Hard West 2 Reviews

The entire story resides on the premise of a gambling addict who lost a pointless wager in the beginning. That's the opening synopsis that's supposed to get you interested. Just .. No

The characters, while not too in-depth, were well-written, interesting, and had enough variety to make it so I actually wanted to read their exposition. The bullet bouncing gives this game a unique touch, the weapon designs are inspired, and combat overall was made to be engaging. Adding in side objectives and achievements certainly helped my motivation in that regard. Especially the train mission I had to look up how to complete in one turn. Also appreciated how the side objectives on the world map were mostly text-based adventures. Meant to me that I wasn't getting mired down in filler combats, characters who I wouldn't give a hell about, and overall just sinking more time for mere playtime metrics. My largest gripe with the game were that I wish that you could max out loyalty with all companions. I do not think I'll play this game again, despite enjoying it, and I would've liked to see all the skills and the backstory available during my playthrough. I also found Lazarus a little dry, although his voice actor went above and beyond in the role. 8.5/10. Looking forward to the next game this studio releases.

Nice turn-based combat which requires some thinking to find a way to trigger that perfect synergy of skills of your posse and keep gaining bravado. The mechanics are solid and that western/horror crossover works surprisingly well. Storywise the game is pretty decent although most of the time it is really straight forward. No real decisions to be made that would impact the outcome of the story but then again this isn´t a graphic novel but a turn-based tactics game. And in that aspect it does a pretty good job. I´d say it´s somewhere around 8/10.

As of 4 hours of gameplay, I am playing on nightmare+ mode(hardest difficulty)... so far it's quite managable. it's not as tough as Gears Tactics but it's decent. Saving whenever and loading whenever makes the hardest difficulty, not so hard. playing this game after Rogue Waters and Nightmare Frontier, I really miss the push mechanic and I think it should be a staple for XCOM-like games now. As for this game though, I love the extra turns for kills as a core mechanic of the game. speed is highly important on nightmare+ mode since there is a round limit for completing the area. In all my years of playing XCOM-like games. I only missed a 90% shot a few times. In this game however, I miss it already 8 times. I'm sure it's not the games fault. Also, personally, the card buffs from original Hard West seemed more impactful than the buffs they offer here. decent story, decent artwork, decent gameplay, overall a decent game. Also, there are 3 different art designs for the same character, it's discombobulating...

A fun, challenging tactical combat game with a good story line as well. I found the game an enjoyable challenge on Normal difficulty, my hat off to those who can play on higher difficulty settings. On normal careful planning and thought can get you through most battles on your first attempt, although in some I had one character standing at the end. A few battles took two attempts. Do plan your weapon layout carefully, decide the optimum times to use dynamite and complete as many optional quests as possible for loot and money. I also thought the voice acting was excellent.

This game gives heavy wasteland 3 vibes but set in the wild west. I enjoyed the first one's dark atmosphere and sort of "No matter what you're doomed" endings. So far, while I haven't played for long, I've really been enjoying myself. So far everything is better than the first which is awesome. The story seems super interesting so far, along with many different aspects of gameplay which I quite enjoy over the original. So far it's 10/10 for me, almost exactly what I hoped for

Game is pretty OK. But after you exit it for the first time - it wont' start up again. People complain about it on the forum, but developer seem to not support this anymore. You probably would play more than two hours at first - that will make Steam refund unavailable, and the next day - you'll have a bricked game.

