REVIEW – Combining the Wild West with the tactical style of XCOM with a horror twist is a fair idea, as it has the Western charm, and the gameplay is not entirely a clone. The more straightforward gameplay in this form is also well complemented by a well-written story.

The game tells the story of a slightly alcoholic first name, Gin Carter, and his gang, who go from a conventional train robbery to the one place they never wanted to go.

Sitting on the train

For the train is haunted and far more sinister than it appears. A demon called Mammon is scattering the gang, and our first task is to get our group together. Then, we can talk about the train robbery, and Mammon gets a kick up the arse to return to the afterlife. With this quick (and perhaps too simple) recap, I didn’t portray the story of Hard West 2 as exceptionally well written. Still, I have done so intentionally: I shouldn’t go into every detail, but it’s nice that events from our history are woven into the story. It’s worth looking up Ghost Dance, which was common up until the 19th century, because it’s part of the dark fantasy setting, for example. It’s safe to say that the developers have not created a generic Western atmosphere, and the overall picture is better because of it. Still, I hope that this horror style will not be driven into the ground by the Wild West setting because there is also Evil West, which is supposed to come in September from Flying Wild Hog. But going back to Hard West 2, our band could be strengthened with credible-looking, seemingly authentic characters, and there are some exciting ideas, as I’m not sure many would have expected the undead cowboy.

He wants to return to his grave. Unfortunately, the ghost train has brought him back to life. Still, there are also bad guys on the trail, not to mention the fallen priests and the Indian treasure hunters who will have to test their tactical strategy in rounds, with a few twists: if you kill an opponent, you get all your action points back, so you might even be able to take down most of your opponents in a round by taking good positions, one by one. However, that requires good equipment and a considered approach, not to mention, for example, the trick shot ability of the gunslingers. It allows you to bounce shots off the scenery, which is helpful because it will enable you to wound hiding opponents, and the combo (which goes by bravado) is excellent. I would point out that we need to break away from the XCOM-style strategy because it is not entirely successful here. The role of the sniper in Hard West 2 doesn’t feel as prominent.

Everything starts rough

Hard West 2 is one of those games where you have to learn the ropes at the beginning because you have to play tactically. Here, you should also pay attention to the range of your firearms, or the loadout, so that in addition to pistols, rifles and shotguns, your characters’ skills can also be helpful on the battlefield. There will be other items too, but we shouldn’t be too wasteful with these, as dynamites can help offensively, and bandaids can provide defensive relief during combat. When that’s over, we’ll also get a more open-world map with locations to explore, so if you happen to come across an abandoned mine, it might be worth taking time to see if you can find resources, and if not, keep an eye out for dialogue, which is excellent and varied. Meanwhile, the game will also test your morality because if you run into a wounded man, it might not be a good idea to loot him.

After all, if you take him to a nearby town, the people there might be more helpful toward you and your gang. It is just one example. Variety is not something you can complain about in this perspective. What can be said, however, is that some fights can be tediously long, and in some cases, it can be surprising that they took much longer than they should have. During these, we can waste our resources, and that would probably be the other significant negative. If we’re not prepared, we can be prepared for trouble. And make it double. Oh good, I just referenced Jesse and James (for those who don’t know, Pokémon).

Hard West 2 = 6 x 3 : 2 – 3/2

Hard West 2 is seven and a half out of ten, in my opinion, because the game itself can offer something unique with its gameplay and has no significant shortcomings in terms of atmosphere. Be patient at the beginning and don’t waste too much, so I would even give it an eight out of ten. Relatively, all aspects are good, even the graphics and art style. As a sequel, I think it’s a decent creation, and since you can buy it for 22.5 euros on Steam, I’d say that if you like Westerns, maybe XCOM-style tactics, it’s worth investing in at that price. Because of the initially tricky start, impatient people shouldn’t even try, and they’re better off skipping it…

-V-

Publisher: Good Shepherd Entertainment

Developer: Ice Code Games

Style: Wild West XCOM clone

Release: August 4, 2022.