Weird West is an indie action simulation game developed by WolfEye Studios and published by Devolver Digital, releasing for PC, PlayStation 4, and Xbox One on January 11, 2022. Taking place in an alternate version of the Wild West, gunslingers and outlaws share the same rough deserts and towns as fantastical creatures. I got the chance to play an early preview of Weird West and, based on my early impressions, this is a game that is sure to be an exciting and fresh take on both its video game and movie inspired genres.
One of the first things you’ll instantly notice with Weird West is its distinctive art style. If you’ve been reading my reviews long enough, you’ll know that one of the things that I look for most in video games is aesthetic design. Flashy or realistic graphics doesn’t matter if your aesthetics and artistic vision is dull. Thanks to the cell-shaded art style and the Western theme, Weird West’s environments and characters are anything but dull. There’s a grittiness to Weird West that I really like that’s balanced by the cartoonish cell-shading. I’m reminded of games like Disco Elysium or even Borderlands in that regard.
Up next is gameplay. Weird West is controlled through a top-down perspective, sort of like a twin stick shooter, if you’ve played those. The player character can move around the map, interacting with corpses, closets, and NPCs with the camera completely in the player’s control. For dialogue, the camera zooms in and a stylized dialogue system appears. I’ve already made the reference earlier, but the non-combat gameplay of Weird West really reminds me of Disco Elysium. NPCs react to your actions organically (I mean, it would be kinda weird if your town got massacred and you watched a random bounty hunter show up to loot your neighbors’ corpses) and the choices in dialogue you get serve as small interactions that breathe life into the world. WolfEye Studios claims that the choices made have high stakes, with permanent consequences, so I’m excited to see what kind of choices Weird West will present us.
Combat is fast paced and more hectic than I expected. I went into Weird West expecting a slower, more methodical shooting system. However, when Weird West gets going (like when I inevitably fail stealth), it really gets going. Wolves will attack you en-masse, you and your character desperately loading pistol rounds into your revolver, bushes lie around an enemy patrol, perfect for sneaking through and silently knocking out bad guys. Boring is definitely not how I’d describe Weird West’s gameplay. The maps are also their own isolated playgrounds, with cover and obstacles lying around that afford the player choice in how they’d like to maneuver around.
Weird West was a genuine surprise. Given the art style and some of the preview images, I was expecting a game similar to Disco Elysium, a slower and more story-based RPG that relied on your interactions with characters. Instead, what I discovered, was a game that combined an interesting premise and setting with the fast-paced gameplay that would keep my adrenaline running in between slower story and character moments. I’m definitely excited to see what Weird West has to offer when it eventually comes out.
Check Out the Weird West Trailer:
For more information, visit weirdwest.com.
My name is Matt Tran and I have been playing video games since I could remember holding a controller. I've always been a hardcore gamer growing up, from the hectic MW2 and Halo 3 lobbies, my many journeys through several Halo clans and my current exploits with my Destiny 2 clan. I love shooters and RPGs and overanalyzing every component of every game I've played, from weapon stats to ideal perks. When I have time to play other games, I currently play Genshin Impact and Star Wars Squadrons.
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