Game News Evil West: this “God of War” in the Far West by the creators of Shadow Warrior caught our eye at Gamescom
Published on 08/29/2022 at 17:15
After the boosted FPS in Japan, the studio Flying Wild Hog changes atmosphere and camera, with Evil West: an action-adventure game that has its eye on the side of God of War, but which also has its own personality.
Until now better known for its stupid-funny fast-FPS (the last three Shadow Warriors), the Polish studio Flying Wild Hog is now trying its hand at TPS, with a brand new setting. So make way for the dusty village, the bales of straw rolling in the wind, the sound of bullets whistling in the air… and the vampires. Because yes, Evil West takes as its context the horrific far west, in which you play a wannabe Van Helsing responsible for protecting the Great West from the supernatural threat. Suffice to say that the scenario of Evil West does not seem very subtle or of great interest and we are mainly dealing with a B series in “guilty pleasure” mode. The proof with cutscenes often over the top and dialogues which are just as much. Without, however, turning towards the schoolboy like Shadow Warrior (and that’s good), Evil West does not take itself quite seriously.
Solid, square and fun gameplay
On the other hand, the developers have paid particular attention to the gameplay, which seems particularly neat if not very original. Western obliges, you have at your disposal a colt and a rifle (and other weapons a little later), but also a kind of huge gauntlet which allows you to burst your opponents in blood and trips. The colt can draw very quickly and allows almost automatic aiming, while the rifle will support each other and do more damage, especially if you shoot at one of the opponent’s weak points. A sufficiently stunned monster will flash and you can then swoop down on it to finish it off with all the grace and subtlety of a 19th century vampire hunter. A game mechanic inherited from Doom that still works just as well, even in third person.
The fights are mostly in a kind of arenas where you will be attacked from all sides, an arrow showing you where the nearest threat is to better dodge. This time, we are therefore eyeing the side of God of War, an inspiration clearly assumed by the developers.
Evil West can create a surprise at the end of the year
Doom-style kills, close combat reminiscent of God of War, guns and a big metal glove to smash skulls… A formula that helps give Evil West a welcome viscerality. It’s fun, violent and particularly satisfying to play, even if the formula is known. In addition, the 30-minute demo that we were able to try out on the stand of its publisher Focus turned out to be particularly clean and fluid, free of any bugs.
Finally, Evil West’s biggest flaw could well be its release date, set for November 22, two weeks after a certain
God of War : Ragnarok
. The game is expected on PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One and Xbox Series.