Developed by Arkane alumni (Prey, Deathloop, Dishonored), Weird West presents itself as a highly original action RPG set in a dystopian western.
The year is 2019. Two Arkane Studios executives are leaving the Lyon group to create their own independent studio WolfEye, made up of around twenty developers. Very quickly, expectations are high around their first production, which will finally be presented at the Game Awards 2019: Weird West. A 3/4 TPS action RPG set in a western.
A Western, but not just any Great West. In fact, Weird West immerses us in an “alien west” where cowboys, zombies and other monsters collide. Five characters are offered, each with a very special and original story. Jane is the first protagonist and has to hunt down a gang of thugs who killed her son and kidnapped her husband. The other characters are just as original and endearing, like a bow-wielding Indian or a cowboy… with a pig’s head.
Visually, Weird West takes on cel-shading, giving it that very successful cartoon look.
The planted context drives the heart of the game, its gameplay. Weird West is thus presented as an immersive sim action RPG. This last term means that the title allows us to dive straight into the adventure with certain persistent choices that can be felt until the title’s closing credits. Decimate a town and it remains empty, befriend poor strangers or rescue them and they will retaliate at a more dangerous point in your adventure. There are also many decisions to be made in the dialogues, be it in hostage management or in the relationship with NPCs.
Of course, the game has an action component that should not be neglected. It plunges us straight into the American West and therefore offers us the possibility of confronting different rival gangs of cowboys and… zombies. As a good marksman, the title requires us to control the weapon’s sights with the right joystick and shoot with the right rear trigger. The mechanics are easy to work with, if a bit sensitive to the slightest movement when aiming at an enemy or an object.
Throughout the adventure you must understand the different situations that are available to you either discreetly or in pure and simple action. Stealth is still fun to silently attack enemies or distract them with a throwable item. However, it is more difficult to take over as the enemies are often numerous and difficult to fool. In addition, the AI is not really successful and sees corpses when they are super well hidden while remaining passive while sometimes killing an ally within a few meters. The action phases are meaner, but just as entertaining, since you have many weapons with often different firing ranges at your disposal. Be careful with your ammo though, because it’s very rare.
The title adopts some RPG elements with the customization and improvement of our five characters.
On the other hand, Weird West includes some game mechanics directly inspired by the greatest RPGs. Our five protagonists are rather fragile at the beginning of the adventure and not very resistant to attacks. But as the adventure progresses, they become bolder and gain resistance, thanks in particular to more sophisticated equipment and increasingly powerful abilities. In addition, and this is good, the evolutions of one character are carried over to the other four, allowing to keep the progress acquired during the adventure.
In Weird West you have to move around a huge map and travel from city to city, whether on horseback or on foot. Choosing between one and the other is important as you may well encounter unpleasant surprises if you decide to walk. Acquiring a horse is very expensive and money is tight in the title. You can then hope to steal one, but it will escape at the first stop and you will then become the robber. Make the journey on foot, not only will it take longer, but you also risk being ambushed. On the other hand, you can get new resources and maybe come across a secondary quest.
In terms of content, the developers of WolfEye were very generous. Count around twenty hours if you want to finish the game as quickly as possible and another ten in case you want to complete the side missions and loot as much as possible. For €40, the bill is relatively easy and we don’t feel ripped off at all, far from it, especially since the title is available in Xbox Game Pass. Then a good deal.
The adventure takes us in a western devastated by zombies and monsters, in which we have to face many rival gangs.
Visually, Weird West isn’t doing too badly, although we’re more likely to remember his universe and artistic direction. The title doesn’t really feature images to take your retinas off, but it can boast of being very immersive. Completely cel-shaded, like in the Borderlands, Weird West is adorned with a cartoonish aspect that really suits the game universe and its slightly offbeat side. The narrative and narrator are fairly accomplished, if not impressive, while the various melodies are skillfully composed and pleasing to the ear.
Conclusion
For their very first game, the WolfEye studio does very well with this very original Weird West. This top-down 3/4 cel shading action RPG immerses us in a dystopian western where cowboys, bandits and zombies kill each other. With its excellent lifespan (about twenty hours), its solid and original gameplay (thanks to the hero’s powers) and its universe so pleasant, Weird West manages to retire from the game and establish itself as a title extremely fun . At the atmospheric level, the title relies on an exceptional artistic direction and a very appealing soundtrack. Throughout the adventure, you play as five very different protagonists and have to make many choices that will shape your story but also the universe. With very ingenious RPG aspects to improve the characters, Weird West also allows us to use multiple strategies in the missions (offensive, infiltration…). If we had any complaints about the title, it would be mainly at the level of its AI, not always clever but mostly surprising due to bugs. Finally, the 3/4 view isn’t always ideal for visibility. Never mind, this is a very good surprise!
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Strange West
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We love :
A very successful artistic direction
An excellent lifespan (20h)
Decisions that have a real impact on the future
The diverse approaches in combat
Five varied and entertaining protagonists to control
We like less:
An AI that deserves some adjustments
A viewing angle that is not ideal for visibility
Visually, Weird West takes on cel-shading, giving it that very successful cartoon look.
The title adopts some RPG elements with the customization and improvement of our five characters.
The adventure takes us in a western devastated by zombies and monsters, in which we have to face many rival gangs.
The AX-1 Mission Crew – Credit: Axiom Space