Hard West 2 is a turn-based tactics game set in the Wild West with supernatural elements. The sequel is more polished in almost every respect. And you do not need to have played the first game to enjoy this one. The story is largely linear, although you are occasionally given the option to choose the order in which to complete the main missions. The plot is decent enough to keep the game moving, but it lacks depth and is ultimately forgettable. Most of the characters' backstories are shallow and have little impact. However, the dialogue is generally well written and contains the occasional humorous line that adds charm. The voice acting is consistently strong, although it's a shame that not all lines are voiced. Nevertheless, the game successfully captures the Western atmosphere thanks to a combination of missions, dialogue and character design. The game features an overworld map that is used for travelling and questing. Optional quests typically involve basic pick-up-and-delivery tasks. These quests are quick and easy to complete, but it is still worth doing them for the extra rewards, especially since there is a 4x speed-up option. Character progression is achieved without levelling up. Instead, you assign poker cards to your characters, which you find one by one. Matching certain combinations of these cards unlocks abilities and improves stats such as health, luck, and movement range. The card system forces you to consider how best to distribute them among your team. Due to their unique skills, each of the six characters plays slightly differently. In addition to the poker cards, each character has one trinket slot that can be used to further boost stats. You can purchase upgraded weapons, trinkets, and healing items in shops or by completing quests. However, by the end of the game, I found the character progression a bit limited, especially if you do not find any of the hidden joker cards. This restricts the options for distributing the poker cards, essentially leaving you with the choice of assigning either four of a kind or a royal flush to each character. Despite this limitation, the pacing and length of the game feel just right. After around 20 hours, you will have experienced most of what the game has to offer, and it will not have outstayed its welcome. Furthermore, there is a light companion system: by choosing certain dialogue options, you increase the affinity with a character to unlock permanent skills and opening up new dialogue options. This is a minor feature with little overall impact. Combat is where Hard West 2 truly shines. The highlight is the "Bravado" mechanic. If a character lands a killing blow, they regain all their action points, enabling potentially long kill chains. This feature encourages an aggressive style and creates a satisfying sense of forward momentum. As the game progresses and the difficulty level increases, the Bravado mechanic becomes more and more a puzzle to solve, as you try to figure out how to chain your actions for maximum effect (possibly through trial and error by reloading the last save). Another small puzzle element is the optional tasks in each combat mission, which offer an additional challenge and bonus rewards. Your ability to heal your characters is limited per combat mission, adding a layer of strategy to every encounter. If your team takes heavy damage in a single round, it may be worthwhile to reload your last save and try a different approach; otherwise, the rest of the mission may become too difficult. Moreover, your characters cannot be revived during a mission, so think twice before letting someone get knocked out. Another feature is the luck system. Characters accumulate luck when they miss a shot or are shot at. Luck can then be spent (automatically) to increase the chances of hitting or dodging. While this system adds subtle depth, it is more relevant at higher difficulty levels. Overall, the combat encounters in Hard West 2 remind me of Warhammer 40,000: Chaos Gate, as both games feel very puzzly compared to other tactical games in the genre. The other game mechanics are typical of the genre. There is light and heavy cover, as well as a hunker down ability similar to that in XCOM. Oddly, the cover calculations seem inconsistent at times, as characters sometimes receive bonuses even when flanked. Unlike most tactical games, Hard West 2 does not feature a general overwatch ability, where a character waits for an enemy to enter their line of sight before reacting. Although, there are a few special items that grant counterattacks (e.g., Duelist), I appreciate the general lack of an overwatch ability in this game because it prevents overly defensive tactics and encourages a more active playstyle. The game offers five difficulty levels. The enemy AI acts okay, but it is not the smartest horse in town. Its main threat lies in its numbers. Moreover, some enemies use the same special abilities as you, which makes them quite dangerous. One minor annoyance is that enemy reinforcements sometimes spawn abruptly when you reach certain points on the map, which feels artificial. The game's variety is maintained through a range of mission objectives, including horseback train heists. The level design is particularly strong, with layered terrain, cluttered objects and multi-storey buildings creating interesting tactical opportunities. Overall, the graphics and effects are good, and the towns and environments successfully convey the atmosphere of the Wild West. I had a few minor issues with the controls: the left mouse button is used for moving, selecting characters, and confirming actions, which can occasionally result in misclicks. Fortunately, the game autosaves frequently, so it is easy to reload a recent save. While Hard West 2 does not reach the strategic depth of XCOM 2 or Jagged Alliance 3 — lacking base building or resource management — it does not need to. The unique Bravado combat system creates a satisfying feel of fast-paced, forward momentum. Overall, Hard West 2 mostly knows what it wants to be, delivering a focused and accessible tactical experience. If you are looking for a shorter, punchier tactical game, and are not put off by an alternative Wild West setting with supernatural elements or a functional plot with light character progression, Hard West 2 is well worth your time.

I absolutely loved the original Hard West and HW2 improves upon itself with world building and companion loyalty. The graphics, gameplay and ricochet mechanics make it fun and engaging with new abilities to explore. I crave more Hard West after completing this game - I am now replaying at a higher difficulty till they complete the trilogy. If you liked the first game or enjoy titles like Shadowrun, RDR, OG Fallout 1 & 2 and Space Wreck - you will love Hard West 2.

It may be a fine game if you are not familiar with the first part. The first game was a full-fledged tactics where you had to be really accurate, the second, on the other hand, is more casual and about collecting kill streaks and abusing your "superpowers". What's more important the prequel had a great storyline and atmosphere: full of darkness, doom and despair. With no good guys but your potential friendly companion named "Childeater". With that kid who killed his parents just to watch them die. With half-dead avenger who wants to destroy everyone and everything in the name of his revenge. The sequel just lacks all of that. It's kinda fine but there is no real depth at all and it's really disappointing compared with the previous game.