Published , by Donovan Erskine
Published , by Donovan Erskine
Flying Wild Hog always brings something unique to the table, and that remains true with Evil West. The upcoming shooter sees players in the role of a vampire hunter during the days of the American frontier. I had the opportunity to step into those brave cowboy boots and play through one of the story missions in Evil West during a preview at PAX East.
Evil West puts a unique spin on a familiar setting, as the old west is now littered with demonic creatures and vampiric beasts. As a vampire hunter, players are outfitted with a slew of weapons to slay the monsters that stand in their path. During my demo, I battled enemies outside of a barn, popping heads and witnessing the game’s over-the-top blood and gore.
Though a rifle was my primary weapon, there are different melee abilities that allow you to make quick work of enemies at a close range. I could chain together physical attacks into combos, and even Sparta kick enemies to create some distance. Kicking an enemy to stagger them and then hitting them with a headshot was supremely satisfying. There are also a couple special finisher animations that players can trigger by initiating a physical attack while an enemy is stunned and glowing.
During my preview I got to fight one of Evil West’s several bosses. This is where I got a good sense for the game’s learning curve, as I died about five times before I was able to conquer the creature. A flying bat-like beast immune to ranged damage, I had to do a lot of dodging around and strategically time each of my physical hits in order to make the most of them. The developers shared with me that there are a plethora of bosses featured in the full game, with each of them forcing players to try new tactics.
The game also has a decent amount of environmental puzzles. Navigating through an underground cavern, I had to find levers to lower bridges, discover hidden pathways, and use a grappling hook to cross large distances. It will hopefully offer a change of pace between battles in the full game.
Evil West feels like a pretty unique take on the old west setting. With a clear emphasis on combat and enemy design, it’ll be exciting to see how the full game pans out.
These impressions are based on an in-person demo played at PAX East. Evil West launches later this year for PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, and PC.