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Wild West has a big and fascinating Wild West, and whether it's the design ideas that are cognate with Shame and Predator, or the fascinating immersive simulation gameplay, you can experience something very different from other Western games. The game's scary western land is not just cowboys and herds, but also full of ancient magic and terrifying monsters such as werewolves, bloodthirsty banshees (Sirens), gold-digging zombies, and magic trees that capture human souls.
The main story of the game consists of 5 chapters, each telling the story of 5 "heroes", namely bounty hunters, pigmen, guardians of the protected tribe, and werewolves and wizards. The stories of several characters are invisibly intertwined. The player assumes the role of a faceless spirit who, for some mysterious reason, is attached to the corresponding protagonist in each chapter. The story begins with a farmer who has to dig up buried weapons to save his kidnapped family. Then this seemingly traditional cowboy story spawned some bizarre trends. Along the way you'll help the poet lift the curse of his rhyming speech and consider whether to expose a sheriff who sells pieces of meat from prison inmates. After the slower-paced opening stage, Wild West quickly piqued the player's appetite with absurd and thrilling content, and whenever you think you have figured out the game's routine, there will be some unexpected variables coming, and watching the chapter change from new clues to the next chapter is full of fun.
The weird talk of the West is fascinating, and the sandbox gameplay really brings the game world to life. While designed to enhance the appeal of the exciting twin-stick shooting gameplay, Wild West has a variety of guns, crossbows, and melee weapons for players to choose from. But most of the time you can solve the problem by dodging the enemy's sight and burying the corpse. Players can either blast enemies to pieces with the impact of the shotgun to shock the screen, or they can continuously strike the revolver's hammer to release a rain of bullets, while quietly killing their opponents with a silenced rifle. As one of the unlockable weapons, the Silenced Rifle can silently fire and deal double damage to enemies while stealthing.
All five protagonists have exclusive abilities, as well as enhanced buffs such as health or movement speed. Pigmen can rely on their tough skin to keep their knives and guns in, and can unleash ranged poisonous mist and charge skills that can deal massive amounts of damage. Guardians, on the other hand, can summon Soul Bears or Storms with Elemental Attributes. Combat requires a fair degree of precision, so it's great for playing with keyboard and mouse, and for those who can only play with a gamepad, I recommend using the game's tactical mode, where time slows down and you can plan your next actions just right.
You can fire at the conspicuous red barrels of explosives to cause a huge explosion, or you can detonate the ammunition boxes so that the bullets in them pour out in all directions, but if you don't have enough ammunition, I don't recommend you to explode the ammunition boxes. Many enemies have weaknesses such as fire or poison, but sometimes you will be caught in a situation of insufficient supplies, which may be a better choice than using an explosive stick or Molotov cocktail to inflict fire damage, taking a bow and arrow and borrowing the fire next to it to shoot a rocket. Also be careful not to blow yourself up, I've died several times. If you accidentally get burned, you must immediately look for a source of water – ponds, bathtubs or even pumps – and be sure to find water to extinguish the fire before you burn to death. I really enjoy borrowing these mechanics to overcome difficulties, but sometimes the awkward perspective of the game prevents me from implementing various plans. This is a question that is frustrating.
The game world of Wild West is huge, and there are nearly hundreds of farms, towns, and wastelands to explore. The sheer number of locations on the map can sometimes make you wonder where to start, and almost every time you explore, you'll discover new areas, and exploring these locations will often be rewarded with new loot. In addition to trading and resting in towns, players can also hire helpers to join their squads here. Some NPCs will be willing to join your squad for free – revenge is usually more valuable than gold, but others will ask you to pay a high reward before they can help you fight.
So how do you make money? You can rob a bank vault, of course, provided you have a sufficient amount of explosives or a locksmith. In addition, what you do will often have consequences (even choices other than the plot will have an impact), so if you don't want to trigger a shootout or be wanted, it's best to do it after the bank closes in the evening. With a rope, you can climb the roof of the bank and sneak in through the chimney. Whatever gameplay you choose, Wild West will be a fun experience that will motivate me to try multiple ways to solve the problem.
Whether it's at key moments in the story or in the usual exciting battles, everything the player does will have an impact on the rest of the game. Characters who have been betrayed by you will reappear much later, sometimes at the first sign of a flash and take on a deadly revenge on you. Similarly, NPCs who have received your help before — such as a lady who got my title deed back with my help — may also be available in times of crisis. The existence of these associated consequences makes even the most inconspicuous choices in the game meaningful, because you never know how the game world will respond to your choices. If you slaughter a town, the area will be abandoned. Over time, these places will become ghost towns in the true sense of the word, and scavengers attracted by decaying corpses will occupy the towns and turn these places into a purgatory that will never be peaceful.
The game system with excellent characters and depth is the most brilliant part of Wild West, but there are many unsatisfactory aspects of the overall performance of the game. The game renders good enough on high-end machines and large screens, but on a platform with weaker features like Steam Deck, it's mushy. I also encountered a small bug that occasionally failed to save the game, which caused me to suffer a lot of blows in my post-death mentality a few times.
But overall, Wolfeye Studios is presenting a great piece of work this time. Wild West subverts conventions and brings an immersive sandbox experience in a dark fantasy style through the clichéd cowboy theme.
—————— 8.5 ——————
Translation: Liu Sheng's non-love sword
Edit: Tonkotsu ramen