. The combat and mechanics held my attention longer than the environments did more times than not. Visuals: I’ll be the first to admit, the cel-shaded art style was a huge selling point for me going in. So yeah, I’ve got some bias. However, even setting that aside, I genuinely think the visuals are rock solid from start to finish. There’s something about the way this game leans into its comic book aesthetic that really elevates the entire experience. As previously mentioned, the environments are effectively dark and moody, but also full of thick shadows and bold outlines, and it all works in harmony with the supernatural western vibe. The visuals aren't just eye candy, they subtly work by keeping the game feeling alive and dynamic, even when you're ducking behind the same kinds of cover for the hundredth time. Even the way bullets whip across the screen in these sharp, comic-style trails adds a kind of visual flavor that makes combat more fun to watch and play. Music/Sound Design: The music and sound design in WoD are great. The atmosphere is incredibly immersive, thanks to some well-crafted audio work that really brings the sullen, supernatural western vibe to life. From the moment you drop into the world, the soundtrack sets the tone perfectly and complements the gritty visuals and gameplay style beautifully. That said, like a lot of games with strong but limited musical direction, the repetition does start to creep in the longer you play. Each area only has one dedicated track and while they're all very well done, hearing the same song over and over, especially in the earlier levels that you’ll inevitably revisit more often, can get a bit old. It’s not a dealbreaker, but it's definitely noticeable if you’re putting in long hours. As for the general sound design, I have no complaints at all. Guns sound punchy, the environments have the right amount of echo and ambiance, and everything fits together nicely. One thing that does stand out though is the voice acting, or rather, the lack of it. Ron Perlman does a fantastic job as Mason, and I'm a big fan of his performance. However, he’s the only voiced character in the game, and you'll realize that pretty quickly. I honestly didn't mind, especially since the game isn’t very dialogue-heavy to begin with, but it’s something that could potentially take some people out of the experience.